September Workshops
Wednesday, September 6
1-4 p.m.
Basics of Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365
Instructors: Anna Donohoe, Megan Calvert
This hands-on, small-group workshop will provide a basic overview of Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365. The slower pace and the in-person setting are designed to make even the newest users feel welcome. After completing this workshop, you should have the basic skills you need to feel comfortable enrolling in any of our virtual core Microsoft Essentials classes.
Outcomes will be adjusted based on participant needs and may include:
- Access and distinguish between desktop and web applications
- Compare and contrast Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams
- Navigate the interface and perform basic tasks in Word and other core applications
- Download and organize files using OneDrive and your computer’s hard drive
- Perform basic tasks necessary for upcoming virtual workshops via Zoom, including using multiple monitors and splitting a screen to manage multiple simultaneous applications
- Identify resources for further learning
Monday, September 11
7-9 p.m.
YuJa Basics
Instructors: Michele Knight, Megan Calvert
Are you tired of using your personal YouTube account to upload videos for your students? Would you like to eliminate the commercials that appear in the videos you have uploaded to YouTube by transferring them to another source? Have you been waiting for a college-sponsored resource for uploading videos? Are you looking for a resource that makes generating and modifying video transcripts easy to make your videos more accessible? Would you like to make minor edits, such as cutting video or merging clips, but you lack video editing software on your computer?
YuJa is a college-sponsored resource for uploading video content that takes care of these issues. YuJa allows you to upload videos without using your personal YouTube account while providing a similar value in creating auto-captions with the ability to edit those captions. YuJa is a resource for uploading a video that is commercial-free, college sanctioned, and the software provides a simple interface for editing videos.
Divided into a two-part series of training, after Part 1 of the YuJa Training, you will review the steps to:
- Log onto YuJa
- Upload a video onto YuJa
- Organize YuJa Videos
- Link to YuJa Videos in Blackboard
- Embed YuJa Videos in Blackboard
- Upload a YouTube Video to YuJa
- Add Quiz questions to a YuJa video and score in the Grade Center
- Share Media with Another User
Please note that if you are interested in learning additional advanced YuJa Features, we will offer an advanced training titled YuJa Video Advanced: Adding Captions, Editing Video, and Viewing Analytics during April and May. This advanced training will cover editing YuJa Captions, editing videos using YuJa’s built-in video editor, and YuJa video analytics.
The currently listed training, YuJa Video Basics: A College Sponsored Resource to Upload Videos for Your Students, is a prerequisite for this training.
While this training will cover the needs of faculty sharing instructional materials with their students, this training will also be helpful for MC staff who need to present or share video content. If you are an MC Staff and would like to learn more about YuJa, you are welcome to attend.
In this session, participants will review the following steps: logging onto YuJa and adding it to the left-hand menu of a Blackboard course, creating a folder to organize YuJa material, linking, embedding, and uploading videos to YuJa, uploading videos from YouTube into YuJa, and incorporating quizzes into YuJa videos. This will enable participants to effectively utilize YuJa’s features and enhance their teaching and learning experience.
Tuesday, September 12
1-4 p.m.
Basics of Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365
Instructors: Anna Donohoe, Megan Calvert
This hands-on, small-group workshop will provide a basic overview of Microsoft Office and Microsoft 365. The slower pace and the in-person setting are designed to make even the newest users feel welcome. After completing this workshop, you should have the basic skills you need to feel comfortable enrolling in any of our virtual core Microsoft Essentials classes.
Outcomes will be adjusted based on participant need and may include:
- Access and distinguish between desktop and web applications
- Compare and contrast Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams
- Navigate the interface and perform basic tasks in Word and other core applications
- Download and organize files using OneDrive and your computer hard drive
- Perform basic tasks necessary for upcoming virtual workshops via Zoom, including using multiple monitors and splitting a screen to manage multiple simultaneous applications
- Identify resources for further learning
Thursday, September 14
1-2 p.m.
Using Technology to Teach with Empathy
Instructor: Phillip Bonner
Teaching with technology is sometimes viewed as a cold or distant approach, but technology can allow for greater empathy in teaching. Features in Blackboard and other technologies provide opportunities for increased student success, and reusable learning objects (RLOs) created with technology offer students greater options to engage with content. Join ELITE for this two-hour class (one hour on Sept. 14 and 21) on how to leverage technology to build empathy into your courses.
