Educational Technology Training

Winter 2023 & Spring 2024 Technology Training Workshops

Dates: January to May 2024

Location: via WebEx Virtually online unless otherwise marked. For WebEx, the access link will be sent to the registered participants on the day before a workshop.

Registration for a technology training workshop is required. Please email your name, email address, phone number, division, date, time and name of training session to mxccdistance@mxcc.commnet.edu. An email will be sent to you confirming your registration and the access link will be sent to you on the day before the workshop. Please register at least 24 hours in advance of training to avoid workshop cancellations due to low/no enrollment.

More training sessions offered at other Connecticut community colleges can be found in the CSCU Training Calendar used by all institutions of CT Board of Regents. First time user needs to create an account by entering your name, college email, and phone#.  Then log on to your college email at portal.office.com, verifying your email and creating a password. Login with your college email and the password you created. Click on the “View Event Calendar” icon at the upper left panel. Navigate the training workshops on the calendar. Select the Title of a training session you would like to sign up, click on “View Event”, enter “1” in the Quantity box, fill out the registration form and click on “Add to Cart”. Click on Confirm.

Download the Distance Education Course Design Guidelines for Student Success (PDF)

Winter 2023 & Spring 2024 Technology Training Workshops
Getting Started with Blackboard Learn
This session will demonstrate commonly used tools in Blackboard Learn Course Management System: Announcement, Messages, Discussions, Content Area, Assignments, Files, links on the course menu, student preview, and course archive. The session will use the Blackboard competency checklist to review the demonstration tasks to obtain Blackboard badges required in the iTeach Essentials Certificate.
Friday, 9/8/2023, 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Blackboard Collaborate Ultra Essentials for Faculty
Prerequisite: Faculty have attended Getting Started with Blackboard Learn.
This session will show faculty how to deliver live, interactive Collaborate sessions in Blackboard. Participants will learn about the key features and core functions of the Collaborate user interface. They will learn about session roles and how to effectively manage the communication tools, understand audio indicators, manage session and participant interaction, display the whiteboard and PowerPoint content, and record a session.
• Identify key features and core functions of the user interface
• Understand the communication tools
• Utilize the whiteboard and display PowerPoint content
• Use the recording features
• Recognize best practices and use cases
Tuesday, 8/15/2023, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Getting Started with MS Teams
Learn the basics of Microsoft Teams which include how to use Teams, Channels, Chat, and Meetings feature as well as Calendar. Topics will include how to create a class team, create meetings, uploading and creating files.
Friday, 9/29/2023, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Getting Started with Webex Online Meetings
WebEx video conferencing technology is used for hosting virtual meetings or offering virtual classes. This workshop will show you how to log on to WebEx, WebEx basic interfaces, and how to host an online virtual meeting/class with sharing documents and group breakouts.
Thursday, 8/17/2023, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Using Kaltura to Create and Share Video in Blackboard
Kaltura is a streaming video feature available in Blackboard. It provides instructors with the ability to embed streaming video directly into your Blackboard class. Students can play video from right inside the Blackboard class. This session will show how to create videos (e.g. tutorials, PowerPoint lecture voice over, diagram voice over, etc.) using Kaltura Personal Capture as well as upload and link videos to Blackboard courses.
Download the Getting Started with Kaltura handout PDF
Monday, 8/21/23, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Blackboard Learn: Tests
This workshop will show you how to create a test in Blackboard from scratch or from a test bank. The steps on how to manage a test and how to obtain test banks from a publisher will also explained. The session will use the Blackboard competency checklist to review the demonstration tasks to obtain Blackboard badges required in the iTeach Essentials Certificate.
Friday, 9/22/2023, 9:00 am - 10:00 am
Blackboard Learn: Grade Center
This workshop focuses on how to create grade columns as well as weighted total or total columns for grade calculation. An ongoing grade calculation will be explained and practiced. The session will use the Blackboard competency checklist to review the demonstration tasks to obtain Blackboard badges required in the iTeach Essentials Certificate.
Friday, 9/22/2023, 10:30 am - 11:30 am
Put a Voice to Your PowerPoint Slides
Download the Put a Voice to Your PowerPoint Slides handout PDF
Are you posting a presentation instead of giving it in front of an audience? Adding your voice to a PowerPoint presentation is a simple process. It will turn a presentation from a plain set of slides into a self-contained instructional asset that stands alone and can be used by students to self-teach.
Friday, 10/6/2023, 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Accessibility Series: Blackboard Ally - Making Your Course Documents Accessible
This workshop will provide an overview on how Blackboard Ally makes documents in your Blackboard courses accessible to students. Four topics will be covered: What is Ally, Ally for Faculty, Ally for Students, and Accessibility report.
Friday, 10/20/2023, 10:00 am - 11:30 am
Accessibility Series: How to Create Accessible MS Word Documents
This workshop will help you to learn how to create accessible Microsoft Word documents.
Friday, 10/27/2023, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Exploring ChatGPT: New Ways in Thinking and Planning
This workshop will provide a brief overview of what ChatGPT is and how it functions. We will explore how ChatGPT may enhance thinking and planning for educators in terms of brainstorming ideas, drafting a writing piece, and helping solve problems. Challenges of ChatGPT will be discussed.
11/3/2023 Friday 10:00 am - 11:30 am, On-Campus, Chapman Hall 710 (Library classroom)
3 Amazing Tools to Help You Engage Your Students in Face-to-Face and Online Instruction
Keeping students engaged can be very challenging. Integrating technology into instruction offers exciting opportunities for creating a dynamic and interactive learning environment. This workshop will introduce 3 amazing tools that will help you create a variety of learning activities such as online games and collaborative brainstorming to engage your students and boost their learning experience. Tips and examples of incorporating these activities into face-to-face and online instruction will be shared. Attendees will depart ready to experiment with one of these tools to energize their next class.
TBA
Online Course Evaluations
This session will provide an overview of how faculty (part-time, adjunct) teaching online courses will be evaluated. In particular, the system wide Guidelines of Online/Hybrid Course Observation will be reviewed including the questions discussed with the faculty prior to the observation and the performance indicators observed upon.
TBA
Info Session: iTeach Essentials Certification
This information session will give an overview about iTeach Essentials certification process and explain the Best Practices of Online Pedagogy course and Blackboard competency demonstration badges (https://www.ct.edu/iteach). Answer questions on the procedure of applying for an exemption.
TBA
Blackboard Competency Badges Demonstration Overview
Download the Blackboard Competency Demonstration Overview checklist PDF
Watch YouTube MxCC iTeach Competency Badge Demo videos
Obtaining five Blackboard competency badges is one of the two components for faculty to complete to receive an iTeach Essentials Certificate. This session will explain the process for faculty to successfully demonstrate Blackboard competency and will use a checklist to go over all the tasks in five areas (badges): course design/management, communications, assignments, tests, and grade center.
TBA

 

Disclaimer:
The workshop handouts are created by the Distance Learning department at Middlesex Community College. Use of any document without permission is strictly prohibited.