2nd Letter from the Chair: April Robbs
C2C Colleagues,
I hope we can connect virtually at the 22nd annual SIDLIT Conference on July 28-30! Be sure to register for SIDLIT to reserve your spot!
April Robbs is an Instructional Designer and online adjunct at the Ottawa University, Overland Park Campus. She holds a BS in elementary education and a MS in instructional design and technology from Emporia State University. She discovered her passion for quality curriculum design and implementing technology effectively for learning as a middle school science teacher. Her major contributions at Ottawa University include developing a resource library for subject matter experts and online instructors, conducting faculty training, and implementing simulations in business and nursing courses. She strives to promote professional collaboration with subject matter experts in course design in order to produce effective, well-designed courses. April serves as C2C’s Chair and the Kansas Blackboard Users Group Communications Coordinator.
Her email is april.robbs@ottawa.edu.
We have finally made it to the end of the 2020-2021 academic year! It has been a year of overcoming challenges, exercising flexibility, and practicing adaptability. I hope you will come celebrate with us at the 2021 virtual SIDLIT Conference. We look forward to the day when SIDLIT is in-person again, but the Steering Committee has been working hard to make sure the virtual conference is relevant and engaging!
Humanizing Learning at a Distance
In the year of quarantine, video conferencing, and social distancing, we felt it very applicable to focus on making distance learning more ‘human’. This year’s keynote speakers are dynamic experts in the art of connecting with students at a distance. Be sure to check out the articles by Josh Stock and Dr. Rick Bartlett featured in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of the C2C Digital Magazine. These interviews provide a preview of their passion for making a difference in the lives of their students and how they leverage technology to connect with students. Topics range from career background, thoughts on 2020, predictions of the future of education, and more!
Dr. Michelle Pacansky-Brock shares how a liquid syllabus, one developed with a website tool and multimedia, can be adapted to fit the needs of your students and circumstances. It also helps foster connections with distance students. Be sure to check out the interview articles by Josh Stock and Dr. Rick Bartlett featured in the Spring/Summer 2021 issue of the C2C Digital Magazine. These interviews provide a preview of their passion for making a difference in the lives of their students and how they leverage technology to connect with students. Topics range from career background, thoughts on 2020, predictions of the future of education, and more!
Josh Stock and Dr. Rick Bartlett have provided the following welcome videos for the conference.
Welcome from Josh Stock
Welcome from Rick Bartlett
Josh Stock and Dr. Rick Bartlett have provided the following welcome videos for the conference.
Welcome from Josh Stock
Welcome from Rick Bartlett
This year’s conference features 54 sessions including traditional sessions, roundtables, and Special Interest Groups (SIGs). We will be using the Sched conference platform again this year to facilitate the virtual conference. Sessions will be hosted in Zoom meetings. We are also offering a Networking Lounge & Exhibit Hall hosted in Zoom, where you can network with other C2Cers, meet with sponsors, and / or get technical support. We are planning some fun games and activities where you can win prizes.
New! Digital Badges
This year, C2C is offering digital badges for SIDLIT 2021 attendees and the 2021 SIDLIT Award winners. The badges are hosted on Badger using Open Badges. To earn the attendee badge, you must 1) attend five or more sessions in the 2021 SIDLIT Conference, 2) provide feedback to these presenters in Sched, 3) complete the SIDLIT Event Feedback Survey.
A Year as your Chair
It has been a humbling experience as your 2020-2021 C2C Chairperson. This year has been a year of building stability during an uncertain time and exploring new ways to engage with the C2C Community. Here is a summary of the accomplishments of this year’s Steering Committee:
- Hosted and promoted monthly professional development events on topics including creating instructional videos with limited resources, Google vs. Microsoft tools, Zotero for citation management, and more!
- Gained insight from our members’ survey of last year's virtual conference and are implementing some of your suggestions to improve the virtual conference experience.
- Included a new C2C SIDLIT Awards category – Outstanding Instructional Designer.
- Created digital badges to award for SIDLIT 2021 attendees and award recipients who meet the criteria.
- Refreshed our social media presence on LinkedIn and Facebook. (These are great places to network and collaborate with other C2Cers.)
- Implemented Slack as a communication tool for conference planning, and
- Gained sponsorships amidst the difficulties of the pandemic.
I hope we can connect virtually at the 22nd annual SIDLIT Conference on July 28-30! Be sure to register for SIDLIT to reserve your spot!
Warm regards,
April Robbs
Ottawa University
april.robbs@ottawa.edu
About the Chair
Her email is april.robbs@ottawa.edu.
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