British Columbia Moodle Users is a community of practice for individuals interested in learning about, and improving their use of, Moodle.

What’s happening right now?

• The next How To webinar is Themes and Customizations, 25 April. Missed some of the 2012 sessions? Recordings are available.
• Moodle users are sharing their observations and seeking advice in the Water Cooler.
• We’re discussing next steps for this community.

Community Hub

Discussions related to the use of Moodle will take place in the Community Hub. Each space (course) within the Hub will focus on specific areas of interest. These areas were identified as a starting point, but of course can change or more can be added!

1. Teaching and Learning With Moodle
2. Moodle Site Adminstrators
3. BCcampus Shared Service (Is there a need for space? Continue to use Basecamp as ‘ticketing’ system. Where to share and discuss shared service questions and meeting notes?)

Support Materials and Courses 

This is where we will gather our support materials and courses created by and for community members. All materials hosted in the community can be downloaded. Revisions should be shared back to the community.

Collaborative Development

Community members can create project spaces to discuss and develop new resources and tools.

Professional Development

Topic: The Moodle Gradebook can be a teacher’s best friend or worst enemy.  It has so many features that it can feel overwhelming.  Learn how you might approach to building your gradebook as part of the course development process. This covers some tricks to grading your students, as well as how to export those grades to external student information systems. Put the reins on the Moodle Gradebook and get it working for you.

Lambda Solutions offers free monthly  “Moodle how to” webinars for the Moodle community. In half an hour, we’ll give you a quick overview and show you the benefits from new or important Moodle features.You can register here to receive announcements of all upcoming Moodle webinars.

Breaking ground as the first provincial online tutoring subject for higher education, WriteAway aims to have both a short- and long-term impact. It will not only help students learn to write effectively at an appropriate academic level, but also develop a skill that is critical for career success.

Bolstered by positive feedback from initial testing and a completed privacy impact assessment, the pilot service launched on February 25 and will run until April 12, 2013. It is open to students at the following institutions: College of the Rockies, Douglas College, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Simon Fraser University, and University of British Columbia.

How the service is run

WriteAway’s collaborative model is similar to the province-wide online reference service AskAway. It brings together the participating institutions, BC Council of Senior Student Affairs Leaders (CSSAL), British Columbia Electronic Library Network (BC ELN), Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at UBC, and BCcampus. The result is a province-wide service that no one university or college could provide on its own.

Qualified tutors from each of the participating institutions staff the service. The platform, called eTutoring, was developed by the Connecticut Distance Learning Consortium, and is hosted and supported by BCcampus.

How tutors work with students

Students log in to their institutional home page and can either send an eQuestion (a quick question about writing or grammar) or upload a draft writing assignment for feedback. Papers go into a queue for the first available tutor, who may be from any of the participating institutions. A tutor will try to respond within 24 to 48 hours.

The tutor reads the draft paper, embedding comments and suggestions to improve the student’s writing. Once the tutor has uploaded a response, the student receives an e‑mail notice that feedback is ready to be picked up from the system.

On the feedback provided, WriteAway Project Coordinator Sunni Nishimura notes: “Tutors are checking for well-developed arguments and supported conclusions, not providing an editing and proofreading service.” They can suggest steps to guide the revision, and then it’s up to students to redraft the paper and fix grammatical errors.

Expanding the vision

Early positive reaction from students, tutors, and institutional coordinators is boosting excitement about WriteAway and the future of online tutoring in B.C. Nishimura observes: “Despite how seemingly diverse the writing support mechanisms were at participating institutions, the principles and styles of tutoring turned out to be similar. Tutors and institutional coordinators enjoyed commonalities.”

After pilot feedback and further improvements, Nishimura expects the service to open up to more students at more institutions, and eventually offer a real-time chat component. She adds: “The eTutoring BC Concept Committee sees other possibilities. This is just the first of many anticipated online tutoring subjects in B.C.’s post-secondary system.”

Published March 7, 2013
Posted by BCcampus Editorial Staf

Managing Technology in Higher Education: Strategies for Transforming Teaching and Learning by Dr. Tony Bates.
(Now Available in the Emily Carr Library)

Universities continue to struggle in their efforts to fully integrate information and communications technology within their activities. Based on examination of current practices in technology integration at 25 universities worldwide, this book argues for a radical approach to the management of technology in higher education.   It offers recommendations for improving governance, strategic planning, integration of administrative and teaching services, management of digital resources, and training of technology managers and administrators.  The book is written for anyone wanting to ensure technology is integrated as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Dr. Tony Bates is the author of eleven books in the field of online learning and distance education. He has provided consulting services specializing in training in the planning and management of online learning and distance education, working with over 40 organizations in 25 countries. Tony is a Research Associate with Contact North | Contact Nord, Ontario’s Distance Education & Training Network.

