Current News

Authors, CEOs, and Mobile Learning Pioneers to Speak at CFTTC

Whether faculty are interested in mobile learning or best practices for designing and delivering online instruction, this year's MSVCC conference has something for everyone.

Jon Baker, CEO of Desire2Learn, will be discussing his company's product roadmap.  Desire2Learn, a leading provider of learning management system software, has more than 450 clients worldwide.

Dr. Scott Perkins, Professor of Psychology and Director of Research at Abilene Christian University, is the pre-conference keynote speaker.  ACU is considered the national leader in mobile learning programs, and Perkins oversaw 10 research projects related to on-campus mobile learning initiatives in 2010. 

Dr. Robin Smith is the author of Conquering the Content: A Step-by-step Guide to Online Course Design, published by Wiley press.  Smith will be presenting twice.  "We expect her hands-on session to be quite popular, thus the repeat session," says Terry Pollard, Director of Professional Development at the SBCJC.  “Her sessions are practical and full of lightbulb moments for faculty."

The conference will also feature a mobile learning lounge on the main conference floor.  It will feature a collaborative workspace where participants can explore educational uses for the Apple iPad.

State Board and College Staff Selected to Present at Wimba 2010 Conference

SBCJC eLearning Director Christian Pruett, eLearning Specialist Terry Pollard, and NWCC Instructional Technology Specialist Rebecca Butler will co-present at the Wimba Connect 2010 Conference in Orlando, Florida.

The State Board-offered portion is entitled "Envelop, Develop: Building a Statewide Professional Development System with Wimba and your LMS."  The session description is as follows:

The best kind of training is circular: informed trainers, engaged faculty, and an administration that supports efforts to improve instruction. Come learn how the Mississippi community college system is building an ambitious Blackboard, Desire2Learn and Wimba course training program that delivers training anywhere, anytime. The presentation will be two-tiered discussion of the training offerings by Terry Pollard, SBCJC eLearning Specialist, and a statewide perspective offered by Dr. Christian Pruett, SBCJC eLearning Director. Pollard will speak to the Wimba training curriculum, enrollment growth, and facilitator selection. Pruett will speak about statewide efforts, including challenges and lessons learned.

Move It Online! Using Wimba to Create our Online Professional Development Program:

We all know that Wimba is a great tool for connecting teachers and students together, but what about for training and professional development? In this session, we will explore the online program Northwest Community College Instructional Trainer Rebecca Butler created to train faculty located at three different campuses, and adjunct faculty from around the state.

For the full conference agenda, visit the Wimba Connect 2010 site.

Need Blackboard, Wimba, or Turnitin Help? Click 411!

Wimba Pronto Owl Yarly

The State Board office will soon be offering ad-hoc training in the month of December and January for faculty preparing their Blackboard courses for the spring.

"Over 250 faculty--a quarter of those teaching in the MSVCC--have already downloaded and installed the Wimba Pronto program," says Terry Pollard, SBCJC eLearning Specialist, "so it seemed like an appropriate time to give this training method a shot.  It was designed for this."

The training will be delivered and administered through Wimba Pronto; Pronto delivers desktop sharing, two-way audio and video broadcasting, application sharing, a whiteboard, and chat communication.

The training will be offered by a ranging group of State Board staff and college trainers.  The goal is to assist faculty in answering questions related to these topics: 

• Blackboard content presentation,
• Blackboard course design,
• the Blackboard Grade Center,
• Wimba Podcasting
• Wimba Voice Tools
• Turnitin Grademark functionality

It should be noted that some questions cannot be addressed through the Help Desk, such as textbook store questions, course cartridges, and procedures specific to individual colleges.  "Given that all 1,000 faculty can view this Help Desk in Pronto once they install the program," says Pollard, "we need to scale back the level of service that we will offer.  Any kind of question might come at us, so we are focusing on the above list."

