2020-2021 WEBINAR SERIES

WEBINAR DESCRIPTIONS

First Friday Webinar: Oct. 2 1 pm - 2 pm CST
“But Aren’t We All Pros Now? Best Practices for Zoom-As-Classroom in both Voluntary and Involuntary Contexts”  with Nick Salestrom , MFA, MA   English Instructor and English Program Chair for the Beatrice Campus of Southeast Community College

As an instructor who had been offering courses in a Zoom-based virtual classroom for several terms before the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic swept across American education, I hope to share my story and its relevant lessons for virtual-classroom best practices.  This presentation would be broken down into four parts. I would begin by sharing my own story of teaching via Zoom and what I learned through prolonged practice in this model both before and during the pandemic. Next, I would move into a discussion and analysis of Zoom-based (synchronous) teaching in both voluntary and ‘involuntary’ (or necessity-based) contexts, and how to frame our thinking around each one. The third part would focus on looking ahead into future terms, where virtual, synchronous classrooms can be relied upon as a backup and also presented as a voluntary and novel learning space. Finally, I would close with Q&A to discuss with attendees their specific questions, ideas, and experiences regarding virtual classrooms and their future uses.

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First Friday Webinar: (Nov. 6 1 pm-2 pm CST)
"Do You Smell What I'm Steppin' In?": Using Voice Memos to Increase Effectiveness of Teacher Feedback with Kay Siebler, Ph.D.

In teaching developmental writers, many of whom may be ELL students or from a family/community culture where academic language is difficult to decode, students are often alienated by teacher comments on their papers or homework. Teachers may spend much time and energy writing out comments that students never read or if they do read them, they may not understand what the teacher is trying to get them to do. I have been using voice memo responses with my students for the past 10 years to great success. The voice memos, which are in addition to margin comments, offer students specifics to my feedback but also offer tone. By recording my voice, talking to them about their writing or their assignment, they are better able to understand the margin feedback. These voice memos take 5-7 minutes to record, but are a valuable teaching tool to increase emerging literacy.

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First Friday Webinar:  (Dec. 4 1 pm - 2 pm CST)
"Transforming the Classroom to be a Space of Liberation" with Danielle Helzer, GI-YWCA

Paulo Freire explains that for the oppressed to become liberated, they must liberate themselves and their oppressors. However, Freire emphasizes that this can only happen if the oppressed “perceive the reality of oppression not as a closed world from which there is no exit, but as a limiting situation which they can transform.” It is no secret that our students of color are among those who are oppressed in our society. Do our students of color see the world as a living situation they can transform? How do we make space in the classroom for the kind of liberation Freire speaks of? What does this mean for the primarily white teaching force? And, how do we help our white students see liberation of the oppressed as a worthwhile cause? By examining work from Paulo Freire and bell hooks, participants in this session will begin to develop an understanding of liberation and what it requires. Then, participants will move to exploring practical inquiry-based classroom practices that can begin to make space for this kind of liberation work.

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First Friday Webinar: Nov. 6 1pm - 2 pm CST
Nebraska Math Readiness Program (NMRP), Amy Winters (WNCC) with others

The NMRP is a partnership with high schools and community colleges to have more students ready for college math when they graduate from high school. Many students enter Nebraska community colleges without the skills necessary to enter college-level math courses. To give students a solid footing for their education and professional careers, the NMRP is a free and an early academic intervention to help prepare high school students for college-level math. With a successful completion of the course, students will be able to enroll in any Nebraska community college and not be required to take a math placement exam nor be enrolled in any developmental math courses with the goal of improving enrollment and the number of degrees obtained.

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Webinar: Jan. 8 1 pm - 2 pm CST
NDEC One Book Small Teaching Online book - discussion

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First Friday Webinar: Feb. 5  1 pm - 2 pm CST
"Teacher Efficacy: What is it?  Why does it matter? How do we maintain it?" with Kale Riley, EdD

Teacher efficacy, more specifically, teacher self-efficacy, is a measure of how a teacher feels about his or her ability to teach (Bandura 1987, 2001; Riley, 2016; Schunk & Zimmerman, 2007). I will briefly define teacher efficacy including a comparison of individual efficacy and collective efficacy followed by research into why teacher efficacy is so important. I will have participants take a brief and anonymous efficacy survey (Woolfolk & Hoy, 1990). As a group (or in small groups if we have a large enough turn out) we will look at the results and discuss what they mean. I will then transition our focus onto collective teacher efficacy and discuss how collective efficacy differs from individual efficacy and why this distinction is an important one of which to be aware. We will discuss some of the factors that contribute to collective teacher efficacy. Finally, I will lead a group discussion over how we, as instructors, can maintain our efficacy in these changing post-COVID times. As part of this discussion, we will generate a written list of ideas from participants on how instructors and administrators can protect and defend teacher efficacy (both individual and collective). After the presentation, I will compile and distribute this list to all participants.

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First Friday Webinar: March 5 1 pm - 2 pm CST
"Going the Distance: One College's Year-Long Journey to Improving Online Developmental Instruction" with Amy Doty, Phip Ross, Mary Steinburg

For the 2019-2020 academic year, an SCC team of three faculty explored and developed principles for improving online instruction for developmental English faculty. This presentation will review the process—research, student surveys, assessment, and changed practices—that led to the development of a course template and best practices model shared with colleagues. This in-house project at SCC follows data that shows a much lower success rate in online English coursework than in face-to-face environments. Those attending this session will get an overview of this research, principles, and practices and will have an opportunity to question, share ideas for improvement, and choose to adopt these resources in this new era of emphasis on effective online instruction.

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First Friday Webinar: (April 2 1 pm - 2 pm CST)
"Keeping it Real: Tips and Tricks to Using Video in the Virtual Comp 1 and IRW Classroom to Foster Authentic Community While Keeping Content Simple and the Instructor's Workload Light" with Cheney Luttich, MA

“Small Teaching Online” emphasizes using video to create authentic connection between student and instructor.  Using the guidelines set forth by the text, I have explored integrating video in a simple and intentional way within my Canvas courses.  For this session, I will spend about fifteen minutes sharing what has worked and what hasn’t worked in my virtual integrated reading and writing classroom.  I will also share the library of annotation videos I have created for beginning, intermediate, and Comp 1 courses.   The remaining time will be devoted to discussion where participants share how they effectively utilize video in their developmental courses.