Visit Tony Bate’s website and see more of his publications at http://www.tonybates.ca/tonys-publications/books/

When: 12 Noon (PST) Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013
Who: Frank Fucile, BCcampus

Frank assists B.C. post-secondary institutions to implement BCcampus shared services including Moodle, Desire2Learn, Adobe Connect and Blackboard Collaborate. He also manages and facilitates the BCcampus Sandbox environment to promote the use of new and upcoming educational technologies.

Frank has been working in the field of education for over 20 years and has had the opportunity to participate in many exciting new educational technology projects at the secondary, post-secondary, non-profit, and corporate level. Franks main areas of interest are in LMS Platforms, Webconferencing, Web 2.0, Cloud Based Technology, Mobile Learning, and Open Resources. In his “spare” time he enjoys fly fishing, camping, theatre, and cooking (then eating - http://tinyurl.com/frankflyfishing

Session Description:  Big Blue Button – Open Source Webconferencing

Are you looking for a web conferencing tool as an alternative to your existing system? Or are you looking for a system to introduce your community to web conferencing. Big Blue Button is an open source software tool that has been developed right here in Canada - http://www.bigbluebutton.org/history. It has all the features necessary to conduct online synchronous sessions with your students and faculty. Big Blue Button includes the following features: Record/Playback, Whiteboard, Desktop Sharing, Integrated VOIP, Presentation, and Webcam. Come and join me to explore Big Blue Button in this informal T.E.L.L. session.

Where:  For this T.E.L.L. session we will be using the following ETUG Big Blue Button room. To prepare for the session :

1. Take a few minutes and watch this 3 minute video that will give you an overview of Big Blue Button - http://youtu.be/U8P9RJDk42M

2. On Feb 26, go to the ETUG Big Blue Button room http://etug.bigbluebutton.org. The session will start shortly after Noon (PST) but it is a good idea to login a few minutes earlier.

3. Login with username: FirstName LastName + Institution (For Example = Frank Fucile @ BCcampus) Password: welcome

If you would like you can dial-in this teleconference number for the audio portion and/or you can use your headset over VOIP.
Dial 613-366-1985
Toll free:1-866-964-7085
Conference ID: 87412

If you have any questions about the session please feel free to contact Frank Fucile:
Frank Fucile Manager, Client Services
Email: ffucile@bccampus.ca
Tel 250.760.0805  Mob 250.217.7541

Why: Lunch n’ Learn sessions are opportunities to learn together about current topics of interest to educational practitioners. Participants are encouraged to remix and repurpose materials used in these sessions for use at their own institutions. There is no charge or registration required. Grab your lunch and join us!

To see resources from past T.E.L.L. sessions check out ETUG Online Events.

 All recorded sessions and resources are archived for later viewing and download.

“Tell it on the Mountain: Teaching, Engaging, Learning and Leading”

ETUG Spring Workshop 2013
SFU Burnaby Mountain campus
Thursday, June 6th and Friday, June 7th

Pub night
The Highland Pub, SFU Burnaby Mountain campus
Wednesday, June 5th – 5:30 pm

“The top is a great place for vision, for spotting new opportunities for growth and development”- Stacey Allison (the first American woman to reach the summit of Mount Everest)

Come join ETUG this year as we meet this Spring at SFU Burnaby  to “Tell it on the Mountain: Teaching, Engaging, Learning and Leading”.

We invite you to join us as we participate in discussions about thoughtful integration of technology into education; innovative approaches to teaching, learning, and professional development; use of open content and awareness of digital copyright issues; and plans, projects and predictions for the future!  Our program will include sessions inspired by the following streams :

• Geo-caching: Share your Resources and Techniques
• Choosing a Trail: Routes taken in Flexible Learning, Blended Delivery and the Flipped Classroom
• Orienteering: Navigating Open and Digital Content and Copyright Legislation
• Reaching the Summit: Looking Ahead

Registration Fees:

 $100 + taxes  Includes 2 days of workshop sessions in the beautiful SFU Diamond Alumni Centre and Halpern Centre, 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches, refreshments, and  evening dinner  in the Diamond Alumni Centre on Thursday June 6th.

How to Register: 

Payment for registration fees will be accepted by credit card on-line via a secure server. Please register by completing the Online Form. 

All credit card transactions will be processed in Canadian dollars and are subject to current exchange rates.

Cancellations and Refunds:

Full refunds will be granted to cancellations received by the cancellation date of May 23, 2013, 2013 midnight. No refunds will be issued after that date. Refunds will be issued after the workshop and will not be given to no-shows. Substitutions wil be allowed if done prior to the Cancellation date.

Receipts:

You will receive an email confirmation of your registration sent to the address provided during registration. You will also receive a credit card receipt from Moneris verifying your payment. Please print out copies of both as these will be your official receipt and confirmation of registration.