Upon completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
- Identify three- or four-ways technology can be used for more empathetic teaching.
- Share with colleagues one way they have used technology to promote empathy or one way they would like to do so
Thursday, September 14
2-4 p.m.
YuJa Advanced
Instructors: Tom Cantu, Carolien Annink
Please note that YuJa Video Basics: A College Sponsored Resource to Upload Videos for Your Students is a prerequisite for this training
Were you excited when you found out about YuJa, the college-supported resource for uploading videos?
Did you attend YuJa Video Basics: A College Sponsored Resource to Upload Videos for students and are looking to do more with the software?
This second, advanced training will help faculty further meet accessibility requirements by learning the necessary skills for captioning video. It will also help you understand the basic video editing capabilities of the software and how to view analytics (or statistics on how your video is being viewed).
After this two-part training series, faculty will be able to:
- Edit video auto captions
- Perform simple edits using the YuJa Video Editor
- View YuJa Video Analytics
While this training will cover the needs of faculty sharing instructional materials with their students, this training will also be helpful for MC staff who have attended YuJa Basics Training and would like to learn more about YuJa captioning and video editing features.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Review the steps for editing Video auto captions
- Demonstrate simple video edits using the YuJa Video Editor
- Describe YuJa’s Video Analytics feature and the details it provides
- Optional: If time allows, faculty will be provided the option for open lab zoom time to practice the skills learned.
During this session, participants will have the opportunity to review the steps for editing video auto captions. They will also demonstrate simple video edits using the YuJa Video Editor. In addition, the session will include a description of YuJa’s Video Analytics feature and the detailed information it provides. As an optional activity, participants may choose to join open lab Zoom sessions to practice the skills learned during the session, if time allows.
Thursday, September 14
8:45 – Noon
30th Leadership Development Institute Application
Instructor: Cynthia Mauris
The cohort is open to all MC employees—faculty, staff, and administrators—and meets online for nine classes during the academic year. The program ends with participants presenting their projects that they self-selected and developed throughout the year and a graduation ceremony.
Since 1992, 638 employees have graduated from the LDI with increased self-awareness and self-confidence, an increased network of colleagues, and a sense of team bonding. The LDI always has been and continues to be a program that promotes a one-college view, enhancing employees’ abilities to contribute to student success. Be a part of the experience as the LDI begins another decade!
Note that full participation is expected as a requirement for completion. Only one absence is accepted. Additional absences require the participant to return the next year to make up the missed classes.
- identify several personal personality characteristics that influence how you approach and avoid certain tasks and how they impact your interactions with others
- assess critical leadership competencies and principles fundamental to effective leadership
- articulate a leadership vision as it pertains to your work or personal life
- choose a method to approach another person and influence him or her in a favorable way
- intentionally build relationships essential to your journey
- identify unconscious biases that impact leadership effectiveness with diverse populations
- synthesize the information from the individual classes into an integrated experience
- practice effective public speaking techniques
- increase your MC network of colleagues
- present a self-chosen project to an audience
Friday, September 15
1-2 p.m.
Let’s Get Started with Experiential Learning
Instructor: Angela Lanier
Experiential learning has benefits for students’ learning during a course and prepares them for work and life beyond the course. While many courses cannot accommodate large-scale experiential learning experiences such as internships, practicum, and research, instructors can integrate meaningful, small-scale experiences that benefit student learning. Based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory, this workshop will guide participants to examine their course outcomes, content, and assignments for experiential learning opportunities and plan a low stakes experiential learning activity that applies the four areas of Kolb’s theory – concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Describe the four areas of Kolb’s learning cycle
- Identify existing course opportunities that can be adapted to accommodate an experiential learning activity
- Draft a low stakes experiential learning activity that addresses the four areas of Kolb’s Learning Theory
Tuesday, September 19
1-4 p.m.
Microsoft Word Essentials
Instructor: Megan Calvert
This hands-on, small-group workshop will provide a solid foundation in the basic use of Microsoft Word. Whether you want an overview of the basics, are looking to become more efficient, or have used Word for years and just want to update your knowledge of some of the newer features, this course is for you. Even experienced users can benefit from valuable tips, tricks, and timesavers along the way.
The workshop will be conducted via Zoom. To fully participate, participants should be able to access both the desktop and web versions of Word. It is also best to join from a device with two screens.
