Training Opportunities in January

HR has a new website to inform us about training opportunities AND to register for them:

www.wcu.edu/hr/training

They have Technology and Classroom Training in the near future, including:

• Introduction to SchoolVue
• BLOGS
• How to Use the Electronic Classroom Hardware

I'll be in the Blogs class myself.

Teaching and Learning: What does Technology Have to Do with It?

[I like the perspective on "technology" and education, and it sounds like an interesting training/workshop opportunity. -Lee Nickles]

Teaching and Learning: What does Technology Have to Do with It?

Ray Schroeder
Director, Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning
Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois at Springfield

When most people think about teaching and learning, they conjure up images of classroom engagement between student and faculty member using a black or white board; reading books; taking notes on paper; and typing papers. Each of these images involves technologies: blackboards; whiteboards; books; pen and paper; typewriter or computer. Technology tools have always been a part of the teaching and learning process. From pre-history to today, they are integral to the way in which humans store information and help to build knowledge.

From drawings on cave walls to cuneiform tablets, the leaps in technology afforded significant benefits. Cavemen (and women) drew and scratched on cave walls, in part to illustrate concepts and techniques. Those cave walls were not "mobile" technologies. As civilization evolved, "mobile-learning" technologies came about. I can only suppose that the clay cuneiform tablets dating back six millennia were used by Sumerians to teach and learn. But, those tablets certainly must have been awkward, heavy, and required time for the clay to dry (or be fired for a more permanent record). Over time, the clay cuneiform tablets were replaced by the equivalent of the iPod — the new technology of papyrus, which was much lighter and on which the ink dried instantly. Later, there were erasable wax tablets followed by a continuous stream of ever-evolving, ever-improving technologies.

Imagine the burden on the teachers of shifting from clay to papyrus; from papyrus to wax. A busy teacher would hardly have the time to learn how to best use the new technology and what advantages it afforded to students. Becoming facile with the stylus was hard enough, but then having to learn to use a pen was just over the top! And, building the infrastructure to supply the ink and replacement pens, let alone sheaves of papyrus must have seemed insurmountable!

From the very beginnings of civilization, technology has had a central communication role in facilitating information transfer and knowledge-building. Certainly, this is no more true than today. We are confronted with an accelerating array of new technologies. Many of these provide significant enhancements to information exchange, retention of data, and the building of knowledge. And the same is true with the new technologies of today.

The challenge remains in finding ways to most efficiently teach technology to the teachers so that they can best use these new technologies to do their work better. Just as we teach our students in groups — thereby drawing upon the collective wisdom and the range of questions of the diverse group of learners — there are advantages to teaching the teachers in groups. The diversity of the group can create a fertile ground to grow broader and deeper understandings of how the technologies might best be used. That is the principle underlying our approach to Sloan-C workshops. Learning together, we will build greater knowledge and support networks as we move beyond the cuneiform to Web 2.0.

(Join Sloan-C in our online workshop- Technology Bootcamp – February 6 to March 7. Burks Oakley II and Ray Schroeder of the University of Illinois and John Bourne of Sloan-C will host.)

Source: Sloan-C electronic newsletter, Volume 7 Issue 1 - January 2008, ISSN 1541-2806

The Sloan-C View is published by Sloan Consortium (Sloan-C™). Responsibility for the contents rests with the authors and not with Sloan-C™. Copyright ©2007 by Sloan-C™.

Training Opportunities This Week

Some training opportunities from the Faculty Center:

Introduction to Content and Services Available in My Cat <http://www.wcu.edu/it/workshops/register.asp?qryid=432>
10/31/07 - 1:00-2:00 pm - Hunter 156

Introduction to Web Design with Macromedia Dreamweaver <http://www.wcu.edu/it/workshops/register.asp?qryid=433>
11/2/07 - 11:15-1:15pm - Hunter 156

WebCat Office Hours: sign up
http://www.wcu.edu/it/workshops/display.asp?qryid=OfficeHours

WebCat Fundamentals and Certification Online Workshop: sign up
http://www.wcu.edu/it/workshops/display.asp?qryid=WebCatFundamentals_Cert

GIS (Geographic Information Systems) DAY: Sign up
http://www.wcu.edu/it/workshops/display.asp?qryid=SessionSignup

Important Training Opportunities

Here are some training events offered through the Faculty Center (and others) that may be of use to you (quoting straight from an e-mail from Kathy Wong):

Tuesday, September 4
WebCat Fundamentals and Certification Workshops (online)

Time: Ongoing
Location: Online
Instructor: Robert Crow

Description: 1 Week Online Workshop (September 4 - 10). This workshop meets online and prepares you to teach a fully online course or complex and fully interactive hybrid course. Once you complete the workshop you will be ready to pass the certified e-learning exam.


Wednesday, September 5

WebCat Introduction

Time: 2:30:00 PM - 3:30:00 PM
Location: Hunter 156 (CATA)
Instructor: John Ashcraft

Description: This session is an overview of the WebCat technology, resources and support available from the Coulter Faculty Center.



Thursday, September 6

Resource 25 Client

Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Belk 406
Instructor: Keith Stiles

Description: This workshop, facilitated by Keith Stiles, is designed for employees who review and approve space requests through the Resource 25 Client application.



Friday, September 7

How to Manage Junk E-mail

Time: 9:00:00 AM - 10:00:00 AM
Location: Hunter 156 (CATA)
Instructor: Sue Grider

Description: This session will show you how to manage your junk e-mail using the Rules and Alerts Wizard.



Resource 25 Web Viewer

Time: 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Location: Belk 406
Instructor: Keith Stiles

Description: The course will take a user through the process of locating and requesting a space for a campus event. The targeted audience also includes room approvers who need to become familiar with the space requestor’s experience with the web interface.



Should you have any questions regarding these or any other training and development programs offered to faculty or staff, please contact Chris Dahlquist at extension 2388.

I particularly recommend the session on the Resource 25 Web Viewer - that lets you schedule rooms for events on campus.

R25 and Webviewer Training

If you already have the R25 client software installed on your computer, you can ignore this. If you ever need to request to schedule a room on campus (e.g., scheduling the Killian computer labs, conference rooms, or 104) then the below training is for you.
(quoted from e-mail):

Webviewer Training Class

Looking for the space you need for an event on campus? Need to book multiple repeating event dates for a special need? Then you need to learn the ins and outs of scheduling events in the Resource25 Webviewer. This class will take users through building a space request in the Webviewer, looking for available space before booking, and a host of other useful tricks to making full use of the new integrated calendaring system. Training attendees are encouraged to bring along some events they would like to make requests for during the class. This training session will truly be a working session focusing on practical applications. Sign up and join us for scheduling fun!

Time: Choose from June 11 or June 12; 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Belk 406
Registration: Required.
Please go to: http://www.wcu.edu/hr/training/personal.asp

Current Training Opportunities - Summer 2007

There are some good technology training opportunities courtesy of the Faculty Center.

I highly recommend that if you are currently using WebCT and not WebCat that you take their WebCat - Migration from WebCT to WebCat course. Why? Because the old WebCT is going away approximately January 2008. The sooner you can transition the better. Start this summer if you have classes, but I recommend you start using WebCat in Fall 2007 at the latest. You do not want to be part of the mad rush to transition when it finally and really does go away.

Other topics that may be of interest:

• Adobe Acrobat Professional
• Ultimate Survey
• Atlas TI