2016 – techKNOWtools

My Lessons Learned from #AcWriSummer 2016

July 29, 2016 Laura Pasquini

Earlier this summer, I proposed to form a “writing posse” that would encourage support and accountability…and keep my own writing progress in check. Little did I know how important this would be! I am SO very grateful for my scholarly peers who accepted this team challenge, lCatherine, Caroline & Patrice. These colleagues were also invested in working on a specific writing project, and they were all willing to join me on this 8-week experiment we’ve called #AcWriSummer 2016.

We started using chapters of the book, Writing Your Journal Article in 12 Weeks, to guide our writing process; however, we ended up branching out to figure out what we could accomplish or support over the summer. I sincerely thank these ladies for their willingness to contribute in our online weekly meetings, tweets for motivation/support, and general advice for editing of manuscripts and resources to develop our academic writing practice.

Here’s what I have learned from #AcWriSummer 2016:

Accountability for academic writing is good thing – regular, structured check-ins or checkpoints for the writing process as you draft a manuscript
Apparently, holidays take away from my writing habit (I stopped tracking my writing time/progress after Canada Day)
Creating a habit of writing is key – always schedule writing chunks early & often on your calendar (block out time)!
Laying the foundation of a manuscript helps your writing — outline your paper structure
Focusing and targeting your manuscript for the publication outlet you want is critical! Wr
Drafting a solid abstract that will get read and cited — keep in mind this might be all other scholars read and use, so be explicit about your study & findings here
Research the empirical literature WELL! (see resources below or read my #AcWriSummer Week 3 post)
What I write is not always what others read — be clear in your arguments and findings
Attack & conquer editing with peers to tighten drafts – Google docs are great for a 1st review of a draft
Consider what your writing process is and if it needs to be changed (or is it working)
Ask a colleague/peer for help if and when you get stuck on something in your writing
Solicit for ideas for elements of how to improve and enhance your manuscript from an outside perspective
Helpful reads and tips for writing
Collaborative team attacks for editing sections of a manuscript
Reminders incremental academic writing is still progress
Social experience with both peer learning and care – academic writing does not have to be a solo endeavor
Sharing of resources, reads, and tips to support writing (see below); however, you really need to figure out what will work best for YOU in your academic writing practice.

Interested in supporting your own #acwri practice? Here are a few great resources our #AcWriSummer group curated during the last couple of months:

Wendy Belcher’s writing advice & podcast on writing productivity
Research in Action podcasts with Dr. Katie Linder
My Fall 2016 schedule: building flexibility into my calendar – Raul Pacheco-Vega, PhD
How to write a blogpost from your article
How to write an article from your methodology
31 things to consider when selecting a journal
H-index resources from Univ. of Michigan Library
Excellent curation of Pat Thomson’s #acwri tips and suggestions
Write that Journal Article in 7 days! By Inger (@ThesisWhisperer)
The 4 moves from Pat Thomson for color coding your abstract from:
- Thomson, P., & Kamler, B. (2012). Writing for peer reviewed journals: Strategies for getting published. Routledge.
- Pat Thomson – Academic writing, understandings and strategies http://www.slideshare.net/socedu28/pat-thomson-academic-writing-understandings-and-strategies via @SlideShare

Now that our “formal” #AcWriSummer 2016 curriculum is over, it is time to get these drafts finished. I will need some #ShutUpAndWrite time before I can properly enjoy any holiday time that remains in August. At least I have my motivation for getting my #acrwisummer projects done. Happy writing, y’all!

Image c/o PhD Comics

#OLCInnovate, Learning Technologies, Reflections

The #OLCinnovateSDS: Our Re-Cap of the Plan, Design, & Pitch at OLC Innovate 2016

May 5, 2016August 12, 2019 Laura Pasquini

The inaugural OLC Innovate (#OLCInnovate) conference brought over a thousand educators, EdTech-innovators, and learning designers to New Orleans. This year was the inaugural Solution Design Summit (SDS) in which diverse teams of institutional stakeholders, campus partners, and EdTech innovators came together to solve learning challenges. Nine teams were selected to participate in the summit and pitch their learning solutions.

