Technology Mentoring & Training Opportunities
The Educational Technology and Distance Learning (ETDL) department arranges for relevant training for faculty and staff on new technologies. The goal of this training is to help faculty and staff determine the appropriateness of new technologies and to become competent in using them. In addition to formal training, ETDL also recognizes that learning about technology often occurs when individuals using new methods talk with each other and introduce them informally to others. ETDL also encourages mentoring activities between individuals who are interested in using technology in various ways. Training and mentoring activities are supported through a facility known as the Faculty/Staff Technology Sandbox, located in LRC B130.Index
- Mentoring Activities Use the Faculty/Staff Technology Sandbox
- One-On-One Consulting and Tutorial Help
- Small-Group Training
- Technology Training Workshops
- Instructional & Informational Technology Training
- Training Schedule at MCC
- Experiment on Your Own in the Sandbox
Mentoring Activities Use the Faculty/Staff Technology Sandbox
If you're an MCC faculty or staff member who already has a technology mentoring relationship (official or informal!) with someone else on campus, you should feel free to use the Faculty/Staff Technology Sandbox in LRC B130 as a 'base of operations' where you can have access to software and a place to go that's away from the bustle of your office.You can reserve a computer in advance so you can plan ahead (signup sheets are in the Sandbox) and you can request software we don't currently have if you're thinking about future learning needs.
Questions about the Sandbox may be sent to the ETDL Department at 860-512-2857 or sandbox@mcc.commnet.edu.
One-On-One Consulting and Tutorial Help
If you would like to set up an appointment to speak with someone, the ETDL staff - Bonnie Riedinger, Sarah Calvert, and Tim Boto are available to meet with you one-on-one. If you'd like to arrange a time to meet, feel free to contact us by emailing sandbox@mcc.commnet.edu or calling
860-512-2857.
top
Small-Group Training
Bring a colleague or two (or three!) to the Sandbox to get training as a group. We know many of you train each other informally anyway, so why not come to the Sandbox where each of you can have a computer rather than crowding around a single computer in someone's office? If you and your colleagues want to learn something (for example, how to put a syllabus in Blackboard Vista or use Outlook Web Access), but don't know who could help train you, contact Bonnie Riedinger. Perhaps training could be provided for your group by the staff of the Educational Technology and Distance Learning Department and we would be happy to respond to small-group and department requests. (If you have a larger group, we may use a classroom rather than the Sandbox.)
Technology Training Workshops
The Community College System's Instructional and Informational Technology Training Program (IITT) offers faculty and staff throughout the system numerous free training opportunities throughout the year on all twelve campuses, including MCC. Tobi Krutt, the system's Manager of Techological Tools, sends announcements via email about upcoming training, but you can check out what's being offered on the web at any time by going to the IITT Course Cart.
Faculty and staff are also eligible to take advantage of the technology training sessions offered through the DAS In-Service Training program. The catalog of DAS courses comes out once a semester and you must sign up in advance in order to take one of these fee-based classes. Contact your dean's office for additional information or visit http://www.commnet.edu/inservice.
At MCC each year, the Academic Technology Advisory Committee (ATAC) distributes a spring survey to gather data about faculty and staff technology use and training needs. The results of these surveys help the college determine training session priorities for the coming year. Cooperation between ATAC, the Educational Technology and Distance Learning Department, and Continuing Education has led to numerous successful training sessions on campus each year. The schedule is available at the IITT Course Cart.
