C3-2-1 Newsletter – Week Eleven!

Hello, Faculty Community! 

***You are receiving this newsletter because you are a faculty member at MiraCosta College. I, Sean Davis, am the coordinator of our C3 Teaching and Learning Center***

Okay, I was a bit late getting this out today. Yeah, things are coming in late today…

What a week. I hope you are well, and things are as decent as they can be.

3 resources related to teaching and learning, 2 online tips and tricks, and 1 question for reflection

Looking for archived resources, tips/tricks, and questions?

Revisit the past editions of the C3-2-1 Newsletter here

Want to share? 

If you have some resources, tips/tricks, and questions to share, please contribute to the newsletter using this C3-2-1 Form.

C321 Newsletter

(3) Resources

  1.  OneHE –

    There are so many great resources on this site! The A-Z Index of Teaching is fantastic. OneHE’s four-pronged community-based approach to better teaching includes being Connected, Informed, Questioning, and Caring. This site is definitely worth a visit (or several).

    Of particular use for a day like today is their step-by-step activity for checking-in on students to see how they are feeling today. Here it is – Four Ideas For Checking-In
  2. A Message from the President/Superintendent of MiraCosta College

    Last Friday, our college president, Dr. Sunny Cooke sent out an email detailing information on and resources for the election as they are pertinent to MiraCosta employees. Here is a snippet from her message: 

    SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYEES:

    These are particularly stressful times, and the unknowns of election results and impacts may seem overwhelming at times. I want to reiterate MiraCosta’s commitment to you and emphasize the importance of self-care.
    • All MiraCosta employees are eligible to receive confidential support. The Employee Assistance Services for Education (EASE) program provides free, short-term counseling over the phone or by appointment. To learn more, please contact the EASE Program at 800.722.3273.  
    • Should you need to take a personal leave day or some time off, please work with your supervisor on approval.
    • Make sure to practice self-care and stress management including:
      • Please focus on healthy eating, adequate exercise and sleep, and stress relief techniques such as deep breathing, meditation, and other forms of mindfulness
      • Tuning out election news if it becomes too stressful
      • Reach out to talk to a friend or family member when you are feeling overwhelmed or particularly concerned
      • Turn your focus to helping a friend or neighbor in need
      • f your schedule permits, give back to your community by way of volunteering.
    • Our Mental Health Counselors on Campus have developed a set of six, short health and wellness videos that will be shared each week, for six weeks beginning the week of November 2, 2020.  

      Regardless of the election results, MiraCosta will uphold our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and condemn any acts that attempt to distract us from our core values and mission
  3. November is National Career Development Month! 

    Our Faculty Director of the Career Center, Donna Davis, invites us to engage this month starting with a kick-off FLEX workshop next Monday, November 9 (see attached flyer)

    Here is a bit from Donna –

    Although we can’t celebrate with free coffee, as we have in years past, we invite you to kick off the month by attending a Flex workshop next Monday, 11/9/20, from 2:30 PM-4 PM; see the attached flyer to RSVP and get the Zoom link.

    At next week’s Flex, we’ll
    • introduce the MiraCosta-customized Career Coach exploration tool,
    • share an assignment 5 faculty implemented using Career Coach last spring, and
    • review feedback from students who completed the assignment. 

      Can’t wait to get started?  Click “Explore Careers and Programs” on the MiraCosta home page or click “Explore Careers” on any academic program page

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

  1.  25 Strategies to Engage Students on Your Next Zoom Meeting

    This site provides a pretty solid list of tools and tricks for engaging students in Zoom. Some of the ideas are pretty basic (like sharing your screen), but others are a bit more advanced AND fun – like “Bingo” and Hosting a “Game Show.”
  2. Creating Engaging Lecture Videos

    What kind of lecture video do you want to present? Classroom style? Khan Academy-like? Animation? This site provides these lecture recording techniques and more. There is also a section on dos and don’ts that are based on research focused on viewership. 

    Some key takeaways- keep videos short, talk fast with enthusiasm, and use relevant visuals

(1) Question

How are we remaining flexible and understanding as we know this week has impacted our students in very different ways?

Stay joyful,

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 
Coordinator, C3 Teaching and Learning Center

C3-2-1 Newsletter – Week Ten! (Election Edition)

Hello, Faculty Community! 

