Down with Spring Break – A SAFE Topics Podcast

Hello campus community and happy Tuesday!!

The SAFE Topics team just released the latest episode, “Down with Spring Break!” In this episode, the team host a debate among with MiraCosta students and faculty over spring break. We ask why about the value of breaks and the costs of interruptions. We share the realities of workloads carried into breaks. And question what exactly it is we need a break from in the first place. Join hosts Sean, curry, and Mana along with Daniel Ante-Contreras (English), Carson Arias (mechanical engineering major), and Kayla Kamani (psychology & film major) in an argument over keeping or abandoning spring break!

Ways to Listen!

  1. Podbean – S.A.F.E. Topics
  2. Google Podcasts
  3. Spotify
  4. Apple Podcasts
  5. Amazon Music
  6. Audible

What to Listen For

  • Is spring break necessary?
  • The importance of a mental break where you can breathe.
  • Eliminating spring break altogether and extending our summer instead.
  • Catching up on work, working on mental health.
  • An institutional lens around spring break.
  • The lack of student input in talks around spring break.
  • “Doing the good for the most amount of people.”
  • The concept of spring break as a guilty pleasure.
  • Do we need a break from classroom culture?
  • Learning vs. time demand.
  • Admin and faculty should be more mindful of time especially during distant learning.
  • Working smarter and not harder.
  • Were any minds changed about their views on spring break?

The S.A.F.E. Topics Team

curry mitchell – Faculty, Letters (Co-host)
Sean Davis – Faculty, Sociology (Co-host)
Mana Tadayon – Student, ASG President (Co-host)
Kelly Barnett – Intern and Music Technology Student (Audio Editor)
James Garcia – Associate Faculty, Sociology (Show Notes, Online)

Connect with Us

PodBean
Safe Topics

Why Ethnic Studies? – A SAFE Topics Podcast

Hello campus community!!

The SAFE Topics podcast is BACK! We’re now in our 4th season of the podcast and we are truly appreciative of our guests, supporters, and our listeners. This season we’re kicking things off with a bang and already pumping out some episodes for you all. Our first episode this season was entitled, “Back to Campus! Kinda…” and started with a series of interviews with some folks around the MiraCosta College campus. The team interviewed students, staff, and faculty about their experiences about what’s making them happy to be on campus and some of the realities we’re still dealing with.

Along with that, we’ve also started a “Hyflex” mini-series where Sean and curry try to figure out this new HyFlex teaching thing. Check out the episodes on HyflexingDesigning a New Course, and the COR of Your Class. Truly helpful and informative dialogue between Sean and curry about all things Hyflex!

And finally, our most recent release is now available to all! In this episode, the SAFE Topics team has a conversation with faculty leaders at MiraCosta who are charged with developing an Ethnic Studies program. We ask why about the political context, the timing, and the salient characteristics of Ethnic Studies, and how an Ethnic Studies department will benefit students and faculty campus wide. Join hosts Sean, curry, and Mana along with Maria Figueroa (English), JahB Prescott (English), Tyrone Nagai (English), Alicia Lopez (Sociology), and Steven Moreno-Terrill (Sociology) as we get into this topic!

Ways to Listen!

  1. Podbean – S.A.F.E. Topics
  2. Google Podcasts
  3. Spotify
  4. Apple Podcasts
  5. Amazon Music
  6. Audible

What to Listen For

  • Why ethnic studies and why now?
  • Ethnic studies have historically been met with resistance.
  • Why is it important for ethnic studies to be its own thing?
  • Student generated, not institutionally generated.
  • What are the characterizing features of ethnic studies today?
  • The interdisciplinary approaches to teach ethnic studies.
  • How ethnic studies benefits everyone.
  • We’re pioneers because we’re the first ones to do this at MiraCosta.
  • The “ah-ha” moment of ethnic studies.
  • The concept of community in ethnic studies.
  • What about students who might feel like they don’t fit in?
  • How ethnic studies can make us better.

Additional Resources (Thanks to Tyrone Nagai!)

The S.A.F.E. Topics Team

curry mitchell – Faculty, Letters (Co-host)
Sean Davis – Faculty, Sociology (Co-host)
Mana Tadayon – Student, ASG President (Co-host)
Kelly Barnett – Intern and Music Technology Student (Audio Editor)
James Garcia – Associate Faculty, Sociology (Show Notes, Online)

Connect with Us

PodBean
Safe Topics

Stay great!

The S.A.F.E. Topics Podcast Team

C3-2-1 Newsletter – Fall 2021 Week Five!

Hello, Faculty Community! 

Online teaching sucks, discussions about race can be productive, and critical thinking is still the goal. How is that for a hook?

These weekly newsletters feature 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. Why Online Teaching Sucks (and what to do about it) by Lisa Lane

Why does grading suck? Why do essay assignments suck? Why do online discussion boards suck? Why does online teaching suck? Our very own, Lisa Lane (History), provides insight into why these things suck and what we can do about it. As someone practicing ungrading for the time this semester, I especially appreciate the article Why grading sucks, and what to do about it.

Quick read, quick wit, and hope for less suckiness

Thanks, Lisa!

