January 27, 2022 | Issue 3 |
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Pet Pandemic Heroes of the Week |
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This week we celebrate Chica and Midja, Cat Drader's two cats. Cat shares what her life with them during the pandemic is like.
"I was devastated when my previous two calico cats that had been part of my family for 21 and 23 years passed away. For two years I grieved. Then just before the pandemic Suzanne LaVenture found two calico kittens at ARC. She had been advocating for months that I adopt again, but my heart was just not able yet, and I was also concerned that given my age, and the lifetime of my previous two cats, that any new cats I adopted would outlive me (and that wouldn't be fair to them, especially if given their age at that point, people would be hesitant to adopt them). Suzanne offered to take them in the event they outlived me and so "Welcome home Chica and Mija"! Since I live alone, they have been my only company during the pandemic and simply a joy, lifting my spirits and keeping me connected. The pictures depict Chica warming in the sun, and then trying to figure out the new toy (she just doesn't get it), and a challenge to find my well pedicured toes and Mija, and then Mija snuggling on my lap. I am ever so grateful to Suzanne and her persistence and support!"
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Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker |
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Did you know that Microsoft Word has a built in accessibility checker? The checker will show whether there are any issues with the document so that you can remediate those issues. Although accessibility checkers aren’t perfect, they’re a great place to start your digital accessibility journey. Contact Amy Holmes to learn more! |
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In Word 2016, the accessibility checker is located under the File tab. Go to the “Info” section and click the “Check for Issues” button and then select “Check Accessibility.”
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In Office 365, the Word accessibility checker is located under the Review tab. |
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Effective Teaching Online: Mary Beth Hynek |
Hi all, my name is Mary Beth Hynek. I am a Registered Dietitian and I teach a Personal Health and Wellness class on the Davie campus. I have been the instructor for this class for over ten years and last year, after teaching virtually for the first time I decided to take advantage of the professional development opportunities that DDCC offers.
During the Summer 2021 semester, I took the Effective Teaching Online course and was very pleased with the new information I gained. Some of the new concepts I was introduced to include backward design, which has helped me develop more focused instruction, and aligning objectives with assessments, which has changed how I develop assignments and tests. From a practical standpoint, I learned how to use VidGrid and got some great tips on how to create better videos, something I will put to use this upcoming semester.
Overall, the class was a great experience and as instruction continues to lean towards a virtual format, it is something I would definitely recommend.
Mary Beth Hynek MS, RD/LDN
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Social annotation with “Hypothes.is"
Would you like to see your students be more engaged with the reading you assign them? Would you like to see them build thoughtful and engaging social conversations related to the readings? If you answered “yes” to these questions, then you might be interested in looking at a social annotation software tool called Hypothesis. As part of a Learning Design initiative I’m looking for instructors who are interested in participating in a pilot of Hypothes.is. If you'd like to participate, email Phil Tietjen
What exactly is Hypothes.is?
Hypothesis is a free, open source annotation tool that has been around since 2011. It allows you to annotate websites (e.g., news sites, blogs, scientific articles, legislation) and add comments to annotations, reply to others’ annotations and create groups for doing collective annotations (e.g., for a class)..
How does it work?
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Since the pandemic started, have you gotten a pet?
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International Education
Congratulations to Victoria Razcenski for globalizing ENG-112!
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From the Editors: Do You Have a Story to Share? |
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We are looking for faculty stories! We want to keep the focus of your newsletter on you, the faculty. Would you please help us find those stories? Here are the kinds of things we are looking for:
- Faculty who have globalized their courses.
- Faculty who are doing something creative in class
- Faculty who have received awards
- Faculty reporting out on what they got from their professional development (could be written, video, podcast, etc.)
- Faculty who have received a new degree
- Faculty who are retiring
- Faculty Division Chair / Program Director Bios
- Faculty sharing their experiences of teaching in an active learning classroom
- Faculty Senate initiatives
- Faculty who have led overseas trips with students
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New and Improved TLG Website |
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We are excited to share with you our new and improved TLG website! We hope that you will bookmark our site which includes great resources to support teaching and learning.
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Visit our subpages to learn more about the program areas represented within our TLG team and how they can support you!
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Looking for a previously published article in The Storm Report? Access the archives to find an earlier Issue. Enjoy! |
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Teaching, Learning & Global Engagement
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