Visit the Microsoft Essentials website for a full list of the functions covered in this workshop and for more details on the technology required to participate.
Outcomes will be adjusted based on a participant survey and may include:
- Navigate and customize the latest Word interfaces of both the web and desktop
- Perform basic workplace tasks, including creating, saving, editing, formatting, polishing and printing documents
- Identify and use newer features of Word, including cloud-based collaboration, modern templates, Styles, Themes, and the Accessibility Checker
Tuesday, September 19
6-7 p.m.
Introduction to Social Annotation with Hypothesis
Instructor: Gloria Barron
In this workshop, we will share how instructors are using annotation-powered reading to help students develop foundational academic skills like deep reading and persuasive writing. In addition to sharing pedagogical best practices for social annotation, we will demonstrate how Hypothesis is used with course readings in Blackboard. Participants will gain a clear understanding of how to start incorporating social annotation into their courses to improve student outcomes.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Explain the concept and benefits of social annotation through collaborative learning.
- List and describe the functionalities and features of the Hypothesis annotation tool.
- Create a hypothesis assignment in Blackboard.
- Begin annotating web pages, PDFs, and other online content effectively.
- Create clear, concise instructions to foster a constructive and positive annotation experience for students that meet unit or course objectives.
Wednesday, September 20
1:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Overcome Frustration to Build a Productive Workplace
Instructor: Cynthia Mauris
You may not want to admit that there are some individuals with whom you don’t want to interact because they frustrate you. It happens and sometimes, others experience it with you. The reasons can vary: they don’t respond, they don’t meet deadlines, they are unprepared, they micromanage, or they challenge every decision you make. Learn how to unhook your emotions from this person and set boundaries. You cannot change others. You can take control of your own response.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Determine if you are hooked by someone.
- List the four means to unhook
- Describe at least one strategy you can use to unhook
Thursday, September 21
2-3 p.m.
Creating Interactive Virtual Exhibits for Student Learning and Engagement
Instructor: Angela Lanier
Museums are institutions that invite inquiry, creativity, reflection, and diversity. Drawing on these values, an interactive virtual exhibit can provide students with an integrative and experiential learning experience and create opportunities for open pedagogy. During this workshop, participants will Preview samples of interactive exhibits in different formats, Play with one of the samples, share Perceptions of the experience, and Plan an interactive exhibit of their own.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Identify outcomes, soft skills, concepts, etc. to build an interactive exhibit
- Draft a plan for an interactive learning exhibit experience
- Collaborate with students and peers to gather feedback on the learning experience and foster open pedagogy
Friday, September 22
10-11 a.m.
Pedagogical Discussion # 1: Trends in Higher Education: Adopting a Human-centered Approach in a Digital Learning Environment
Instructor: Phillip Bonner
Description: Building a sense of belonging in college courses is important for student success, and this includes online, remote, and hybrid courses. But how can instructors build that sense of belonging in a digital environment? Come to this one-hour roundtable discussion and share ideas on inclusive instruction in online and remote courses.
- Explain what inclusive instruction looks like in online and remote courses.
- Share ideas with colleagues on how to build a sense of belonging in digital learning environments.
Friday, September 22
2-4 p.m.
Supporting English Learners in Mainstream Classes
Instructor: Megan Calvert
Because of the unique diversity of Montgomery College, classes in all disciplines are likely to include multiple English learners from a variety of language backgrounds. Furthermore, since a recent state-level policy change allows many Maryland high school graduates to bypass language placement testing requirements, faculty sometimes face new challenges in helping these learners succeed. This workshop series will equip faculty in any discipline with tools and concrete techniques that better support English learners and improve classroom equity.
Note: Attendance at all three sessions is required.
Session 2: 10/20/2023, 2-4pm
Session 3 12/01/2023, 2-4 p.m..
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate empathy for the unique challenges English learners face in the classroom
- Explain basic elements of the language learning process and their effects on student performance
- Identify the impact of cultural differences on teaching and learning
- Apply teaching techniques and strategies to support English learners, including Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Friday, September 22
2-4 p.m.
