Digital Media Creator: Spark your creativity with us!

April 16, 2024April 16, 2024 Julian Prior

EdTech and TCDC are excited to announce the upcoming sessions of our Digital Media Creator (DMC) series, tailored specifically for both instructional and non-instructional staff. This enriching series of workshops is designed to immerse you in the world of digital media, helping you become proficient creators and users of engaging, multimodal content. The best part is that you don’t need to be good at art to join in; creativity is for everyone! By participating, you will not only enhance your teaching toolbox but also be in a better position to provide your students with diverse means of expression in their learning, a cornerstone of Universal Design for Learning (UDL).

What to Expect?
The DMC series begins with the foundational workshop, Create/Engage/Share: Introduction to Digital Media Creator (Module 1), scheduled for May 3, 2024, online via Zoom. This initial module sets the stage for exploring how digital media like images, audio, and video can transform the learning experience.

Following the introductory session, the series offers several modules, each focusing on a unique aspect of digital media creation:

ePortfolios as Creative Practice (Module 2): Dive into ePortfolio creation using PebblePad, enhancing your professional development and showcasing your creative practice (May 7, 2024).
Accessible and Effective Slide Design (Module 3): Learn to design compelling presentation slides that are not only visually engaging but also accessible and inclusive (May 16, 2024, Zoom).
Sound Teaching (Module 4): Discover the art of podcasting to make your teaching content available to students anytime, anywhere (May 22, 2024).
Create and Edit Video with Tools You Have at Hand (Module 5): Gain practical skills in video production using everyday technologies that we have access to (May 31, 2024).
Prompting AI for Creative Output (Module 6): Explore the innovative realm of AI in generating creative content for various media (June 6, 2024).

To participate in these transformative workshops, registration for the Introduction to Digital Media Creator (Module 1) is a prerequisite. This requirement ensures that all participants have a solid foundation from which to explore more advanced topics. You can take as many or as few of the modules as you want after taking Module 1.

Earn a Digital Badge!
Completing at least four of the six modules earns you the DMC Digital Badge, evidence of your commitment and skill in digital media creation.

We invite all Langara instructors and staff to join these workshops. Let’s harness the power of digital media to create more engaging and inclusive educational experiences. Register today and spark your creativity with us!

Featured image generated with DALL-E as part of ChatGPT-4

Digital Practice - a collaborative approach

Build Brightspace Better

March 25, 2024March 25, 2024 Luke McKnight

The Build Brightspace Better workshop series is designed to empower instructors with the knowledge and tools needed to enhance the student experience in Brightspace. This series comprises three engaging workshops. Each workshop is centered on a different aspect of Brightspace and the tools and features available to create a more enriching and accessible learning environment for students.

Session 1 May 6

Optimizing Course Readings

This hands-on workshop explores the Brightspace Reading Lists tool. Leverage library support and technology to seamlessly integrate diverse educational resources, from scholarly books to essential websites, into a singular, user-friendly digital Reading List format. Gain practical experience by curating a Reading List that exemplifies clarity, accessibility, and engagement for your students.

Session 1 registration.

Session 2 May 8

Enhancing Course Design with HTML Templates

In the second workshop learn how to revamp the appearance and structure of your course content. Make content pages that adhere to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and Accessibility standards (WCAG). No coding required!

This session will explore:

The benefits of using templates
Using the Brightspace HTML editor
How to apply templates to new and existing Brightspace content
Incorporating different template elements to create engaging pages

Bring your content and a laptop to create or update Brightspace content live with expert support.

Session 2 registration.

Session 3 May 13

Streamlining Course Navigation for Student Success

The final workshop in our series focuses on ensuring that your students can dedicate more time to learning rather than navigating. This interactive session will empower you to seamlessly integrate strategies that reduce excessive scrolling, clicking, and searching for your students. Together, we’ll work to highlight essential course elements, making content, assignment requirements, and due dates prominent and accessible.

Session 3 registration.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your online course material into dynamic and engaging learning environments that prioritize student success.

Ed Tech Sandbox Sessions

October 8, 2021March 13, 2024 Ari Crossby

What is an Ed Tech sandbox?

