MARC APRIL 8, 2020 H 26, 2020
Zooming in on Zoom
Want to improve your Zoom skills? Professional Development Specialist Anaid Northcraft will be offering workshops for employees on how to run a great online meeting.

The Intro to Zoom classes will teach you:
  • Schedule a meeting in advance
  • Adjust settings to accommodate your meeting purpose.
  • How to navigate the home screen while in a meeting

In Zoom: Advanced Features, you'll learn how to:
  • Create and launch polls
  • Create and launch breakout rooms
  • Use remote controls
  • Use the Outlook Add-in

The Intro to Zoom classes are offered every Tuesday in April from 1-2:30 p.m.
The Advanced Zoom classes are offered every Thursday in April from 1-2:30 p.m.
Zoom Office Hours are also available every Friday in April from 1-2:30 p.m.
You can sign up for the classes through the District's Professional Development Calendar.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

For more information, contact Anaid Northcraft at anaid.northcraft@gcccd.edu.
Turning uniforms into masks
Seven boxfuls of outdated uniforms for Nursing and Allied Health students were taking up space in the department’s building on the Grossmont College campus. The uniforms couldn’t be used by students and were slated for disposal, but the boxes were still there when Nancy Saks, dean of Nursing and Allied Health, stopped by the office last Friday while arranging for the loan of 18 ventilators to local hospitals and the state.

"We just had to find something to do with them," Saks said. “Then one faculty member got the idea – let’s make masks out of them."

The uniforms were distributed to Nursing and Allied Health faculty members working from home. Several faculty members, who asked to remain anonymous, sewed dozens of masks.

Saks said the masks will be distributed to the Alvarado Parkway Institute Behavioral Health system and to support units of the San Diego Police Department, such as the psychiatric liaison unit. They are reusable after washing.

“We’re glad we found a way to make use of those uniforms so they can help our community,” Saks said.
A project for Pat

Also getting into the mask-making action is Pat Murray, Grossmont College Health Science Tech Sr., who is distributing her brightly colored creations to fellow cycling enthusiasts, workers in a bike shop she frequents, and friends. She uses fabric scraps and elastic she has at home, presses them with a hot steam iron for sterilization, then drops them into ziplock bags for mailing. The masks are washable and a quick iron resets the pleats.
My home office: My-Linh Nguyen
  Today’s home office: Cuyamaca College Counselor My-Linh Nguyen

1. Describe your home office.
With two school-age children at home distance-learning, I am unable to quietly use what used to be my home office downstairs, so it’s now where my hamper used to be in a small corner of my bedroom. I have equipped a super small student desk with a borrowed monitor and a $9 HDMI adapter so that my district-issued Surface Pro can be used for my remote counseling services. Fortunately, I already had this home office chair with lots of memory foam - perfect now that I am sitting on it all day. 
 
2. What is a typical day for you working from home?
My day starts off with getting my kids up and set for their own structured day before I start mine. Once my work hours start, I make myself available for our students for Virtual Drop-in counseling. My days are a mixture of Virtual Drop-in and Zoom counseling appointments and various meetings with my department and for committee commitments. After hours, you'll find me outside riding my adult-sized razor scooter with my kids. 
 
3. What tip would you pass on to other GCCCD employees?
When I refer to myself being at home right now, I phrase it as "I'm safe at home" instead of "I'm stuck at home." That one word can really change your attitude. Also, the "Touch up my appearance" feature in Zoom is your friend! 
   
Share your new working conditions with your fellow employees and we'll feature them in the Remote Report. Take a photo of you in your home office and answer the three questions above. Send them to Anne Krueger . Submissions may be edited for length and clarity.
In the News


In the Remote Report, you’ll see important updates, get your questions answered, and learn ways to help us all navigate this new world of mass telecommuting. Issues of the Remote Report will be archived on the District Remote Report page

If you have news to share or discovered a tip that helps you work better remotely, pass it on. Please send your items to Anne Krueger , Christianne Penunuri (Cuyamaca College) or Lorena Ruggero (Grossmont College).