About the Solution Design Summit

Following OLC Emerging Technologies conference (2015) ideas from the “Teacher Tank,” we wanted to know, “How can we use the pitch format to design a solutions-based space for teams to work on solving a learning problem?” What resulted was the 2016 Solution Design Summit.

The SDS call for team proposals required participants to submit a learning challenge and a proposed solution to be worked on by an interdisciplinary team. The nine selected SDS teams then produced a 2-minute video trailer to describe their project. You can watch the 2016 SDS Video Trailers on YouTube or review the full SDS program here: http://bit.ly/olcinnovatesds16

Design Thinking Is A Process

During the Summit, a 3-hour pre-conference working session, the teams identified critical success factors for their learning solutions, gathered feedback from external stakeholders, and used design thinking to refine their “pitch” presentations. During the #OLCInnovate conference, teams delivered their 10-minute pitches in one of three concurrent sessions. The SDS pitches were evaluated by a panel of invited judges and audience participants.

The SDS challenges

The Solution Design Summit asked teams to work on increasing learner success in one of the following four areas: personal and adaptive learning; professional learning and development; the impact of open learning; or choose your own learning challenge.

Listed below are the nine SDS teams. Click on any of the titles to find out about each SDS team’s challenge and solution:

And the Winners are…

The 2016 SOLUTION DESIGN SUMMIT WINNING TEAM is . . .

Image mashup c/o Tony Dalton from the SDS Muhlenberg College Team

Creating Pathways to Digital Peer Leadership in the Liberal Arts

Team members:

Lora Taub-Pervizpour, Associate Dean for Digital Learning, Professor of Media & Communication at Muhlenberg College
Kathy Harring, Dean of Institutional Assessment & Academic Planning, Professor of Psychology at Muhlenberg College
Sean Miller, Manager of Media Services at Muhlenberg College
Thomas Sciarrino, Manager of Instructional Technology and Digital Learning at Muhlenberg College
Anthony Dalton, Digital Cultures Media Technician, Digital Media Design Lab Instructor at Muhlenberg College

Summary: Like many liberal arts institutions, Muhlenberg College is exploring the role of the digital in our mission, goals, and practices. We believe that digital spaces, pedagogical practices, and tools can amplify our liberal arts mission and values, and support deep relationships between teaching and learning, appreciation for diverse ways of knowing, and an education that prepares students for citizenship and lifelong learning. At the heart of our student-centered environment is a nationally recognized peer-mentor model. Our goal is to create an innovative peer education model that empowers students to develop the relationships, skills, and competencies the need to excel as leaders in digital learning contexts.

Kudos to the COMMUNITY CHOICE award for….

If You Build It, Will They Come?

Team members:

Tracy Stuntz, Instructional designer, lead LMS trainer at California State University, Fresno
Jean-Marie Venturini, Instructional designer, lead LMS trainer at Otis School of Art and Design
Rex Bartholomew, New Model Development Administrator at Toyota

Summary: The challenge we’re facing is faculty/client attendance at non-mandatory (but needed) training events is low. The focus is on reasons for faculty/client lack of attendance, and how to reach and motivate participants.

Thank You To All Who Played In the Solution Design Sandbox!

A big thank you to the invited stakeholders, judges, audience members, and the SDS planning team who supported this program. Kudos to ALL the SDS teams for your amazing pitch presentations! By asking teams to work on a solution before meeting together and then creating iterations of their work, we know that this type of conference project proposal was not simple. We hope each team received valuable input, feedback, and considerations to bring to their institutions and companies. This was the first year of the Solution Design Summit, and we hope to see a similar track at OLC Innovate 2017 and anywhere educators, designers, and ed tech innovators gather at a conference.