***You are receiving this newsletter because you are a faculty member at MiraCosta College. I, Sean Davis, am the coordinator of our C3 Teaching and Learning Center***

This edition of the C3-2-1 Newsletter is coming to you a few days early because Election Day is just over a week away, and our resource suggestions focus on our roles, as educators, in the serious business of political participation. We all have a responsibility to engage in ways we can. We can also help our students engage in the process regardless of if they can vote or not.

3 resources related to teaching and learning, 2 online tips and tricks, and 1 question for reflection

Looking for archived resources, tips/tricks, and questions?

Revisit the past editions of the C3-2-1 Newsletter here

Want to share? 

If you have some resources, tips/tricks, and questions to share, please contribute to the newsletter using this C3-2-1 Form.

C321 Newsletter

(3) Resources

  1.  Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP)
    Do you want to discuss the upcoming election in your class but struggle with how to facilitate the conversation? This resource provides strategies, tips, and conversation starters, including their Campus Civic Discussions: A Non-Partisan Guide. We know these discussions can seem challenging. Hopefully, this resource and others can give us what we need to be prepared and willing to bring the topic to our students. 
  2. 76 things You Can Do To Boost Civic Engagement – Brookings Institution
    This resource gives us 76 ideas for staying informed, voting, other forms of participation, and a call to action for us all as we prepare to make decisions on policies that will impact how we operate locally and nationally. 

    ***We must remember that not all of our students and colleagues can cast a ballot. Being sensitive to this reality is crucial to creating inclusive working and learning environments***
  3. General Election Voter Guide – KPBS
    What was that prop about again? Who is that city council candidate? There are so many important items on the ballot, and keeping up with all of them can feel like taking a class, and the final exam is next Tuesday! Of the election guides I have reviewed, I found this one to be fair and comprehensive. Check it out to get clarity beyond all of those text messages, TV commercials, and leaflets cluttering up our mailboxes. 

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

  1.  View Recent Page View History in Canvas
    This tip comes from our Instructional Technologist, Karen Turpin. Thanks, Karen! 

    You may have noticed a new item in the Canvas Universal Navigation Menu. The clock icon on the menu is your gateway to your recent page view history within the learning management system. This menu item may be useful as you are managing several classes while working in Canvas. Here is a brief description of this tool from the Canvas Community site:
    As an instructor, you can view a list of your recent Canvas course page views from the History link in Global Navigation. The Recent History list displays page view history within the most recent three weeks.
  2.  Allowing Students to Create Discussions in Canvas

    Are you looking for ways to diversify the kinds of discussion you have in class? One way to accomplish this is by allowing students to engage with the course content by creating their own discussion board based on the material. Here is a blurb on how to use this feature in Canvas:

    You can allow students to create a new discussion by changing the settings from the Discussions page. When this setting is enabled, discussions created by students become part of the course and are included in future course copies and exports unless the discussions are deleted.

(1) Question

What are the potential consequences of claiming neutrality in a clearly critical juncture in contemporary history?

Stay joyful,

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 
Coordinator, C3 Teaching and Learning Center

C3-2-1 Newsletter – Week Nine!

Hello, Faculty Community! 

***You are receiving this newsletter because you are a faculty member at MiraCosta College. I, Sean Davis, am the coordinator of our C3 Teaching and Learning Center***

October is a BIG month for celebrating and supporting several minoritized populations. Let’s promote, engage, and learn. Most importantly, we can honor the hard work folks are doing to bring justice to those who are denied it far too often.

3 resources related to teaching and learning, 2 online tips and tricks, and 1 question for reflection

Looking for archived resources, tips/tricks, and questions?

Revisit the past editions of the C3-2-1 Newsletter here

Want to share? 

If you have some resources, tips/tricks, and questions to share, please contribute to the newsletter using this C3-2-1 Form.

C321 Newsletter

(3) Resources

  1.  LGBTQIA+ History Month
    The MiraCosta Social Justice and Equity Center (SJEC) is hosting a number of exciting events for LGBTQIA+ History Month. Be sure to check out the Virtual Library Display. There is still a fantastic slate of virtual events left this month, including Queer Games Arcade (tomorrow 10/21 from 3pm-4:30pm), Queer Musical Bingo (Friday 10/23 from 1pm-2pm), and several film screenings, just to name a few! Have fun and learn well. 🙂 
  2. Undocumented Student Week of Action
    We are in the middle of this critical week of action. Our UPRISE team and other advocates are hosting many Local Events, including student-led training, a virtual yoga session, entrepreneur workshops, and more! You can learn about Statewide Efforts here – there is some really useful downloadable content here, including marketing, advocacy, and resource materials. 

