Accessibility Webinar

Posted on April 17, 2019 by jrfreese

We’ve recently shared some opportunities to learn more about accessibility (LinkedIn reading group, a free course), and if you’re looking for more, you can view the webinar in the link below. This is geared towards content creators, but there are great ideas for anyone working online to think about. This webinar shares a number of tools (including some in Microsoft Office) you can use to check how accessible the material you’re working with is.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z-o-rLQTWo

ADEIL Webinar: How to Use Recite

Posted on April 15, 2019 by jrfreese

ADEIL recently shared a short webinar on how to use Recite, a program to help manage references and citations within a paper. Whether you’re advising students with research papers or simply looking for a helpful tool for your own research, Recite can help eliminate errors as you list your sources.You can view the webinar here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mUM1oJ-110

Free Web Accessibility Course

Posted on April 2, 2019 by jrfreese

If you’re interested in learning more about web accessibility (or like to go through online courses to put yourself into the shoes of our online learners), there’s a free online course that runs for 4 weeks, beginning April 8th. An excerpt from their registration page:
“This course will ‘interpret’ the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0), to make it easier to understand for a general audience. You will have an opportunity to experience barriers firsthand, then experience that content with the barriers removed, developing a practical understanding of web accessibility.”

You can find information at: https://de.ryerson.ca/wa/introduction/

On a related note, if you’re interested in discussing accessibility and online courses, be sure to check out the ADEIL LinkedIn discussions on the book Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone:https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8521464/

Evaluating Online Sources: Ukraine Classrooms and Fake News

Posted on April 1, 2019 by jrfreese

While the internet can be a source of worthwhile information, students researching online need to be thinking critically about the information that they’re finding; just because it’s online doesn’t mean it’s true. Some teachers in the Ukraine, in the midst of online propaganda and misinformation with a civil war, have worked to increase students’ media literacy to spot misinformation and hate speech. You can read about those efforts in the following link:
https://www.npr.org/2019/03/22/705809811/students-in-ukraine-learn-how-to-spot-fake-stories-propaganda-and-hate-speech

We’ve previously shared an online research activity (link below) about using and evaluating online sources. What have you found helpful to teach students how to critically think about the information they’re finding online?
https://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/ilinstructors/2018/04/30/online-research-activity-webquest/

Canvas SpeedGrader Webinar

Posted on March 25, 2019 by jrfreese

How is the transition to teaching in Canvas going so far? If you’re looking for more information on getting the most out of grading and providing feedback, UW-Extension recently gave a webinar on the various tools available with Canvas. Items discussed include a to-do list that shows which items need grading, different ways to annotate student work, different ways to access student assessments, and how to grade quizzes that autograde some questions but need your feedback for others. The webinar can be viewed at the following link:
https://us-lti.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/playback/load/ae960284292a453b8a3ffc62e1f08eae?name=UW%20Extended%20Campus%20Faculty%20Webinar%20-%20recording_1

If you’re ever looking for more information with Canvas, you can also go through the Canvas Learning Center course that’s in your Dashboard.

TEDx Talk: Good Design is Good Education

Posted on March 11, 2019 by jrfreese

How much do you think about visual design as you prepare teaching materials? You can view a TEDx Talk at the following link that discusses how different fonts and graphic design can positively impact your students.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dt7kbOPIauk

Have you found any fonts or visual layouts that seem to be especially effective for communicating with students? Let us know – we’d love to share your ideas!

Multi-Factor Authentication NET ID Login

Posted on March 6, 2019 by jrfreese

Starting today, Division of Continuing Studies employees (including instructors) are required to use a Multi-Factor Authentication when using a NetID Login. Essentially, this simply adds a step when you log in to ensure your online protection, using either your smartphone/tablet or a UW-provided fob.

Instructions for your phone are included here:
https://kb.wisc.edu/page.php?id=86220

If you’d prefer to use a fob, you can request one here:
https://www.aims.wisc.edu/mfa-duo-request-form/

If you’re having trouble, you can call the DoIT help desk at 608-264-4357 or e-mail help@aims.wisc.edu. To share my own experience: I called the DoIT help desk, and within minutes, we had the authentication working on my phone.

Discussions with a Twist

Posted on February 28, 2019 by jrfreese

Laurie Berry and Kristin Kowal gave an excellent presentation on how to make online discussions more engaging, taking a traditional discussion prompt and offering different ways to expand upon it.

A pdf of their presentation is included at the link below. While viewing a pdf can’t replicate the experience of attending their presentation, their slides offer numerous discussion examples with a variety of ways make them more personable and interactive.

Discussion_rocks_5.8.2018

What are some of your favorite ways of using discussions in your courses?

ADEIL: Book Discussion Group / Web-based Activity Presentation

Posted on February 19, 2019 by jrfreese

The Association for Distance Education and Independent Learning has two new connecting and learning opportunities:

1) ADEIL is launching a book discussion group, reading Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education by Thomas J. Tobin and Kirsten T. Behling and discussing it on LinkedIn. The first discussion is found at the link below, and please note that you can still be part of this first discussion even if you haven’t yet read the book.
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8521464/

2) I (Rich Freese) recently gave a video presentation for ADEIL. It examines three online-research activities, created by IL’s very own Sarah Korpi and Joan Bell-Kaul, and discusses how to adapt these for different courses.
Video Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGWBggFEpAQ&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR37a3AGcs05I1FLVsijFXtshN4pzYFeWcbGBxicJO635aK5dRwx_s60n34
PDF Handout:
http://courses.dcs.wisc.edu/wp/ilinstructors/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2019/01/Hemingway-WebQuests.pdf

Posted on February 6, 2019 by jrfreese

As of January 1, 2019, works published in 1923 – literature, movies, images – are now in the public domain. The public domain refers to works that are available to the public with no copyright restrictions; works published in 1922 and prior had already been in the public domain, and if copyright laws remain unchanged, each new year until 2073 will see a new batch of published works enter the public domain (next year, works from 1924; the year after that, works from 1925).

Are there any ways you might be able to use these new open materials in your courses? I teach music courses; alas, copyright for standalone sound recordings isn’t as straightforward, but I can freely distribute sheet music of these pieces or look at examples of music in film.

Resources for Independent Learning Instructors

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