Thanks and much love from the #OLCInnovateSDS: 2016 SDS Planning Team,

Mike Goudzwaard, Dartmouth College, @mgoudz (Co-Chair)
Laura Pasquini, University of North Texas, @laurapasquini (Co-Chair)
Michael Atkisson, Brigham Young University, @mikeatkisson
Adam Croom, University of Oklahoma @acroom
Kyle Johnson, Chaminade University, @kyleejohnson
Patrice Torcivia, Cornell University, @profpatrice

#OLCInnovate, Conference, Higher Education, K-12, Learning, Learning Technologies, OLC, Online Learning

Feedback Wanted: #OLCInnovate Solution Design Summit Video Trailers

March 25, 2016April 11, 2016 Laura Pasquini

You may have read my previous CFP post looking for learning challenges & solutions – that was for the NEW program feature of #OLCInnovate, The Solution Design Summit (SDS). Nine SDS teams, who proposed a learning issue with a potential solution, have been selected by a blind, peer-review panel to be our finalists who will participate in our 1st Summit at the 2016 OLC Innovate conference in NOLA. This pre-conference event will be an opportunity to network with peers from other SDS Teams, specifically to solicit feedback from potential learning stakeholders.

VIEW THE SDS TEAM VIDEO TRAILERS

Learn More About the Solution Design Summit

Now the SDS Teams need YOUR feedback!

Please WATCH the Solution Design Summit trailers on the #OLCInnovate Sandbox (a Canvas LMS site) for the conference. To join this Canvas site, click the “Enroll” button at the top of the page or enroll HERE https://canvas.instructure.com/enroll/MGEHMW

To effectively COMMENT and provide FEEDBACK, our SDS Planning Team has developed Guidelines for Solution Design Summit: Giving Feedback to Teams Please find all 9 videos and SDS Team pages HERE to do such things. You can READ the full proposal and learn more about these learning solutions by clicking on the “Read more at the Team page” links below.

If You Build It, Will They Come?

Read more at the Team page

Preserving Core Experiences in the Online Learning Environment

Read more at the Team page

Bridging the Engagement Gap for Distance Students Through Telerobotics

Read more at the Team page

Supporting Adjunct Faculty to Maximize Student Learning in the Online Classroom

Read more at the Team page

Expanding college classrooms into high schools via distance learning network

Read more at the Team page

Using Student Data as a Map, Not a Target

Read more at the Team page

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Cultural Relevance in the Curriculum

Read more at the Team page

Creating Pathways to Digital Peer Leadership in the Liberal Arts

Read more at the Team page

Cohort-specific Online Discussion Experiences

Read more at the Team page

Are you coming to #OLCInnovate? You should also plan to come to SDS Pitch Sessions during the Conference all hosted in Rhythms II Room of the New Orleans Sheraton Hotel. Three SDS Teams will pitch their learning challenge and solution during ONE (1) concurrent session in just 10-minutes. Audience members will be given 5 minutes for Q & A and then encouraged to cast their vote for the best solution design.

Thursday,

April 21, 2016

11:15 am-12:00 pm

1. Cohort-specific Online Discussion Experiences

2. Expanding College Classrooms into High Schools via Distance Learning Networks

3. Bridging the Engagement Gap for Distance Students Through Telerobotics

Friday,

April 22, 2016

9:45 am -10:30 am

1. If You Build It, Will They Come?

2. Supporting Adjunct Faculty to Maximize Student Learning in the Online Classroom

3. An Interdisciplinary Approach to Cultural Relevance in the Curriculum

Friday,

April 22, 2016

11:15 am -12:00 pm

1. Preserving Core Experiences in the Online Learning Environment

2. Using Student Data as a Map, Not a Target

3. Creating Pathways to Digital Peer Leadership in the Liberal Arts

Thanks for your support! Much love from the #OLCInnovate 2016 SDS Planning Team:

