Friday, July 30, 2010
and the lightbulb moves on . . . . to Stacey!
This week Brenda passed the lightbulb on to Stacey for her leadership in completing the Badlands project. Way to go Stacey!
We'll be saying goodbye to Jason in August
If you haven't talked to him, Jason Arnold has some exciting news. He's going back to school full-time in September to take a Sustainable Engineering program in Ontario. So he'll be moving across the country as well. Wish him well when you get a minute. And congrats, Jason, on making this decision! We'll miss you!
Just so you know, Jason's position will be posted on the website, quite likely today.
Just so you know, Jason's position will be posted on the website, quite likely today.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
General EET Updates - July
I've been working on clearing my desk today as I get ready to go on holidays for a couple of weeks. FYI, I'll be checking email sporadically next week (from August 3 to 6), but will not be checking at all the following week (from August 9-13). I'll be out in the ocean on a kayak searching for whales!
July has been an interesting month. It feels like it's been very productive busy. I haven't had as many meetings, so I've been able to tackle some bigger projects and spend some time thinking through and acting on a variety of things, including processes, workload assignments, meetings, and staffing. We're working towards making sure that everything is working in the best ways possible. Equally as important, though, I've had some time to think about and plan for next year. Thanks to those of you who have joined the conversations about many of these processes and changes. Your input is critical to the right changes happening!
Meetings, meetings, and more meetings! What meetings are necessary? Who needs to be at the table? How often should we meet? What is the purpose of the meeting? Who chairs / facilitates the meeting? These are the questions I've been asking about all the meetings we have in EET. There is a fine balance between too many meetings (inefficient use of time, frustrations . . .) and not enough meetings (possible decrease in communication and engagement . . .). We're planning to try some new things as we move into the fall, so watch for info on this as it evolves.
Orientations for New Staff: We're working on documenting information that will be helpful when new staff join EET. Pam has been working on materials specific to the Instructional designer and writer positions. I'm working on more general information to be included. This information will likely evolve / change forever, but we have to start somewhere.
EET Report for 2009/2010: I've been compiling a report on EET activities for the 09/10 academic year. Several of you submitted portions of this report, and this information has been very helpful. You will alll have access to the report in the next couple of weeks when it is complete.
Fire Evacuation Plans: We'll talk about this at our next EET staff meeting, but in the meantime, please take a moment to read the evacuation plans have been posted around the EET work spaces. I've heard there will be a practice fire drill sometime this fall, so everyone needs to be familiar with the process. I know that I've become almost immune to the noise around here this summer - will probably have a tendency to ignore the alarm when it goes off. Not a good thing!
Completed Projects: A variety of projects have been completed over the summer. Badlands wrapped up last week (with some kudos from Tracy Edwards!), the CUPP courses with a June completion have almost been cleared off the whiteboard in TE3213, and a variety of individual courses are nearing completion.
Juggling Workloads: Try to visualize this! You need to know how much I appreciate your willingness to help each other when deadlines are looming and workloads are heavy. We tried a different method last week with allocating a specific week to Tyler and Rebecca to work on the Wind Turbine project. This may have potential for other projects in the future, but it also has implications for how we manage our individual workloads on a daily basis. Something to think about.
Strengths Workshop: I wish we would have been able to have the planned strengths workshop earlier this summer, but too many people were away. We'll revisit this in September.
Renovations to our Building: Thanks for your patience in working through the noise and mess this summer. I know we are lucky in comparison to the first and second floors, but it's still been somewhat of an inconvenience. It'll be nice to have hot water again (kinda feels like we've been camping!) as well as better air quality. It's work the temporary inconvenience!
Tubing was lots of fun on Wednesday! Watch for other activities in August (hiking day in Waterton, lunch days . . .). This is getting quite long, so I'll add more updates as I think of them.