2. Engaging in Productive Conversations About Race

Dr. Shaun Harper, the founder and executive director of USC’s Race and Equity Center, has released the resources, training material, and webinar recordings from the California Community Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance series. You can take these lessons at your own pace. I will be sharing each one in the coming weeks, starting with the kickoff session – Engaging in Productive Conversations About Race

3. Making Connections That Matter: Critical Thinking In Theory and Practice 

Ask any educator about the importance of critical thinking, and you will quickly find out it is a top priority for teachers. However, the definitions for and assessment of critical thinking are not issues that reach consensus. Laura Bellaera, a leading researcher on critical thinking, provides findings and suggestions that can help clarify our thinking on thinking. 

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

1. Updating a Canvas Quiz

I have been frustrated by thinking a quiz I created was exactly what I thought it was, only to find an error or missing element to the assessment. You can update published quizzes in Canvas, but please note – you may have to allow an extra attempt for students who have already started or finished their attempt. 

2. Allowing Students To Create Discussions in Canvas

While you may be familiar with creating Discussions in Canvas, did you know that you can allow students to create their own threads? This function can be helpful when students are working collaboratively on a project, studying for a test together, or looking for a more informal space in Canvas to connect. 

(1) Question

Do you need control? What happens when you let go?

Stay joyful,

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 🙂

C3-2-1 Newsletter – Fall 2021 Week Four!

Hello, Faculty Community! 

Celebrating being an HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) does not start and end with this week.

These weekly newsletters feature 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. National Hispanic Heritage Month Resources for Teachers

National Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. The mid-month start date marks the independence anniversary of five countries: Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. It is followed by Mexico’s Independence Day on Sept. 16 and Chile’s on Sept. 18.

There is much more to learn here and plenty of ways to include timely material and activities in your classes. 

2. Five Minute Fixes to Simplify Online Teaching

Tuesday, October 5 at 8 pm in Zoom

Want to make a quick fix that makes a difference? See how you can simplify your online teaching. We’ll share ideas for how to prevent students from getting lost, liven up discussion, stop spending so much time grading, and answer fewer student questions—presented by Laura Paciorek and Lisa M. Lane, sponsored by MiraCosta Online Mentors.

3. Faculty Show & Tell – How Do You Build Community?

We had our first faculty Show & Tell session this week, and the participants shared some great icebreakers and community-building exercises. The title link includes some rough notes on the activities faculty walked us through. 

We would love to hear what you want our future sessions to focus on – Faculty Show & Tell Topics Form.

We hope you will join us for future sessions!

When: Tuesdays at 2 pm
Dates: Sep 14, Sep 28, Oct 12, Oct 26, Nov 9, Nov 30
Zoom Room: Faculty Show & Tell

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

1. Comment Library in SpeedGrader

The Comment Library allows instructors to save and reuse commonly used text feedback in SpeedGrader. As an instructor, you can add new comments and delete existing comments in the Comment Library. This tool can serve as an excellent time-saver when grading! The feedback you add to the Comment Library is accessible from each course you are enrolled in as an instructor in Canvas.

2. Enabling live real-time captioning in Zoom

When hosting a meeting in Zoom, you can enable an automated live transcript. The quality of these automatic captions is remarkable and can greatly benefit participants by making your meetings more accessible.

(1) Question

What do you need? What do you have to offer and share? 

Stay joyful,

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 🙂

C3-2-1 Newsletter – Fall 2021 Week Two!

Hello, Faculty Community! 

These weekly newsletters feature 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. Course Workload Estimator

Are we giving our students too much work? Are we not giving them enough? How would we even really know? This tool can be a powerful starting point for gauging the workload we are asking students to complete. This Teaching in Higher Education podcast episode features an interview with one of the researchers and designers of the estimator, Betsy Barre. This article also provides context for the student workload issue and research on reading rates and content comprehension.

2. Great Ideas For Teaching – A Collection of GIFTs

Each year, our Faculty Director of the Writing Center and PDP Coordinator, Denise Stephenson, collects new GIFTs for us to learn more about awesome teaching and learning practices from our very own faculty colleagues. The latest issue features contributions from Nadia Kahn, Angela Beltran-Aguilar, JahB Prescott, Joanne Carruba, and Lisa Lane. 

3. Mental Health Counseling Services

Making sure we help students connect to mental health resources available at MiraCosta is essential. And our mental health counseling team offers so much for our community.  MiraCosta’s co-leads of the mental health counseling team, Abby Burd and Ghada Osman, sent out an email outlining all services and events offered this semester, and I thought an echo of their offerings in this space was necessary. Individual counseling appointments, weekly group meetings, workshop series, suggested syllabus and Canvas language, class presentation requests, and the Mental Health Peer Educator Program are all part of the wonderful program their team is facilitating. 

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

1. Sharing your computer audio on Zoom

Have you had the problem of playing audio on Zoom, and the other folks in the room cannot hear it? Some setting options could help with this issue. Using the “Advanced” options in the “Screen Share” feature can help your computer sound come through clear and true. curry Mitchell (Letters) and I were Zooming earlier today when he showed me this helpful trick! 

2. Teaching with Zoom at MiraCosta

Jim Julius (Faculty Director of Online Education) put together several homegrown MiraCosta resources from tips for inclusion & security, how-to videos from fellow faculty members, and guidance for captioning. The items on this page will not only help you become more familiar with Zoom tools and functions but will give you some great ideas for teaching in this modality. 

(1) Question

Are you able to disconnect

The 3-day weekend is here. Here’s hoping you can unplug. 

Stay joyful,

Sean Davis
Joyful Teacher in Residence 🙂

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