Mike Goudzwaard, Dartmouth College, @mgoudz (Co-Chair)
Laura Pasquini, University of North Texas, @laurapassquini (Co-Chair)
Patrice Torcivia, Cornell University, @profpatrice
Kyle Johnson, Chaminade University, @kyleejohnson
Michael Atkisson, Brigham Young University, @mikeatkisson
Adam Croom, University of Oklahoma @acroom
Allison Dulin Salisbury – EdSurge @amdulin (Reviewer)
Sean Michael Morris – Hybrid Pedagogy, @slamteacher (Advisor)

#3Wedu, Blended Learning, Learning, Learning Technologies, OLC, Online Learning

Sparking a Few Ideas for #OLCInnovate in NOLA!

March 20, 2016August 12, 2019 Laura Pasquini

April is just around the corner. Some say it brings Spring showers, but I know it brings jazz and learning in New Orleans. I am looking forward to the NOLA Jazz & Heritage Festival (1st time for me!) and welcoming the many conference participants to the NEW 2016 OLC Innovate (#OLCInnovate). Less than one month from now, we are excited to kick off the new conference with the opening session with the #OLCInnovate Lightning Talks!

This opening session, on Wednesday, April 20^th from 5-6:30 pm, will host a series of rapid-fire talks to introduce a variety of themes around the topic of innovation, including pedagogy, structure, workforce, and the challenges we face in learning. The format for the #OLCInnovate Lightning Talks are as follows – each presenter is given 6 minutes to talk while their 20 slides automatically advance every 18 seconds. We hope the quick-pace of these mini-keynotes introduce you to the concepts of innovation inspire you to think further about the conference experience ahead. Here’s the speaker line-up for the evening:

Title of Talk: Reachin’ Out to Meet the Changes

Rolin Moe (a.k.a. @RMoeJo), Seattle Pacific University

About Rolin’s Lightning Talk: Embracing the structures of education means understanding the complexities of all members of the community. There are no shortcuts. 20^th Century poet Laura Riding made it her life’s mission to create a universal dictionary where every word would only have one meaning. This would clear up ambiguity and allow people to communicate more effectively. Since this is probably the first you have heard of Laura Riding, you can imagine the fate of her dictionary. This is a victory for language; it is the imperfection of the human state that creates the most meaning.

Using Core Values to Collaborate, Innovate, and Educate

Julie Larsen ( a.k.a. @julieclarsen), University of Washington

About Julie’s Lightning Talk: Starting with values identification allows peer educators to name their own “why” and develop better mentoring relationships. Give your learners the toolbox, and let them build their own course.Training and development is most often focused on policies and procedures. Innovation lies in creating a mentoring and peer education program founded in values-based education that focuses on the “why” more than the “how.” By encouraging students to use discernment and judgment, retention and satisfaction with experience will follow.

From Redlining to Digital Redlining

Chris Gilliard, Ph.D. (@hypervisible), Macomb Community College

About Chris’ Lightning Talk: Digital footprints serve discriminatory purposes similar to traditional forms of redlining that are now outlawed. Academic IT policies risk complicity with such discrimination. Where redlining was once a geographic classification for channeling financial advantage to the white, middle-class, it has been reinvented in digital practices that affect finance, employment policing, and education. In education, digital redlining arises out of uncritical policies that regulate the engagement of community college’s working class students with technology.

Today’s the Day: Balancing The Reality of Faculty Scholarship with Innovations in Digital Authorship

Nori Barajas-Murphy (a.k.a. @nononi28), University of La Verne

About Nori’s Lightning Talk: It’s time to rethink the definition of faculty publications. Authoring course texts and designing curriculum are the products of innovative faculty and should be considered scholarship. Developing cultures of innovation for faculty across institution types requires restructuring traditional emphasis on scholarship and publication. Institutions that honor the time needed to develop digital content with course releases and course development sabbaticals will fuel innovation and offer students course materials beyond a textbook cartridge.