Sharing our Learning:

Photographs, video and audio recordings will be taken at the ETUG workshop and  published on ETUG and BCcampus websites and materials under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada CC (BY 2.5) License. For more details, see BCcampus Open agenda.

If you have questions about  registering for the workshop, contact SFU Meeting, Event & Conference Services: meetbby@sfu.ca

If you have questions about ETUG or the workshop program contact:
Leva Lee - leva.lee@bccampus.ca

A one-day workshop for EVERYBODY interested in open textbooks.

Date: 26 February, 2013

Time: 9:00am – 15:30pm (tentative schedule)

Location: Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Richmond Campus
(Melville Centre for Dialogue)

This workshop is a organized by BCcampus in collaboration with Kwantlen Polytechnic University. There is no fee and lunch will be provided.

Description

There is a lot of buzz about open textbooks and the financial benefits to our students. However, many conversations and much learning needs to happen between now and realizing that goal. This workshop will take the first steps in that direction. Together we will explore:

• options for finding, selecting, and building on existing open educational resources (OER)
• processes for creative commons licensing
• individual and institutional changes in practice, and
• ideas for adoption and advocacy.

We will also share an update on BCcampus’ s Open Textbook Initiative.

Keynote

President Alan Davis, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Facilitators

Several individuals from BCcampus, KPU, Creative Commons, and others across across the post-secondary system are helping with the planning and facilitation of this workshop. So far this list includes:

• Terrie McAloney and Sylvia Currie from BCcampus
• Paul Stacey, Creative Commons
• Jane Fee, Meg Goodine, and Todd Mundle from Kwantlen Polytechnic University
• Adrienne Watt, Northwest Community College

Who should participate?

Are you interested in providing students quality resources to support their learning? Are you curious about what is involved in adopting open textbooks? Would you like to get together with colleagues for a full day of hand-on exploration and interesting dialogue? Do you have questions about open textbooks? Do you have expertise to share? If you answer is yes or maybe to any of these questions then you should participate in this workshop!

How to participate

• Register online as soon as possible, but no later than February 22. Space is limited so we may need to close down registration before that date.
• We will contact you, and also post further details about the day.
• Begin writing down your questions about open textbooks!
• If you need to cancel your registration, send a note to Sylvia Currie, scurrie@bccampus.ca

The NMC Horizon Report > 2013 Higher Education Editionis a collaborative effort between the NMC and the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative (ELI), an EDUCAUSE Program.

The 2013 Horizon Project Higher Education Advisory Board initially voted on the top 12 emerging technologies — the result of which is documented in this a interim report: the NMC Horizon Project Short List > 2013 Higher Education Edition. This Short List then helped the advisory board narrow down the 12 technologies to six for the full publication. Those results are available in the official Preview. View the work that produced these findings at www.horizon.wiki.nmc.org.

> Download the Short List PDF
> Download the Preview PDF

Download the NMC Horizon Report > 2013 Higher Ed Edition PDF

Emily Carr’s S3D Centre and The International 3D Society will host 3D[FWD], a conference focused on the business of 3D, on January 24 and 25 at the Vancity Theatre. The conference brings together leaders from a cross-section of industries, such as healthcare, advertising, entertainment, and digital media to explore the impact of 3D technology in today’s marketplace and for the future.

Leaders and innovators in 3D from Hollywood, London, and Canada, including an Academy Award winner, will showcase, discuss, and debate some of the latest developments in 3D, and explore how the 3D transformation will affect business. With more than 50 major 3D movies scheduled for release in 2013, millions of 3DTV sets being sold in the global marketplace, and an abundance of stereoscopic consumer products to be launched, it is an opportune time to learn how 3D can be used as a powerful business tool.

Topics to be covered include Storytelling in 3D, Canada’s Evolving 3D Landscape, Finance and Content Licensing, Post Production, 3D Conversion, and Advertising and Marketing in the 3D Space.

For tickets and the latest updates, go to 3dsociety.ca.

Confirmed speakers include:

• Adam May, Head of Production, Vision3
• Buzz Hays, Founder, True Image Co. Inc.
• Colin Jenken, Technical Art Director, Gener8
• David Brenner, CEO, Principal Media
• Grant Anderson, Executive Director, Sony Pictures Studios
• Ian Herring, Founder, Parallax Film Productions
• James Stewart, Director/Producer, Geneva Film Co.
• Josh Hollander, Director of Production, Pixar
• Mark Lasoff, Visual Effects Supervisor, Gener8
• Matthew Smith, Stereographer, Vision3
• Robert Neuman, Stereographic Supervisor, Disney Animation Studios
• Toni Myers, Producer/Director, IMAX

Emily Carr Events: Conferences & Symposiums