February at the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology starts with a focus on communication for both faculty and staff. Instructors can learn how to use ReggieNet’s Forums tool to facilitate online discussions. Need to update your unit’s website with news and events? Check out Creating Articles for News.IllinoisState.edu! Plus, discover the basics of photo manipulation with PhotoShop: 3 Ways to Change a Photo.
Many workshops at CTLT require registration. Simply select the link in the workshop title and you’ll be taken directly to the appropriate registration page. Workshops are held at our facility at 301 South Main Street unless otherwise noted. If you have questions or need help, you can always email us at CTLT@ilstu.edu.
Introduction to ReggieNet Part 2
Monday, February 1 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Learn to create a variety of learning activities using built-in tools such as Forums, Tests & Quizzes, and Assignments. Forums can promote student interaction with each other and the course material. The Assignment tool permits online submission and grading of student work. Finally, you will learn to use Tests & Quizzes for various types of assessments. Prerequisite: Introduction to ReggieNet Part 1.
Creating Articles for News.IllinoisState.edu
Monday, February 1 • 2–3 p.m.
Alumni Center 118
Learn how to use the News.IllinoisState.edu content management system, powered by WordPress, to add news articles, tag them to feed to multiple locations (including your website), insert images, photo galleries, and more. This workshop is open to faculty and staff only.
ReggieNet: Forums
Tuesday, February 2 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Maximize your ability to communicate with students through the Forums tool (formerly the Discussions tool). Learn how to have ReggieNet automatically create discussion groups. You’ll also see the different ways to grade discussions, including by topic or message. Prerequisite: Introduction to ReggieNet.
Future Professors Development Circle
Tuesday, February 2 • 12–1 p.m.
This professional development circle helps graduate students prepare for a career teaching in the academy. Explore pedagogical issues, effective and disruptive teaching strategies, and gain confidence in your ability to teach at the college level. Share teaching tips, tricks, and get support from other future professors.
All participants will receive a copy of Teaching What You Don’t Know by Therese Huston. This group is open to all graduate students currently teaching or planning to teach in the future. This session addresses tactics for reaching unresponsive students, maintaining discussion, and offers tips for introducing new topics in a lively style.
Camtasia: Level 2
Tuesday, February 2 • 1–4 p.m.
Learn about advanced features in Camtasia, including cursor effects and testing. Also learn to save with SCORM, which makes compatibility with other e-learning software easy! We strongly recommend that you complete Camtasia: Level 1 before taking this course.
Photoshop: 3 Ways to Change a Photo
Wednesday, February 3 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
When it comes down to it, there are only three ways to change a photo in Photoshop: general changes that affect the whole photo, changes via selection, and changes made using a brush-metaphor tool. We’ll be exploring all three. As far as brushes go, we’ll be spending a good amount of time learning how to use the Clone Stamp and Healing Brush tools. Warning: We will be de-aging a human being. Well, a photo of a human being, anyway.
Early-Career Faculty Development Circle
Wednesday, February 3 • 12–1 p.m.
Thursday, February 4 • 12–1 p.m.
CTLT’s Early-Career Faculty Circles offer faculty in their first, second, or third year of service at Illinois State a combination of professional development and peer support. Join us for a series of lively conversations about surviving and thriving in the academy. Topics are based on chapters from Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning by Peter Brown, Henry Roediger, and Mark McDaniel. Participants will receive a copy of the book and an executive summary of each chapter. Come to either the Wednesday or Thursday session.
Learning occurs when we reflect on past personal experiences and when we actively and repetitively retrieve information we have already learned. In this session, we will talk about how to teach to encourage more effective reflection and retrieval practices.
SoftChalk Create
Thursday, February 4 • 1–4 p.m.
Looking for a creative, new way to engage students? SoftChalk can help! This program lets you easily create engaging, interactive web lessons. You will learn to create interactive learning games such as customizable flashcards, image labeling, matching games, crosswords and more. SoftChalk lessons are easily imported into ReggieNet.
Excel: Level 1
Friday, February 5 • 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
An introduction to Microsoft Excel: Topics include basic features such as spreadsheet arrangement (rows, columns, and cells), entering, editing, and formatting data. Also learn about formulas and graph creation.
If you need a special accommodation to fully participate in an event, please contact the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology’s main desk at (309) 438-2542.