There’s A Lot More Going On Behind That Screen

Paul Gordon Brown (a.k.a. @paulgordonbrown), Boston College

About Paul’s Lightning Talk: Moving learners from external to internal motivation and how the developmental process plays out online. Research into the impact of digital and social technology on student development remains relatively new, therefore, consider how we reflect on some of the same questions asked of our learners. To trigger discussion and share strategies, this talk will instigate how practitioners can be more when engaging their learners about digital identity development.

That being said, we hope you are actively contributing to the opening program as well. These fantastic speakers plan to INVOLVE YOU by presenting a question, introducing a challenge, or prompting participants to chat with one another about the central message from their talk. We encourage ALL OF YOU to create a “digital make” using the conference hashtag, #OLCInnovate, to share your thoughts and reflections. And since we are in New Orleans, we will, of course, have drinks and snacks to enjoy. We hope this dynamic welcome allows you to ponder a few innovation ideas and allows you to connect to the OLC and MERLOT community.

OLC Innovate: Women in Ed Tech Scholarship Award

Applications for the women in the field of #EdTech who exemplify leadership qualities in the field of online learning are OPEN! In 2015, the Women in EdTech Scholarship was established by the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) in conjunction with the Women in EdTech dinner, an event sponsored by Loud Cloud at OLC’s 2015 #ET4Online Conference. The scholarship honors women in the field of EdTech who exemplify leadership qualities in the field of online learning and who contribute to the field through the adoption of innovative practices or new research in the field. This scholarship will be presented at the 2016 OLC Innovate conference in New Orleans April 20-22, 2016. This scholarship includes an OLC Innovate conference registration, 2 nights at the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel to use during the conference, attendance at the 2016 Women in Online Leadership Dinner and a commemorative plaque.

This blog post has been cross-posted on the Online Learning Consortium blog.

ACPA, ACPAdigital, Professional Development, Reflections

Introducing the 2016 @ACPA Powered By PechaKucha Night at #ACPA16

March 1, 2016August 12, 2019 Laura Pasquini

With the 2016 ACPA Convention just around the corner, I am so excited about the upcoming events and happenings in Montreal. As a member of the #ACPA16 Technology Programming Team (Shout out to our awesome chair Brian and fantastic planning posse: Erica, Jason, Kristen, Amanda, and Idriss), we have been busy organizing a number of program events like the Genius Labs, High Tech Room, and the “PK Talks.” I am really looking forward to the stellar ACPA Powered By PechaKucha night happening on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 from 7-10 pm in Palais des Congrès de Montréal, 517 C & D and on the backchannel with our event hashtag: #ACPA16PK.

Join ACPA’s innovation movement and attend ACPA Powered by PechaKucha during the convention! PechaKucha is a simple, but innovative and challenging presentation format where presenters show 20 images, each for 20 seconds that cover a wide range of topics, ideas, perspectives and thoughts. Our goal is to create an exciting and uplifting atmosphere that is full of good thought and new ideas that will help advance the field of higher education. The event will include comfortable seating, coffeehouse lighting, a cash bar, and phenomenal presentations. A number of outstanding presenters who have had an impact on the association and higher education have been selected for this inspiring event will be welcomed by the co-hosts, Idriss Njike and moi! Here is the schedule line-up and a little bit “about the PechaKucha talk” for this year’s event ACPA Powered by PechaKucha™ event:

UPDATE 3/9/16 – All the TWEETS shared on the #ACPA16PK Hashtag

UPDATE 3/25/16 – Videos from the #ACPA16PK are embedded below… enjoy!

