Hello everyone--We would like for people to identify a project that they have been working on during Covid-19. It could be anything from landscaping, to art projects, improvements made around the house, music written--you get the idea. Would you please send Nathanael Gough a picture of their Covid-19 project along with a paragraph of explanation? It will be fun to find out what our colleagues have been doing with their home time.

Suzanne LaVenture, Director of International Education and Spanish faculty, showcases her project this week.

“After completing dozens of jigsaw puzzles, I was looking for something a little different to pass the time. I came upon a paint-by-numbers website and found a painting by Gustav Klimt called "Lady with a Fan." My friend Susan is a fan of Klimt so I decided to do the painting and give it to her as a joke gift for Christmas. I didn't realize I was ordering it from China so it took weeks to arrive. However, I did enjoy painting it and It turned out better than I thought it would!”

You can find further pictures of Covid-19 projects, including Julie Dillon's before and after closet, on our Google Photo Page.

The Virtual Learning Community (VLC) is providing the following free webinars. Register on their Configio site. On-Demand webinars are available 24/7. If you have questions, contact Candace Holder.

10.22.20 11:00 AM Showcasing VLC Courses - ACC 120 and ACC 240

10.22.20 2:00 PM BB Collaborate and Recommended Practices for Instructors

10.23.20 11:00 AM Showcasing VLC Course - BUS 110

10.28.20 2:00 PM How to Closed Caption Videos with YouTube

10.29.20 11:00 AM Showcasing VLC Courses - EDU 216, EDU 234, EDU 250

11.2.20 2:00 PM Technology Based Proctoring Solutions

11.4.20 2:00 PM Mobile apps for video editing

11.5.20 12:00 PM Personalized Learning Designer

11.6.20 11:00 AM Showcasing VLC Course - HEA 110

11.9.20 12:00 PM Advance Concepts of H5P

11.10.20 2:00 PM BB Collaborate and Recommended Practices for Instructors

11.12.20 2:00 PM OBS Studio and What it Can do for You

11.13.20 11:00 AM Showcasing VLC Course - COM 231

11.16.20 12:00 PM Advance Personalized Learning Designer

11.18.20 2:00 PM Swivl Robot

11.19.20 11:00 AM Showcasing VLC Course - MUS 110

12.2.20 2:00 PM Closed Captioning with just your Mobile Device

12.3.20 2:00 PM Technology Based Proctoring Solutions

One of the challenges with teaching online is engaging students so they feel more connected to other students and you, as the instructor. So for this week’s tip, I thought I’d share a couple of strategies that may help with this challenge.

1. Quick Polls: Seek feedback and student input by using polls. For example, you can check students’ understanding of a recent reading, video or infographic by asking them to respond to a poll. It can be a simple poll consisting of just 1 or 2 questions. You can create a poll in Moodle using the “Questionnaire” tool, or use other options such as Zoom and Google Forms.

2. Regular Reminders: Boost your online teaching presence by sending out regular reminders of upcoming deadlines and call their attention to any assignments that might require a significant investment of time. As a friendly complement to this, add a fun visual or inspirational quote from a famous or relevant author.

If you would like help and/or more information on these options, please don’t hesitate to contact me at philip_tietjen@dadvidsonccc.edu.