Open Invitation to Attend Friday’s ITT Faculty Academy Session RSVP requested

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The Faculty Academy

The Faculty Academy

Dear COE Community,

On Friday from 1-4 pm in Room 618 Aderhold, we will be conducting the first of four sessions to support the Innovation in Teaching and Technology (ITT) Spring 2013 Faculty Academy. We have 10 COE faculty participating in the academy. However, each academy session is also open to others in the college who might be interested in the topics we’re discussing. If you would like to join us, please just send me an email at <lrieber@uga.edu> to let me know you are coming to help in my planning.

Here is some background information…

Each session will be divided into three parts:

  • Design Corner
  • Technology Corner
  • Hands-On Time

Among the design issues we will consider on Friday include some basic principles from a studio-based teaching approach and instructional design (both are courses that I teach). I will also briefly discuss some of the conclusions, predictions, and implications of several national reports that impact the future of the teaching mission of universities.

The technology we will be exploring on Friday is the suite of Google Tools. We also will take a few minutes to introduce a few other Web 2.0 tools, such as Pinterest, a pinboard-style photo/graphic sharing website that has gained much popularity over the past few months.

Time will be set aside during each session for hands-on time to work on projects, explore technology tools, and have conversations about innovative teaching with technology.

Remaining academy sessions are scheduled for the following dates and topics — all Fridays — from 1-4 pm:

  • February 15 – Online Learning Essentials
  • March 22 – Using Video
  • April 5 — Mobile Learning

We will also orient folks to the SMART Technology throughout the academy sessions.

Of course, we will be exploring various teaching ideas, design strategies, tools, and technologies throughout the academy, largely in response to participant ideas and discussions.

We’d love to have other faculty join us on Friday. Again, just email me if you plan on coming (to make sure I order enough pizza).

Lloyd Rieber,
Director, Innovation in Teaching and Technology

Innovation in Teaching and Technology Spring Book Club – Jane McGonigal’s “Reality is Broken”

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Jane McGonigal - Reality is Broken

Jane McGonigal – Reality is Broken

Dear COE Community:

The ITT Book Club will be meeting this spring to discuss the following book:

McGonigal, Jane (2011). Reality is broken. New York: Penguin Press.

Here is a description of the book: “With 174 million gamers in the United States alone, we now live in a world where every generation will be a gamer generation. But why, Jane McGonigal asks, should games be used for escapist entertainment alone? In this groundbreaking book, she shows how we can leverage the power of games to fix what is wrong with the real world-from social problems like depression and obesity to global issues like poverty and climate change-and introduces us to cutting-edge games that are already changing the business, education, and nonprofit worlds. Written for gamers and non-gamers alike, Reality Is Broken shows that the future will belong to those who can understand, design, and play games.”

McGonigal also appeared on the Colbert Report on February 3, 2011 to discuss her book:
http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/373360/february-03-2011/jane-mcgonigal

All faculty, staff, and students are welcome to join us.

The discussion will take place toward the end of the semester (at a date/time that is most convenient to the people who sign up).

(You are responsible to purchase the book on your own. It’s currently available for $10.88 at Amazon.)

Food will be provided at the discussion!

To sign up to join the discussion of “Reality is Broken” or to recommend another book for the ITT Book Club to discuss in the future, please go to the following Web site:

http://lrieber.coe.uga.edu/itt/bookclub/

 

I hope to see many of you there!

Lloyd Rieber
Director, Innovation in Teaching and Technology

 

Innovation 20/20 Sessions: Call for Nominations

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Innovation 20/20 Series

Innovation 20/20 Series

We are again soliciting your nominations for Innovation 20/20 sessions. The idea is for people known to be innovative in their teaching to give a very short presentation of the innovation in about 20 minutes, followed by engaging in a 20 minute discussion with the audience.

Anyone can be nominated — faculty, students, and staff — because we believe that innovation in teaching is not restricted to rank or position. And remember, these can be “Little i” innovations — those small creative implementations of ideas that have been successful and made a difference in teaching. With the presenter’s permission, we record the presentation portion of the 20/20 session in order to make these available for those not able to attend.

While it is difficult to pin down what is meant exactly by “innovative teaching,” here are are a few guidelines. Nominees should be more than just good teachers. They are people who take some risks and try new things. They are also people who are known to use one or more unique innovative strategies consistently as part of their teaching repertoire.

The focus is squarely on “innovation in teaching,” but if some attention is given to how technology makes the teaching innovation possible or feasible, all the better.

To submit a nomination, send the following information to Lloyd Rieber:

*Name and email of the nominee
*Nominee’s department and/or program
*Short explanation of why you are nominating this person (e.g. in what way
is the person innovative in his/her teaching)

Self-nominations are also accepted, but priority will be given to people nominated by others.

So, please consider nominating someone to do an Innovation 20/20 session!

To view video recordings of past sessions, go to the Innovation in Teaching and Technology Web site and click on “Innovation 20/20″ in the menu in the top left corner of the screen.

If you have any questions, please let me know.

Many thanks!

Lloyd Rieber
Director, Innovation in Teaching and Technology