    This work goes far beyond this week. Learn more about MiraCosta’s UPRISE Program to be involved in supporting our students. 
  3.  Global Mind Ed
    This resource suggestion comes from Edward Pohlert. Thanks, Edward! 
    Here is a blurb on this organization’s mission and focus: 
    GlobalMindED is a 501(c)(3) closing the equity gap by creating a capable, diverse talent pipeline with programs, content and courses for students from the least resourced backgrounds through connections to role models, mentors, internships, experiences and jobs that make them employment worthy, promotion ready and financially fit to navigate a hierarchical world.  We serve low-income students, returning adults seeking badges/credentials, First Gen to college and inclusive leaders who teach them, work with them and hire them.

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

  1. Canvas Commons
    The Canvas Commons is a learning object repository that enables educators to find, import, and share resources. A digital library full of educational content, Commons allows Canvas users to share learning resources with other users as well as import learning resources into a Canvas course.
  2. The Canvas App!
    This tool is useful in so many ways. You can download the Canvas Teacher App on your phone or tablet to access your courses, edit assignments/pages/discussions, and build your course content. Additionally, you can download the Canvas Student App to view your class as your students do to ensure content congruency and consistency across devices. 

(1) Question

Is it enough to be aware of and learn about marginalized communities that we are not members of, or do we have to go deeper to get to a place of empathy and understanding? If we must go deeper, how are we engaging in that process?

Stay joyful,

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 
Coordinator, C3 Teaching and Learning Center

C3-2-1 Newsletter – Week Eight!

Hello, Faculty Community! 

***You are receiving this newsletter because you are a faculty member at MiraCosta College. I, Sean Davis, am the coordinator of our C3 Teaching and Learning Center***

I offer my gratitude to our colleagues for contributing to the newsletter this week. Let’s continue to cultivate a culture of sharing.  

3 resources related to teaching and learning, 2 online tips and tricks, and 1 question for reflection

Looking for archived resources, tips/tricks, and questions?

Revisit the past editions of the C3-2-1 Newsletter here

Want to share? 

If you have some resources, tips/tricks, and questions to share, please contribute to the newsletter using this C3-2-1 Form.

C321 Newsletter

(3) Resources

  1.  Mobile Hotspots from the Library! 
    This email outlining how students can access mobile hotspots was sent out by Dean Scott Conrad at the beginning of the month. It is worth another round of promotion. Here is Scott’s message:

    We have heard from many students their need for broadband access and the MiraCosta team including the Foundation, Student Services, Fiscal Services, Instructional Services, and AIS have been working to acquire funding and then find the difficult to buy right now mobile hot spots to address this critical need for our students’ success. The Library has received a shipment of new mobile hotspots from Verizon. We have filled demand from our waiting list and have more hotspots to loan. Please direct students needing broadband access to fill out a CARE referral with Student Services and our library team will be in touch with options for obtaining the device.  If you have any questions, please contact Library Operations Manager Michelle Ohnstad at mohnstad@miracosta.edu.
    CARE Referral Form
  2.  Pedagogies of Care: Open Resources
    This resource suggestion comes from Jim Julius. Thanks, Jim!

    Here is a description of their offerings from the website:

    Pedagogies of Care: Open Resources for Student-Centered & Adaptive Strategies in the New Higher-Ed Landscape offers practical and engaging advice about what “next” should look like across higher education, from sixteen current and forthcoming authors in the Teaching and Learning in Higher Education book series from West Virginia University Press.

    Collection editors Victoria Mondelli and Thomas J. Tobin note that the resources in Pedagogies of Care take many forms: “Our contributors created videos, audio podcasts, interviews, infographics, and articles. All are underpinned by a student-centered, evidence-based ethos.”

    Lots of helpful stuff here. Check it out. 
  3. 3C Media Solutions
    This resource suggestion and description come from Angela Beltran-Aguilar. Thanks, Angela! 

    3C Media is available within Canvas where you can directly embed videos from your 3C Media library using the Canvas rich content editor. The main benefit is that if you have videos that have been captioned by 3C Media, then it’s easy to embed them in Canvas.  The videos from 3C are also distraction-free because they don’t take you out outside the Canvas LMS or prompt you to watch a “related” video as YouTube does. Some of the disadvantages are that videos embedded directly from 3C Media do not have the Studio Quiz or Analytics features.

