September 29, 2022 | Volume 9 | Issue 8
Gretchen Benton
Five Things to Know About Gretchen Benton
By Gretchen Benton

Hello DDCC! I am Gretchen Benton and I am so excited to be joining the Davidson- Davie Community College team as the new Director of Educational Technologies! For the past 5 years I have worked at Forsyth Technical Community College in multiple roles. Most of my time was spent working with the Library and Center for Teaching and Learning there. I graduated from Appalachian State University earlier this year with my Masters in Educational Media and a certificate in Online Learning and Professional Development. I am a big technology nerd. Come chat with me about any of your educational technology needs!

Travel: My favorite place that I have visited was the Grand Canyon and the Arizona Joshua Tree Forest. The terrain and plants look like they are from another planet. Given the chance, I would love to visit Hawaii.

Music: I really like country music - the songs that share an engaging story like When the Lights Went Out In Georgia by Reba Macintyre. She is one of my favorites.

Food: I love chicken. I am a very adventurous eater. I like that you can find a chicken recipe in almost every culture, continent, and cuisine. It is the most versatile food - I could eat it every day and never get bored!

Movie/Streaming Show: Recently my husband and I have been enjoying the American version of the TV show Ghosts on CBS. It is hilarious and we are looking forward to Season 2, coming out soon!

Joyful Experience: As a part of my masters program we studied digital learning environments, emphasis was placed on video games/virtual worlds for learning. For one of my projects I chose to investigate Minecraft. I had never played the game before, so at 28 years old completing this assignment gave me so much joy! Minecraft is very fun and I recommend it for humans of any age!
Minecraft world
Calendar with rings on top
Upcoming Events
Title III Co-Director Opportunity for Faculty
By Gloria Johnson

This is a reminder that the Title III Project Director information session will be held this afternoon, Thursday, September 29th at 4:00 p.m., via Zoom (Title III Project Director Information Zoom Meeting Link). Cameron Shirley will be sharing more information about this new opportunity for a faculty member to be a 50% Co-Director for the remaining two years of the Title III Grant.

The information session will last approximately half an hour. Cameron will share information about the role for the first 5-10 minutes and the remaining time will be used to answer questions. The position will be posted on Friday, September 30th and will be open until Monday, October 24th.

DDCC is transitioning from having a 100% Title III Project Director to two 50% Co-Directors. Cameron will serve as one Co-Director focusing on budget management and reporting, and then the other Co-Director position is open to faculty, who will teach a 50% load and do the other 50% of the Title III role. Some of the responsibilities for the faculty Co-Director include:
  • Collaborate with CTL in planning and facilitating faculty professional learning
  • Collaborate with academic leadership, faculty, and vendors to design active learning rooms 
  • Collaborate with Student Affairs to support completion coaching and professional learning for staff.
We hope to see you at the information session, but please follow up with Cameron if you have questions and are unable to attend.
Share Your Thoughts!
At the end of a term, do you ask your students to write a reflection on what they've learned?
Yes
No
From the Editors: Do You Have a Story to Share?
We want to promote faculty and staff stories! Here are some ideas:
  • Professional development experiences
  • Study away & study abroad trips
  • Globalized courses
  • Receiving awards and honors
  • Student success stories
  • Bios of new faculty and staff
  • Active learning ideas
  • Upcoming events
  • Faculty Senate initiatives
Please contact one of the editors if you have ideas or referrals for stories.
Teaching, Learning, & Global Engagement is:
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