"This is intended as a help desk for ad-hoc requests from faculty who are preparing their spring courses.  We want to help faculty at the close of the fall semester, and if the program is successful, we'll deliver additional services throughout the spring.  Any faculty who tries to reach us through Pronto when the Help Desk is open will be prompted for their problem or issue before being helped.  If we cannot answer it, or if the answer is better suited to a particular college, we will refer that individual to the appropriate school and contact person."

Faculty should first install Wimba Pronto prior to attending any of the sessions.  Instructions for downloading Wimba Pronto and finding the help desk are located here.

Training Details:

1) Beginning Tuesday, December 8, 2009, faculty should login to Pronto during the day to see which topic will be covered in the Help Desk that day. Topics will vary depending on demand and level of interest and will be listed within Pronto by 10 a.m. each day; these will be listed in the Pronto schools tab.  We are hoping to assist each individual within a 5-7 minute timeframe. State Board offices are open throughout most of the Christmas break; Help Desk Hours, if closed for a day or series of days, will be published within the Pronto schools tab area each day.

2) The system will work best for faculty if they are not on a wireless network.

3) For general information on using Pronto, visit these tutorials here.

Beverlin Givens Earns MCCFP Certification

Mrs. Beverlin Givens, SBCJC Program Specialist, recently received a certificate of completion with the Mid-South Community College Fellowship Program (MCCFP).

MCCFP, established in 1994, is a year-long comprehensive professional development program aligned with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) leadership competencies.  The purpose of the MCCFP is to identify, develop, train, and nurture middle and lower level community college emerging leaders. The program encourages greater vitality across the entire community college system to renew communities and their economies.  It locally initiates educational improvement and economic development, while supporting action and leadership for policy development at the local and state levels.

Mrs. Givens received a Master of Arts Degree in Curriculum and Instruction for Adult Education from the University of Phoenix in July 2008.

Belinda Russell Named MSVCC Instructor of the Year

From L to R: Dr. Howell Garner, MS Community College Foundation Chair; Dr. Willis Lott, MGCCC President; Mrs. Belinda Russell, NECC; Dr. Johnny Allen, NECC; Dr. Phil Sutphin, MACJC Technology Chair; Dr. Christian Pruett, SBCJC eLearning Director

Belinda Russell, a Speech Communication Instructor at Northeast MS Community College, has been named MSVCC Instructor of the Year.

"She was selected from a highly qualified pool of online faculty from across the state," said Dr. Christian Pruett, SBCJC eLearning Director.  "Each college nominated up to two faculty, and the team of college evaluators were impressed with all nominations.  Mrs. Russell is a pioneer and constant innovator.  She achieved the highest overall rating from our panel, and we are thrilled that she is our first recipient.  She is truly setting the bar."

Russell earned a $1,000 stipend with the newly created honor.  The stipend is funded with a ten-year commitment from the Mississippi Community College Foundation.

Russell has been teaching for 31 years at New Albany High School and Northeast CC.  She earned her Bachelor of Science degree MUW in English and Speech, and earned her Masters from the University of Mississippi in Secondary Ed with an emphasis in Communications.  She has also completed graduate level work above her masters at UM.

"The challenge in teaching in my discipline," says Russell, "is that most of my students have never gotten up in front of students to conduct a speech.  When I began teaching online, even though students had discussion boards and links to great speeches out on the web, the human element was still missing."

"I learned about podcasting as a result of attending the Creating Futures Through Technology Conference a few years ago.  I had heard of podcasting, but I had never been exposed to it in that way."

"Now, with the help of my college DLC Holly Melvin, among many others, they helped me get the equipment to make the podcast and to make the podcast come to life.  I put it together using Apple's Garageband program.  Part of my podcasts include instructions through video and audio, while other parts of them include what my students create.  I link to free instructional podcasts that students can use, and now, I have students write me, personally tell me, and email me saying that they never could have successfully completed this class without this podcast.  

"I can see and hear you," they say.  "You are real to me.  I know who you are."