Wednesday, June 8, 2011

June 8, 2011

Good Afternoon Online Instructors,

Throughout the quarter I have been sharing various audio and video resources you can quickly and easily add to your online courses, but I haven't yet talked about how using the features within PowerPoint may be a great option for you, particularly if you already have publisher created PowerPoint lectures as part of your course units.

Simply using your headset you can click on the "Slideshow" feature of PowerPoint and then "Record Narration" as you walk your students through the PowerPoint presentation, just as you would if you were presenting to them in a physical classroom.  What a great way to add additional insights, information, and even examples to the prepared slides.  And also what a great way to personalize the "lectures" for your students!

Give this feature a try and let me know what you think!

Thanks,
Heather Thomton-Stockman
Online Instructional Specialist

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

June 1, 2011

Good Evening Online Instructors,

With the new CampusConnect Instructor training course now available to you, I thought I would take this opportunity to encourage you to look through your courses and archive any enhancements you have used so that you can continue to use them in the new CampusConnect system starting Early Fall 2011 quarter. 

In the training course it discusses and outlines the "My Content" area within CampusConnect's Content Collection area.  This is the perfect place to save any course enhancements, whether they are files (which you would then use the "upload files" feature) or links (which you could then use the "links" tab).  By storing these items within "My Content" you will have easy access to them each quarter and if you make a change, the change you make will only need to be made in one location (within "My Content") and will be reflected in all sections that you may use that item in. 

So, as you are going through the instructor training course, remember all of the great enhancements you may have already added to your courses or some enhancements that you've been wanting to add and how the "My Content" section of CampusConnect will be a great place to house these items!

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Thanks,
Heather Thomton-Stockman
Online Instructional Specialist