Spring 2016 Workshops

Spring 2016 Flex Workshops

For online/CCC Confer workshops:

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Blackboard Basics – K. Korstad
Online – Friday, January 15, 10:30-11:20 am via CCC Confer
Access here a few minutes before 10:30 am on 1/15 – see links at top of this page for help.
Screen Name (if necessary):  Your First and Last Name (i.e. Karen Korstad)
Passcode (if necessary):  169502
Handout: SP16-BackboardBasicsWorkshop.pdf

Get the key information needed to get up and running in Blackboard. With Blackboard, instructors create and manage course content, use publisher content, evaluate performance, and communicate with students. This workshop will introduce you to the fundamental course building and communications tools in Blackboard.

Course Management System Demonstrations – J. Julius et al.
Little Theater (OC 3601) – Tuesday, January 19, 9:30 am – 2:20 pm
View online if you cannot attend in person:
Access via old MiraCosta streaming system – Requires Silverlight, doesn’t work on Chrome
Recordings will be posted after the event concludes.

Participate in some or all of this day of course management system (CMS) demos, kicking off a process for MiraCosta to re-evaluate its CMS. We have been primarily using Blackboard for years, as well as supporting Moodle for some faculty. Our new Online Education Plan includes a directive to re-evaluate these systems; further, through the statewide Online Education Initiative, we have access to a system called Canvas (which many California Community Colleges are now moving to) at a greatly reduced cost. Thus, faculty and administrative leaders have agreed that it is time to conduct a thorough evaluation in line with our strategic goals for online education. An inclusive taskforce is being formed, and input will be widely solicited, beginning with this event. Schedule for the day:

9:30-9:55      Intro/overview conducted by MiraCosta CMS evaluation leaders
10:00-11:00  Canvas demo
11:05-12:05  Blackboard demo
12:05–12:45  Lunch provided
12:45–1:45   Moodle demo
1:50-2:20      Wrap-up conducted by MiraCosta CMS evaluation leaders

Note, the Blackboard demo will be focused on “Learn Ultra” which is their next-generation system and represents a significant change to the interface/user experience from our current system.

Screencasting with Techsmith Relay – K. Korstad
Online – Wednesday, January 20, 2:00-3:20 pm via CCC Confer
Access here a few minutes before 2:00 pm on 1/20 – see links at top of this page for help.

Techsmith Relay is a free screencasting tool available free to all faculty at MiraCosta. With a few simple steps you can record anything displayed on your computer’s screen with your voice narration, caption it, and post to YouTube or Screencast.com. Record on your own at home or in your office, or capture your in-class lecture with Techsmith Relay. Available for Mac, PC, mobile USB stick, Android, and iOS.

Online Education Initiative – What You Should Know – J. Julius, C. Mitchell, & C. Sleeper
Online – Thursday, January 21, 3:00-3:50 pm 
via CCC Confer
Access here a few minutes before 3:00 pm on 1/21 – see links at top of this page for help.

In summer 2014, MiraCosta College became one of 24 pilot colleges in the California Community College Online Education Initiative (OEI). The primary goal of the initiative is to increase access and completion by enabling students to more easily find, enroll in, and take high-quality online classes offered by colleges across the CCC system. Learn about what the OEI has accomplished, what resources are now available to ALL faculty and students, and what is coming our way in 2016 and beyond. Hear from MiraCosta’s faculty who have been teaching OEI pilot classes since last spring. Bring all of your questions for discussion!