July has been an interesting month. It feels like it's been very productive busy. I haven't had as many meetings, so I've been able to tackle some bigger projects and spend some time thinking through and acting on a variety of things, including processes, workload assignments, meetings, and staffing. We're working towards making sure that everything is working in the best ways possible. Equally as important, though, I've had some time to think about and plan for next year. Thanks to those of you who have joined the conversations about many of these processes and changes. Your input is critical to the right changes happening!
Meetings, meetings, and more meetings! What meetings are necessary? Who needs to be at the table? How often should we meet? What is the purpose of the meeting? Who chairs / facilitates the meeting? These are the questions I've been asking about all the meetings we have in EET. There is a fine balance between too many meetings (inefficient use of time, frustrations . . .) and not enough meetings (possible decrease in communication and engagement . . .). We're planning to try some new things as we move into the fall, so watch for info on this as it evolves.
Orientations for New Staff: We're working on documenting information that will be helpful when new staff join EET. Pam has been working on materials specific to the Instructional designer and writer positions. I'm working on more general information to be included. This information will likely evolve / change forever, but we have to start somewhere.
EET Report for 2009/2010: I've been compiling a report on EET activities for the 09/10 academic year. Several of you submitted portions of this report, and this information has been very helpful. You will alll have access to the report in the next couple of weeks when it is complete.
Fire Evacuation Plans: We'll talk about this at our next EET staff meeting, but in the meantime, please take a moment to read the evacuation plans have been posted around the EET work spaces. I've heard there will be a practice fire drill sometime this fall, so everyone needs to be familiar with the process. I know that I've become almost immune to the noise around here this summer - will probably have a tendency to ignore the alarm when it goes off. Not a good thing!
Completed Projects: A variety of projects have been completed over the summer. Badlands wrapped up last week (with some kudos from Tracy Edwards!), the CUPP courses with a June completion have almost been cleared off the whiteboard in TE3213, and a variety of individual courses are nearing completion.
Juggling Workloads: Try to visualize this! You need to know how much I appreciate your willingness to help each other when deadlines are looming and workloads are heavy. We tried a different method last week with allocating a specific week to Tyler and Rebecca to work on the Wind Turbine project. This may have potential for other projects in the future, but it also has implications for how we manage our individual workloads on a daily basis. Something to think about.
Strengths Workshop: I wish we would have been able to have the planned strengths workshop earlier this summer, but too many people were away. We'll revisit this in September.
Renovations to our Building: Thanks for your patience in working through the noise and mess this summer. I know we are lucky in comparison to the first and second floors, but it's still been somewhat of an inconvenience. It'll be nice to have hot water again (kinda feels like we've been camping!) as well as better air quality. It's work the temporary inconvenience!
Tubing was lots of fun on Wednesday! Watch for other activities in August (hiking day in Waterton, lunch days . . .). This is getting quite long, so I'll add more updates as I think of them.
Updates on Instructional Design positions
We have a new instructional designer starting in EET. Please welcome Chris Aitken when he starts on August 23. He will be working with the ID team on both course development projects and on PD initiatives related to the DL Strategy implementation. You'll learn more about Chris when he starts, but to give you a quick intro, he is an experienced teacher, has developed online courses, and is currently enrolled in the Masters in Ed Tech program at UBC.
Diana will be moving into the second position we had approved, again as part of the DL Strategy. Her workload will continue to focus mainly on the course development projects.
We have a very strong team of instructional designers!
Diana will be moving into the second position we had approved, again as part of the DL Strategy. Her workload will continue to focus mainly on the course development projects.
We have a very strong team of instructional designers!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Emerging Technologies in Distance Education
New resource related to DL published by Athabasca in July 2010: Emerging Technologies in Distance Education. It's a complete book and free download.
http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120177
http://www.aupress.ca/index.php/books/120177
Monday, July 19, 2010
Interns from U of L Masters in Ed Tech program
Heads-up - we are starting conversations with two students from the Masters in Ed Tech program at the U of L in the next week of so. Both students are teachers in the K-12 system and are looking for leadership opportunities related to educational technology.