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

  1.  Linking the Canvas Calendar to Your Google Calendar – Instructor Walkthrough
    If you use a Google Calendar and want to get all of your stuff in one place, you can sync up with Canvas Calendar. This may be helpful for you to be more organized and efficient. It can help students too! Pass the word along to them – Linking Canvas Calendar to Your Google Calendar – Student Walkthrough
  2.  Chat with Canvas Support
    Whenever you are having issues getting Canvas to do what you want it to do, you can simply click on Tech Help on the Universal Navigation Menu and start live chatting with the Canvas support team. Students can do the same! Additionally, you can receive consultation 24/7 via phone – (833) 345-2890

(1) Question

Are you a “halfway finished with the semester” or “halfway started with the semester” kind of educator? 

Stay joyful,

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 
Coordinator, C3 Teaching and Learning Center

C3-2-1 Newsletter – Week Seven!

Hello, Faculty Community! 

***You are receiving this newsletter because you are a faculty member at MiraCosta College. I, Sean Davis, am the coordinator of our C3 Teaching and Learning Center***

For our resources this week, we focus on the local (MiraCosta), regional (NCHEA), and national (NCORE) work being done to create more justice-oriented spaces in higher education.

3 resources related to teaching and learning, 2 online tips and tricks, and 1 question for reflection

Looking for archived resources, tips/tricks, and questions?

Revisit the past editions of the C3-2-1 Newsletter here

Want to share? 

If you have some resources, tips/tricks, and questions to share, please contribute to the newsletter using this C3-2-1 Form.

C321 Newsletter

(3) Resources

1. Black Community Ally Training (BCAT)

The Black Community Ally Training is a self-paced 4-part interactive training designed to increase participants’ understanding of anti-Black racism and strengthen strategies and skills to advance racial equity for the Black community at MiraCosta College.

The training is open to all MiraCosta employees (staff and faculty).  Participants will work with a cohort of peers across 4-5 weeks navigating through 4 modules in a Canvas course.  The training is designed for 1 module to be completed each week with approximately 2 hours of work expected in each module.  The 4th module requires participants to attend a 1.5 hour in-person zoom session focused on how to apply and put into practice what you learned.  Supervisors are encouraged to support staff/faculty interested in attending the live session during work hours.  The BCAT is flex eligible.

To sign-up for the BCAT:

  • Complete the BCAT application/Pre-Survey
  • You will receive a confirmation email with dates for your cohort class and live session
  • Start the training!

If you have questions, you can contact bcat@miracosta.edu

2. NCHEA Tri-Equity: Embodying Anti-Racist Conference

Here is a part of the message sent out by one of the organizers – our own, Rachel Hastings:

Please allow me to formally invite you our Fall Tri Equity: Embodying Anti-Racism Conference on Saturday, October 24, 2020 from 8am – 8pm (Register here, Click Join Event). Tri-Equity features an array of Race and Equity scholars, gifting us with symposium style conversations and interactive trainings.

After investing in an exceptional amount of elbow-grease into embedding anti-racism into our institutional practices, all of “us” campus experts need a breather. Please consider our “come and go as you please” conference as an invitation to take a deep, cleansing breath while remaining 100% checked into the movement. Our conference is open to all governance, community members, and especially our students.

3. NCORE Webinar Series – Multiple Front Lines Involved in What We Call (Online) Learning 

Here is the webinar description: 

This session will help faculty gain an understanding of the needs of students in the online classrooms, how their individual situations during this time interface with the classroom learning environment, and through it all, how to keep your students engaged. We will provide tools and strategies that can help faculty adapt to their new online classroom and help students succeed.

I sent something out about this one on Monday, October 5. Check out that email for specific registration instructions. 

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

1. Embedding Google Docs into Your Canvas Pages

Using Google Docs and Canvas in tandem can help you in several ways. If you embed your course schedule in Canvas using Google Docs, you can easily and instantly make changes to assignment and activity deadlines. Moreover, you can create collaborative opportunities for students to engage in and track their learning in real-time

2. Using Your Presentation Slides as Your Virtual Background in Zoom

Chad Tsuyuki sent me this neat suggestion! 

Zoom has a new feature that allows you to use your presentation slides as your virtual background. I just tried it out and realized that if I want to use this, I will have to reformat my slides to account for my little head in the lower right corner. 

Note: This software is in beta. Your presentation’s sounds, transitions, and animations are not supported at this time. 

(1) Question

Since we know Spring will look much like this, do we want Spring to look much like this?

Stay joyful,

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 
Coordinator, C3 Teaching and Learning Center

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