Fall Semester Debrief

Now that all my classes have wrapped up I’ve been thinking just how much things have changed in education over the past 10 years. First off I’m still absolutely amazed at how distance learning has evolved over the past 20 years. The tools and technology we as educators have at our disposal now have truly changed the nature of education at all grade levels. What has not changed fast enough (in my opinion) unfortunately is the mindsets of many teachers, professors and administrators when it comes to distance learning.

It seems the technology is out pacing many educational institutions and teachers at all levels. I believe e-learning is only going to continue growing and the demand for dynamic, engaging and sophisticated online courses is growing rapidly as well. We are seeing this at Community Colleges across North Carolina. In fact…online courses grew 38% this past year for the Community College System and the demand for traditional seated courses was down 1.8%. Unfortunately there hasn’t been enough aggressive / in-depth professional development for faculty to help them transition from the classroom environment to the online environment. I want e-learning to grow and prosper, yet I don’t want to see students disappointed because their online classes were not the very best they could be – I also hate seeing faculty frustrated by their lack of understanding of online teaching methodology and the various technological tools at their disposal. It seems that many excellent classroom teachers struggle with the technology itself and it gets in the way or acts as a barrier between them and their students instead of helping them deliver their course content in a engaging, seamless and interactive way.

There’s no doubt the more you teach online, the more you experiment (and practice) with the various communication tools at your disposal the better and more comfortable you get as an online instructor. There really isn’t any magic bullet. The first step (in my opinion) with 12 years under my belt is keeping an open mind and be willing to “let go” of the way you used to do it in the classroom, because the sage on the stage approach isn’t conducive for the online teaching environment. Educators have to let their online teaching style (pedagogy) evolve one semester at a time. Identify what works for you and what doesn’t and then retool your course and methodology based on past mistakes, student feedback and personal insights.

I absolutely love teaching my art and photography courses online and am always exploring new and creative ways to deliver my course material. There is so much “open source” rich media instructional content (like YouTube and ITunes U) out there that you can incorporate video, podcasts, screencasts, sreenshots and animated simulations to your courses. I personally love the challenge of teaching a concept and/or photographic/imaging technique online. Even though I’ve been doing e-learning for over 12 years I’m still fine tuning my teaching techniques and constantly exploring and investigating new and creative ways to make more courses dynamic, interesting and intellectually engaging. We as e-learning educators can never be complacent when teaching online because Course Management Systems like Blackboard and Moodle are constantly being upgraded which forces the online instructor to rethink how he/she is delivering instructional content.

Fall semester is over and Christmas is around the corner. I’ll spend some time tweaking my online courses in preparation for the Spring semester. I love a challenge and online teaching provides me with an opportunity to channel my creativity and love for art and photography via the internet from me to my students. When it comes right down to it – it’s all about the students and offering them creative and viable options and opportunities for earning their education.

I also like the fact that I can teach from anywhere in the world as long as I have an internet / wireless connection. You gotta love technology. I sure do!

NC3ADL Eastern Regional Workshop Resources

The Distance Learning Department of Carteret Community College hosted the NC3ADL Regional Workshops this past Friday, November 6th in the Wayne West Building.

Eastern & Western Regional Workshops were from all reports so far – a BIG SUCCESS!! Almost all the feedback was very positive except that some attendees did request that next time we do more “hands-on” training. Eastern Regional had 35 attendees (including presenters), with representatives from 8 Community Colleges and 1 person from the NCCCS (Jonathon Sweetin). The BBQ cooked by our Culinary Department was also a big hit.

Powerpoint Presentations are linked below. Just Click and Download

Best Practices for for Online Online Teaching

Blogging for Beginners & Using iTunes and YouTube in Your Online Courses

CCC iTunes University

CCC YouTube Channel

NC Learning Object Repository

NCLOR Blog with handouts and Resources about the LOR

Podcasting for Beginners

Staub_NC3ADL_assment

Social Networking as a Teaching Tool

Click Here for more information about the NC3DLA

Photo Education Conference in Atlanta Debrief

I always get inspired when I go to these photographic conferences. It’s great hearing so many wonderful image makers talk about and share their work. I also enjoy seeing old friends and colleagues like my ECU Graduate School Professor Henry Stindt (photo below right) and so many other photo educators I’ve had the pleasure to meet over the years. It’s hard to believe I’ve been attending these conferences since 1985 and it was SPE that helped me land my first “real” teaching job. I’m motivated to go out a take pictures every chance I have in-between work and the various other demands on my time. My students got a lot out of the conference as well. I had them share their thoughts in class yesterday with the other students. Now the entire class wants to start planning for SPE National in Philadelphia this coming March.

One of the key themes behind this conference was making the transition from the college environement to the working world. Speakers like Mark Malone addressed exit strategies for transitioning from college to a photographic career. We just don’t spend enough time on this important issue in our photo programs. I for one plan on incorporating more business and marketing practices in my final Portfolio II course.

There is no doubt that the photographic industry has changed dramatically in the past 10 years and is in a constant state of change due to the rapid evolution of digital technology. Keeping abreast of technology is an important factor in preparing oneself for a career in photography & imaging.

It was also great to hear recent graduates talk about how they’ve pursued their photo careers. I heard it over and over again during the conference. You can’t be a quitter in this industry and you MUST be persistent when it comes to exploring ever option for getting a foothold in the photographic industry. When one door closes you just go to the next one. You get knocked down just get back up and explore your next option. This is great advise for all of us no matter where we are in our careers.

I must admit it was also exiting to be one of the presenters at this years conference. Teaching effectively in the online environment is so crucial now that so many colleges are adopting distance learning and using course management systems like Blackboard and Moodle at their institutions. It was also the first time I did a live Webinar at the same time of my presentation. To think I had people from Italy, Holland, and various states on the US watching my presentation and asking questions is mind boggling to me in addition to the 100+ who attended my talk. This is something I definitely want to do again and get more proficient at.

My colleague Cathy Crowell and I were able to attend this conference thanks to a Title III professional development grant. We always come away great ideas and techniques to incorporate into our teaching and online courses.