We'll start by meeting with them to brainstorm possible projects. This is a wonderful opportunity for both the students and for EET. More details as they become available . . ..
We'll start by meeting with them to brainstorm possible projects. This is a wonderful opportunity for both the students and for EET. More details as they become available . . ..
Badlands Project - Completed!
Thanks to all of you who helped with the Badlands project: Stacey, Diana, Jamie, Lyle, Tyler, Brenda, and Shirley! And thanks Stacey, for distributing chocolate to the team! Amazing!!
This was another one of those projects that required everyone to pull together to ensure quality and to meet the deadline - and you did it! Your efforts are very much appreciated.
This was another one of those projects that required everyone to pull together to ensure quality and to meet the deadline - and you did it! Your efforts are very much appreciated.
EET Lunch Activities - Friday July 23 and Wednesday August 11
Heather is planning a pot luck lunch this Friday, July 23. If you'd like to join in, just talk to Heather. Another lunch activity is being planned for Wednesday, August 11. More details to follow . . . .!
EET Activities Update - Tubing on Wed, July 28
From Chris, Heather, and Adam: The tubing date of Wed. July 28 has been confirmed.
- Planned meeting time is 4:30pm.
- A BBQ will be provided at the end of the trip.
- Tubes and life jackets are available.
- Water shoes cost $2 for rental.
- Closed toed shoes are encouraged (and no thonged sandals are allowed)
- Meet at the Oldman River off the Highway 2 bridge.
- We have space booked for 14 people, and more can be added as needed.
- Trip length is a couple of hours. 4 hours total (including the BBQ) was mentioned as an average time.
Strengths Finder Session and Lunch Postponed
The Strengths Finder session and lunch we had scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed to sometime in late September. As it turns out, we have 9 people away tomorrow, which is about a third of our staff. We'll reschedule when everyone is here!
Karen
Karen
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Karen's holidays / summer work hours
Thought you might want to know my "here and away" days for July and August:
- July - I'm planning to be here all of July, except for Fridays. I've been working long days Monday to Thursday so I can take a flex day on Fridays.
- August - I've booked August 3 to 13 for annual leave - one week of hiking / biking followed by one week of kayaking in Nootka Sound off of Vancouver Island.
Staffing Updates - Congratulations to Tim and Brenda
Two staffing updates for you:
1. Tim Dawson is moving from a project position into a full-time continuing AV Technologist position, effective July 1, 2010. Congratulations Tim!
2. Brenda Quigley is moving into the one-year project Formatter position that was added as part of the DL Strategy implementation, also effective July 1, 2010. Congratulations Brenda! Brenda is also the newest recipient of the "Luminary" award because of her new position. She now has the lightbulb sitting proudly on her desk!
Both positions were an open (internal) competition, and it's a good feeling to have experienced and knowledgeable staff already working for EET who can transition very smoothly into these positions.
3. We have hired another formatter on a casual basis to help with the September rush. Sharon will be starting work on Monday and will be working in TE3213. Hopefully this will help the formatters catch up a bit!
We'll be interviewing for the instructional design positions in the next couple of weeks. The competition closes tomorrow (Friday).
1. Tim Dawson is moving from a project position into a full-time continuing AV Technologist position, effective July 1, 2010. Congratulations Tim!
2. Brenda Quigley is moving into the one-year project Formatter position that was added as part of the DL Strategy implementation, also effective July 1, 2010. Congratulations Brenda! Brenda is also the newest recipient of the "Luminary" award because of her new position. She now has the lightbulb sitting proudly on her desk!
Both positions were an open (internal) competition, and it's a good feeling to have experienced and knowledgeable staff already working for EET who can transition very smoothly into these positions.
3. We have hired another formatter on a casual basis to help with the September rush. Sharon will be starting work on Monday and will be working in TE3213. Hopefully this will help the formatters catch up a bit!