The Ed Tech sandbox is a small, contained space to safely learn and practice using various educational technologies and tools. Participants may explore a specific tool or a range of tools that can be adopted to support a specific teaching or learning goal. To create a safe environment and allow time for practice, enrollment is limited to 10 participants.

Do you want to gain confidence with teaching & learning tools?

These weekly sessions are an opportunity to develop an understanding of how technologies and tools can be effectively used in teaching, learning, and assessment before introducing them in the classroom.

When are the sessions held?

Ed Tech sandbox sessions are planned for every Friday from 11:00 am – 12:30 pm. Participants choose whether to attend via Zoom or in-person.

Upcoming sessions

October 22^nd – Kaltura Mediaspace and Capture

Using video in your course is a great way to engage students and present learning content in alternative ways, following the principles of UDL.

In this session we will demonstrate recording your screen, using the Kaltura Capture application to record your screen, and uploading the recording to Mediaspace. There will be lots of time to ask questions and play.

October 29^th – Brightspace Rubrics Tool

A Brightspace rubric can:

Be reused (they can be copied and used in multiple course shells).
Set out expectations and criteria for students.
Provide grading transparency and clear feedback.

Join us to learn how to associate rubrics with assignments, graded discussion topics and grade items.

Podcast Playlist – Podcast recommendations from your Ed Tech team

June 15, 2021March 13, 2024 Ari Crossby

Looking for inspiration? Podcasts are a convenient and approachable way to pick up some new tools for your teaching toolkit. In this new feature, we’ll share a few of our favorite episodes with a teaching and learning focus.

Maybe It Doesn’t Need to be a Video

In this episode of Think UDL Clea and host Lillian Nave talk about multiple ways of representing information in online classes, customizing the display of information, offering alternatives for text or auditory information, and guiding information processing and visualization for students

In this episode of Teaching in Higher Ed, Dan Levy, faculty director of the Public Leadership Credential, the Harvard Kennedy School’s flagship online learning initiative, talks about his book, Teaching Effectively with Zoom.

Talking Tech

In this episode of tea for teaching Michelle Miller, author of Minds Online: Teaching Effectively with Technology, examines how we can talk to students about technology in ways that will help them become more efficient in their learning and professional lives.

How to Use Audio Lessons in Your Course to Engage Students and Improve Learning

In this episode of Lecture Breakers Yehoshua Zlotogorski the power of audio for learning, especially when the audio lesson or audio course is intentionally designed based on cognitive science and pedagogy.

Equity-Enhancing Data Tools

In this episode of Teaching in Higher Ed Viji Sathy, award-winning Professor of the Practice in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Kelly Hogan, Teaching Professor of Biology and Associate Dean of Instructional Innovation at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, share two equity-enhancing data tools.

Podcast Playlist

May 11, 2021March 13, 2024 Ari Crossby

Podcast recommendations from your Ed Tech and TCDC team

Looking for inspiration? Podcasts are a convenient and approachable way to pick up some new tools for your teaching toolkit. In this new feature, we’ll share a few of our favorite shows with a teaching and learning focus.

Trends and Issues in Instructional Design, Educational Technology and Learning Science is a bi-monthly podcast presented by Abbie Brown (East Carolina University) and Tim Green (California State University). Episodes are short at around 10-15 minutes and cover news on a wide range of topics connected to technology enhanced learning. Accompanying the podcast is a Flipboard magazine.

Hosted by Thomas Cavanagh and Kelvin Thompson, the monthly The Teaching Online Podcast focuses on issues related to online and blended learning. Episodes clock in at about 30 minutes. Recent topics explored in the show include OER adoption, blended learning course design, community engagement, and the role of synchronous online teaching post-COVID.

ThinkUDL host Lillian Nave interviews guests about their experiences implementing Universal Design for Learning. Recent guests include Kirsten Behling, co-author of Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education, Flower Darby, co-author of Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes, and Kevin Kelly and Todd Zakrajsek, authors of Advancing Online Teaching: Creating Equity-Based Digital Learning Environments.