Thursday, September 27, 2012

3 Things You Might Not Know About YouTube

Free CCC Confer Webinar
Thursday, October 11th
Noon - 1:00 PDT
Presenter: Donna Eyestone

Did you know you can:
  • Record and edit your YouTube videos from your web browser
  • Easily add and search captions
  • Curate your own playlist, even adding your own intros to other people's YouTube videos?
All you need is a webcam and a YouTube account -- no software, no trials, no downloads so you and your students can easily create videos.

Learn how to:
  • Write a script
  • Get a good camera angle
  • Record without looking like you're reading
  • Edit out the beginnings and ends of clips


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Active Learning

"Studies prove time and again that college students do not learn when listening passively. To clarify further, twenty minutes of listening to a lecture is the maximum amount of time that students can process information effectively according to research cited in Does Active Learning Work, A Review of the Research (Prince, 2004)."

From an excellent article: Learning Online is not a Spectator Sport: How to Make it Active

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Designing an Exemplary Course

Blackboard is offering a free online course titled "Designing an Exemplary Course" that is open for registration now.

Course Description: Using the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program (ECP) Rubric as a guide, this open course will provide both theoretical concepts and practical tools for instructors to recognize, organize, and build online courses for both blended learners and online learners. You decide what level of participation you want to have in the course, so there's no harm in signing up and looking around in it to get ideas for your own courses.

Presenters: ECP Directors and 2012 ECP Winners representing over ten institutions

Duration: September 19th - October 17th

The welcome video can be viewed at http://youtu.be/cenCNR9887g

How to Enroll in the Open Course:
1.    Click here to be taken to the course home page.
2.    Click on “Self-Enroll” to get started.


Friday, September 14, 2012

California Blackboard Users Group (CaliBUG) Meeting on October 19th

The Fall 2012 Meeting for the California Blackboard Users Group (CaliBUG) will be held October 19, 2012 from 10 AM to 3 PM at Ohlone College, Newark Center Room 1100, 43600 Mission Boulevard, Fremont, CA 94539.

Administrators, coordinators, and faculty are invited to attend this free [including lunch provided by Blackboard] event. This is an exciting opportunity to meet with colleagues who use Blackboard. We hope you can attend!

If you are not able to come in person, some or all of the sessions will be offered on the Internet!!

The tentative agenda includes:

  • Keynote –What’s New With Blackboard?
  • Useful Blackboard Building Blocks
  • Blackboard Analytics
  • Spotlight on USC’s Ultimate Blackboard Course Site 

Please RSVP today (!) to this link: http://tinyurl.com/d6vefbv

Monday, September 3, 2012

3 Reasons why Students Don’t Participate in Online Discussions

This article at Online Learning Insights looks into why students don't participate in online discussions and ways to get them more involved.

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Fall 2012 @ONE Courses

@One offers courses, webinars, and certification in the areas of instruction and technology skills for the California Community College system. "Creating Accessible Online Courses" and "Introduction to Teaching with Blackboard 9.1" are required courses for being certified to teach online at Cuyamaca College.

These courses are filling up fast, so reserve your spot today!

Available Courses:



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