We'll be interviewing for the instructional design positions in the next couple of weeks. The competition closes tomorrow (Friday).
Monday, July 5, 2010
Few EET Updates for July
1. Performance Reviews (better word is Performance Conversations :): We are almost finished all the reviews for this year. Thanks to Chris, Elio, and Lorne for your help with these, and to everyone who took the time to complete their self-appraisals and PD plans. Reflecting on last year's goals and thinking through your goals for next year is time well spent as we move into a very busy year of implementing the DL Strategy.
2. DL Strategy: Last week Chris and I attended the Academic Leadership Team (ALT) meeting with Peter Leclaire and the Deans to present our recommendations for what we think we can support over the next three years. We are now waiting for feedback from ALT and will make revisions as necessary. As soon as we think we have a final (or close to final) version, we'll have another information session for all EET staff. For the time being, I have several copies of the recommendations in my office. Because they are in draft form and haven't been approved, I hesitate to send copies around, but you are welcome anytime to stop by and read through them.
3. New projects: We've had more requests for support in the last week or so. They just keep on coming!
4. New Positions
Several competitions have now closed, including the Formatter and AV Technologist position. We will be scheduling interviews within the next couple of weeks. The Instructional Designer positions close on Friday, July 9.
5. Director Position
I've accepted the Director of EET position effective July 1, 2010. This position is in most ways the same as the Chair position, except for a few things: I leave my faculty position and now have an "excluded" / admin position, and we have a change in some reporting responsibilities. All the curriculum consultants, including Sue, Debbie, Connie, and Julie will now report to me, whereas in the past they reported to Karen O'Dwyer.
6. Summer Plans
2. DL Strategy: Last week Chris and I attended the Academic Leadership Team (ALT) meeting with Peter Leclaire and the Deans to present our recommendations for what we think we can support over the next three years. We are now waiting for feedback from ALT and will make revisions as necessary. As soon as we think we have a final (or close to final) version, we'll have another information session for all EET staff. For the time being, I have several copies of the recommendations in my office. Because they are in draft form and haven't been approved, I hesitate to send copies around, but you are welcome anytime to stop by and read through them.
3. New projects: We've had more requests for support in the last week or so. They just keep on coming!
- The Youth in Transition program in the English Language Centre is submitting a proposal this week to develop learning objects that would be hosted on a website. Proposal is due this week.
- Today I received an email from the Centre for Advancement in Community Justice. They have received funding to develop a 40 hour training course in the security industry. I don't have much for details yet, but it sounds like mostly formatting and media support.
- Last week Ian received an email from an "official" from Correctional Services Canada who is interested in further discussion on virtual simulations. We are in the process of setting up a meeting in mid-July.
- The Welding apprenticeship program has received funding to develop a series of learning objects (digital learning activities, video clips, etc) to be made accessible to welding students. Again, I don't have a lot of information on this yet, but we're meeting next week.
- We've been meeting with the Practical Nursing program to plan delivery in a blended format (online and video conference) to the "Community Campuses" (Fort Macleod, Claresholm, Pincher Creek, and / or Crowsnest Pass) starting in fall 2011.
4. New Positions
Several competitions have now closed, including the Formatter and AV Technologist position. We will be scheduling interviews within the next couple of weeks. The Instructional Designer positions close on Friday, July 9.
5. Director Position
I've accepted the Director of EET position effective July 1, 2010. This position is in most ways the same as the Chair position, except for a few things: I leave my faculty position and now have an "excluded" / admin position, and we have a change in some reporting responsibilities. All the curriculum consultants, including Sue, Debbie, Connie, and Julie will now report to me, whereas in the past they reported to Karen O'Dwyer.
6. Summer Plans
- We're planning a Strengths session in July, followed by a BBQ and a Bocce Ball tournament. Watch for more information on this later this week!
- Hike in Waterton - date and hikes to be determined
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