PechaKuka Speakers	ACPA Powered by PechaKucha™ Talks
Paul Brown	Your Professional Network is Powered by Bacon Many people have said that student affairs is a small profession. In this PechaKucha, the concept of “six degrees of separation” will be explored as it relates to professionals’ historical lineage and connection back to some of the founding members of the field.
Jacqueline Mac	“Where Are You From?”: A Complicated Question Through exploring the concept of “home” and where “home” is for a group of displaced people for generations, this PechaKucha will attempt to answer the question, “where are you from?” This talk highlights storytelling as a tool for liberation, where voice and perspective is at the center.
Michael Goodman	Honoring Parentless Students The landscape of families is changing, and “Mom’s Weekend,” “Dad’s Day,” and, “The Office of Parent Programs,” are no longer relevant to all students. Let this PechaKucha serve as a charge to you and your campus, with hope that we’ll adjust our practice to truly support all students.
Sarah Molitoris	Making the Impossible Possible: Lessons from Cirque du Soleil Explore lessons from the whimsical world of Cirque du Soleil as they connect to student affairs work. Applying creativity to our work allows us to seek new ways to connect, create innovative environments and inspire ourselves, and those around us, to reach for the possibilities.
Hamza Khan	The Stress Paradox Student affairs professionals are working longer and harder than ever before, and are at the risk of burning out (if we haven’t already burned out). It’s time to re-think stress, develop resilience, and make the transition from overachiever to high performer.
David Ip Yam	Supporting Francophone Students beyond the Classroom The government of Ontario has made significant investments to increase access to French-language postsecondary programs. Learn about the imperatives and challenges of supporting Franco-Ontarian student life and success in minority settings.
Stacey Pearson-Wharton	Failing to Succeed: A Guide for Falling and Getting Back Up Everyone has slipped fell down, failed, made a mistake..this is your chance to get back up again and thrive!
Kristen Perry	The Little Red Bird Sexual assault is a scary and uncomfortable subject. This talk will walk you down a path of recovery, highlighting how a little red bird made a difference. This talk will give a voice to the stories that need to be told, and focus on the importance of empowering and supporting survivors.
	PECHAKUCHA INTERMISSION BREAK
Bailey Parnell	“Dark Side of Social Media”: Social Media’s Impact on Mental Health Yes it can be fun, but what else is happening out in the world of social media? How is it affecting our mental health and the mental health of our students? “The Dark Side of Social Media” will examine the current social media landscape, highlight the undesired effects it has on us every day and provide next steps for how to improve this situation.
Josué “JQ” Quiñones	Touch For Success The sense of touch is a simple, yet powerful form of communication that can transform campus cultures and lead to more success.
Josie Ahlquist	What the Class of 2020 Doesn’t Know about Social Media There is a difference between use of social media and leadership on social media, both for the incoming class of 2020 and student affairs professionals.
Tricia Seifert	Success isn’t Linear: It’s Geometric Popular media cheats students out of the richness of college in its obsessive focus on defining success as a degree that leads to a high-paying career. “Success isn’t Linear, It’s Geometric” will introduce a success in all of its wonderful complexity.
Brittany Williams	Moving Beyond Identity Development: Why #DigitalActivismMatters Digital activism empowers students and practitioners alike to address issues of social injustice and create multi-media platforms to acknowledge and celebrate their individual, cultural, and political identities. Session attendees will gain contextual understanding of the historical and social environments that inform digital activism, and its implications for campus and popular culture.
Keith Edwards	“Putting My Man Face On” How do college men understand what it means to be a man? How do they construct their gender identity and manage their gender performance? What consequences does the performance have for others and themselves? What can we learn from their voices?
Stephanie Muehlethaler	Home and Abroad: Global Citizenship Identity Development Through Service Learning Global Citizen. The term is everywhere in higher education. What does it even mean? Can any student develop and identify as a global citizen? This talk will explore one researcher’s questions around what constitutes a global citizen and whether or not all students have access to this identity.
Craig Bidiman	Revolution on Canvas: Art Therapy, Mental Health & the Job Search This talk focuses on the often unspoken mental health aspects of the initial post-grad job searching in higher education. I will bring in my experiences with depression and anxiety and how I used art to not only cope with those issues, but also create a powerful networking tool!