Engaged Teaching – Revisiting the Seven Principles
Instructor: Carolien Annink
Are you genuinely interested in understanding how students learn and how best to engage students, particularly our nontraditional, first-gen and underserved student populations? In this workshop series, the seminal Seven Principles of Good Undergraduate Education will be re-examined with the concept of engaged teaching in the post-pandemic college classroom in mind. Participants will discuss high-quality instruction in face-to-face, online and hybrid classrooms, and deepen their knowledge with practical applications of theory and research, and with participants’ experiences for real-world teaching and learning.
Note: Attendance at all three sessions is required.
Session 2: 10/20, 2-4 p.m.
Session 3: 12/01, 2-4 p.m.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Discuss and critique the Seven Principles with a post-pandemic & an engaged college teaching perspective
- Analyze their own teaching practice within the framework of the Seven Principles and engaged teaching
- Compare and contrast their experiences, with new pedagogical information and colleagues’ experiences
- Design, deliver and evaluate course plans for their current courses
Friday, September 22
2-4 p.m.
The Future of Education – Exploring AI in the Classroom
Instructor: Paul Miller
Discover how AI and ChatGPT can revolutionize education and enhance student learning outcomes by attending this new Academy Series for Fall ’23. Learn about the basics of AI and its ethical implications, explore the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT, and develop a plan for implementing this cutting-edge technology in your classroom. Gain valuable insights from expert facilitators and collaborate with a community of like-minded educators. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your teaching approach and prepare your students for the future!
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Describe the potential applications of AI in education,
- Develop a clear plan for implementing ChatGPT in education and preparedness for implementation
- Evaluate selected literature and case studies on implementing AI in education.
Friday, September 22
2:00-3:00 pm
Storyboarding Your Course.
Instructor: Laurent Ndeze
- Identify key components of a course storyboard
- Explain the importance of using a storyboard during course design
- Identify at least three techniques for creating a storyboard for a course.
Tuesday, September 26
1:30 – 4:45 p.m.
Getting Things Done
Instructor: Cynthia Mauris
- Improve your workflow
- List the six options available for any item on your mind
- Create clearer lists from which you do all your work
- Develop a trusted, personal management system
- Accomplish more of the right tasks
- Experience less stress in your work and home life
- Experience greater confidence in your decision-making
Thursday, September 28
10-11 a.m.
Unpacking TPACK: Connecting Pedagogy, Content Knowledge, and Technology in the Digital Age
Instructor: Phillip Bonner
The TPACK framework describes the intersections of the three knowledge areas needed by college instructors to integrate technology into classroom instruction successfully. The areas of knowledge are technological, pedagogical, and content, and effective instruction in the twenty-first century requires expertise in all three. In this one-hour class, participants will learn how to use the TPACK model as a guide to enhance the students’ learning experience.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Identify the TPACK model
- Explain how the model can be used to guide instructors in integrating technology into lesson and course design.
Friday, September 29
2-2:45 p.m.
Tech it Out, September 2023
Instructor: Michele Knight
Speed Session Facilitators: Richard Forrest, Angela Lanier, Bryan Tilghman
Tech it out is your opportunity to learn about new technology with a vibrant community of practitioners. During this 45-minute tech it out, participants will have the opportunity to choose from the following brief ten-minute awareness sessions for a quick overview of a technical topic.
- Voyant: A text analysis tool that you can use to analyze passages of text to identify patterns and relationships within and a.m. ong texts in order to better facilitate reading and interpretation.
- Team Basics/Messaging and Sharing Files: See how to use teams to message students and facilitate file sharing
- Discord: A free voice, video, and text chat app and discussion board.
For the last thirty-five minutes of tech-it-out we will have an open discussion and sharing of things that the group is already using, or that look interesting in educational technology.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Develop an awareness of a technical topic and participate in a free-form technical community of practice discussion.
Friday, September 29
11-12 noon
Co-create with Me! Inviting Students to Collaborate and Innovate
Instructor: Angela Lanier
Recent movements toward Open Pedagogy and Decolonizing the Curriculum challenge educators to think differently about the traditional instructor-student relationship as well as the use of traditional course materials. New models of teaching and learning call for alternatives that value students’ voices, experiences, and contributions to the curriculum and assessment. This workshop will define what it means to have students co-create, give examples of what co-creation looks like in practice and at different levels, and highlight the benefit of co-creation for students and instructors.
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Explain the different options and levels of student co-creation
- Identify the benefits of co-creating with students and strategies to address challenges
- Evaluate an existing course activity for opportunities to invite students as co-creators
