Teaching/Technology Innovation Center

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***

Zoom. Canvas. Google Docs. Repeat. Is this real life?

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

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.

(3) Resources

1. Teaching Effectively With Zoom by Dan Levy

This resource is the companion website to the newly published book with the same title. Do you want more ideas on how to use Zoom to engage students? This is the place for you! Check out the downloadable resources for some inspiration for group work, sharing, building community, and more! 

2. MiraCosta’s Social Justice and Equity Center’s Calendar of Events

Our Social Justice and Equity Center (SJEC) hosts incredible events year-round. Topics on race, gender, sexualities, social class, and other social issues are facilitated by discipline experts, students, and community leaders. These events provide great extra credit opportunities and a place for students to find a community at MiraCosta. 

3. Association of American Colleges and University’s Global Learning Conference (October 8-10)

This recommendation comes from our Dean of Arts and International Languages, Jonathan Fohrman.

Here is a brief conference description from the organization’s website: 

The 2020 Conference on Global Learning will be held virtually due to public health concerns and higher education’s prevailing travel restrictions connected to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the virtual format, AAC&U is committed to the goals that have always guided our conference planning: engaging and informative sessions, networking with colleagues from across the broad spectrum of higher education roles and institutions, and opportunities to reflect on professional practice and aspirations

***MiraCosta is a member of AA&U so you should be able to get the reduced member rate if you use your MiraCosta email when registering***

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

1. Using the People feature in Canvas to track student activity, create groups, and more!

With the Census Roster deadline quickly approaching, the People feature in Canvas can be a great tool to track student engagement in your course(s). This tool also allows you to create groups that can be congruent with your live Zoom breakout rooms or can be used to simply have more concentrated discussions and activities. 

2. How to add events to the Canvas Calendar without setting up an assignment

Scheduled assignments are automatically generated in the Canvas Calendar but what about other events that you want students to be aware of? You can use the Calendar to schedule office hours for students, inform them about important college deadlines, and present your class(es) with event opportunities throughout the semester. 

(1) Question

How much are we learning to help ensure our students are learning?

Stay joyful,

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

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***

And away we go…

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

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.

(3) Resources

• PROJECT Online Teaching Foundations Canvas Course (click the link to self-enroll in the coursePROJECT stands for Professionals for Joy, Equity, and Community in Teaching. It’s our hope that you’ll find this course helps you to approach online teaching more joyfully, to prepare online classes that are equitable, and to engage with (as much as you are interested) a community of supportive colleagues. Faculty learning experiences under the PROJECT name are organized by MiraCosta faculty support groups, including the C3 Teaching and Learning Center, Professional Development Program, and Online Education. 
• MiraCosta Library Support For Fall Research Instruction – Orientation Request FormOur librarians provide fantastic support for research projects. In addition to the library website, library databases,  24/7 live chat with librarians, and the Canvas Online Student Support Hub’s Library Section, Librarians are also available to create assignment-specific class research guides (Sample Class Guide 1, Sample Class Guide 2), a brief YouTube video (Sample YouTube Video), or teach a live 30-minute Zoom research orientation to your class.
• Teaching First-Generation College Students GuidebookIn collaboration with first-gen college students, the TASC’s (Tutoring and Academic Support Center) Academic Success Coaching Program has developed a guide for teaching and learning with first-generation college students. Here is a description of the resource – This guidebook is organized by deconstructing the narrative of the first-generation identity, followed by identifying characteristics of a first-generation college student. In addition, it includes culturally responsive and sustaining teaching practices for faculty to employ. These best practices facilitate the success of first-generation college students in the classroom. Furthermore, we describe social capital in the community college context.

For more context, please take the time to watch this 10-minute documentary on our First-Gen Students

(2) Online Tips and Tricks

• Using Google Voice as a tool for connecting with students If you want to connect with students via phone/text but don’t want to give your personal number, try this resource. This free product will generate a local phone number that you can use to avoid unwanted clutter on your own text message app and phone. The texts and calls using your Google Phone Number will be pushed to your phone through the app.
• Setting Up Notifications as an Instructor in CanvasCanvas can provide you with notifications about updates and changes to your course by sending you an email, text, and other communication forms. You can change the default notification settings to get the information you want in the ways you prefer. These changes only apply to you so if you want to let students know how to set their  notification preferences, provide them with this resource – Student Notification Guide

(1) Question

Are we giving our students and ourselves the time and space to acclimate to all the new things?

Stay Joyful,

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

Oceanside Campus
1 Barnard Drive
Oceanside, CA 92056
P 760.757.2121 x7713
C 760.521.1387
sdavis@miracosta.edu