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For questions about workshops, registering, or to get support please contact the Instructional Media Lab at 413-545-2823 or instruct@umass.edu
Instructional Innovation invites all instructors: faculty, lecturers, adjuncts, grad instructors, and instructional staff to attend our Winter 2019 workshops. We are offering 15 workshops to help improve confidence with teaching technology, engaging students, and making course materials accessible to all your students. Come extend your toolkit for teaching!
Getting Started with Moodle
In this hands-on workshop, you will learn the basics of building a course Web site using Moodle. Instructors will be introduced to basic navigation, learn how to configure course settings, and practice adding content and activities to a Moodle course. This workshop does not cover the Moodle gradebook but provides a good foundation for further exploration.
NOTE: In-depth discussions of grading and individual Moodle activities are outside the scope of this workshop.
Prerequisite: Must be a teacher or a TA with course-designer access in Moodle.
- Thursday, January 3, 2019 at 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Monday, January 7, 2019 at 1:00 AM – 3:00 PM
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Choosing and creating accessible documents and content for your class can be a challenge sometimes. However, this can directly impact student learning, particularly individuals with disabilities. Join us in learning about and discussing ways to create accessible documents and content to provide inclusion and increased access to a wide array of learners.
- Monday, January 7, 2019 at 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
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Assistive Technology provides access to digital and/or physical spaces for individuals with disabilities. Come learn about screen reader technology (which provides auditory access to a computer/mobile device for individuals who experience blindness or low vision), keyboard navigation, contrast and magnification settings, and more. Alongside a native screen reader user, attendees will experience hands-on demonstrations with the latest built-in and open source screen reader technology (Voiceover on Mac OS systems and NVDA on Windows machines). Join us in learning the basics of how to use this technology, which will aid in running tests during digital space development (think websites, documents, videos, and more). Periodically running these tests in various development stages aids in avoiding accessibility bumps and bruises. Attendees are encouraged to Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) to play along!
- Monday, January 7, 2019 at 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM
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Providing closed captions is a critical component to making videos accessible. Sending videos out to a third-party vendor for closed captioning can prove to be a pricey endeavor. It is best to think about the need to closed caption at all stages of the video production process. There are many tips, tricks, and tools for making closed captions easier to produce (i.e., YouTube, CADET, etc.). Join us to learn more about free and low-cost options for DIY closed captioning.
- Tuesday, January 8 2019 at 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
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Using social media in the classroom and on campus can be an important way to engage students and the campus community. Not all social media platforms are built alike, but enabling accessibility settings and uploading accessible content is critical. Don’t let 20% of your potential platform miss out! Join us to find out how to ensure individuals with disabilities have equal and equitable access to your tweets, Facebook content, and Instagram posts!
- Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
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A course syllabus provides students with pertinent information about the semester. Information listed can range from general course information, to grading, and weekly readings. It is critical to ensure your syllabus is designed in a way that allows individuals with disabilities who use assistive technology to access this information. Feel free to bring along your syllabus and join us in learning how to build your accessible syllabus in Word and Google Docs!
- Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM
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Learn how lecture capture with Echo360 can be used to deliver online lectures, reinforce classroom material, to “flip” the classroom, make the classroom a more accessible space for students, or for instructors to watch and improve their teaching styles.
The purpose of this workshop is to introduce the ways Echo360 can capture and share material through automatic Classroom Capture, Personal Capture (PCAP), and uploading existing material. We will also cover student engagement tools, creating mini lectures, and other ways you may enhance student learning.
- Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
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Learn and get hands on experience creating activities and exploring ways to engage students in Echo360 beyond just recording a classroom lecture. This workshop will cover how to make engaging supplemental videos using Personal Capture, how to create and use activity slides, manage discussions, and measure student engagement.
This workshop is designed for users who have experience with Echo360 in the classroom, or who have already taken a Getting Started in Echo360 workshop.
- Wednesday, January 16, 2019 at 12:30 PM – 2:30 PM
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Getting Started with WordPress
Create a public web presence for your teaching or research with WordPress, an easy-to-use platform for building websites and blogs. Common uses by faculty include scholarly portfolios, personal blogs, blogs authored by students as part of a course, public-facing course websites, and informational websites for labs, centers, or research groups. In this hands-on introductory workshop you’ll learn the basics of the Dashboard control panel on Blogs at UMass, the WordPress service provided by UMass Amherst Information Technology.
- Thursday, January 17, 2019 at 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM
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Closed Captioning/Transcriptions in Echo360
Providing accurate transcripts and closed captions is a critical component to making videos accessible to students and achieving Universal Design in the classroom. This workshop is intended for Echo360 users who want to create, edit, and upload transcripts for videos. We will cover ADA compliance for transcriptions and captions to ensure content is accessible, and meets federal and university standards.
This workshop will be offered synchronously online. Online attendees must still register to for the event. This workshop is synchronous and must be attended live. Echo360 ASR Pilot faculty must attend at least 1 Closed Captioning/Transcription Workshop.
- Monday, December 17, 2018 at 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (In-person only)
- Monday, December 17, 2018 at 1:30 PM – 3:30 OM (In-person and online)
- Tuesday, January 8, 2019 at 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM (In-person only)
- Wednesday, January 9, 2019 at 12:00 PM – 2:00 OM (In-person and online)
Register for events (If you are asked to create an account, remember to register for the workshop after that!)
For questions about workshops, registering, or to get support please contact the Instructional Media Lab at 413-545-2823 or instruct@umass.edu