Community&Collaboration – Page 9

In the Spotlight: SADHA

OpenLab affords many opportunities for student-faculty collaboration and professional development for students. For a great example of this, look no further than SADHA. SADHA, short for Student American Dental Hygiene Association, is a site that facilitates the membership of first and second year Dental Hygiene students in an important professional organization – the American Dental Hygiene Association. In addition to coordinating the submission of dues and alerting students to related events, the club cultivates a sense of community and shared identity among those in the Dental Hygiene (DH) field at City Tech. This is accomplished by posting information regarding social and professional-development events, money-making opportunities, articles and videos of interest to those in the DH field, and connecting students with important resources for success in the field. The coordination of these resources is the joint effort of Professor Ana Matthews, a graduate of City Tech’s DH program and now full-time faculty member, and yearly appointed student leaders. With 320 members to date, the usefulness of this site for the DH community at City Tech in undeniable.

In the Spotlight: Introducing “People’s Choice”

“In the Spotlight,” housed on the Open Road, is a blog series that aims to showcase all the amazing work our students, faculty and staff are doing by featuring a different course, project, club or ePortfolio each week. Specifically, we highlight the unique ways users are designing their sites to meet their teaching, learning, professional, and/or extracurricular needs. Taken together, this collection of sites is a testament to the expansiveness of the OpenLab community and the diverse ways members are using the platform.

In addition to continuing this tradition this semester, we’re also introducing a new feature called “People’s Choice.” People’s Choice calls on all users and visitors of the OpenLab to recommend sites they feel are particularly successful and exemplify the excellence we promote here, “In the Spotlight,” on the Openlab. So start exploring all of the amazing sites on the OpenLab, and use this form to let us know what you like and why!

We look forward to hearing from you soon about which sites are your favorites!

In the Spotlight: The OpenLab is Growing!

461976874_92114e4ece_o — Image Credit: ntr23

This week we, the OpenLab team, are proud to announce OpenLab is now home to over 19,000 members! Thank you for joining us!

Given our growing community, we’d like to take a minute to remind you of all of the services available to you:

We offer skill-building workshops tailored to the needs of faculty/staff and students to help you improve the quality and functionality of your sites.

We have office hours where you can ask questions and get one-on-one assistance.

We offer support via email 7 days a week – Openlab@citytech.cuny.edu

We have a student blogging team who populate The Buzz with stories from their everyday lives, their experiences at City Tech, and advice.

Join the Open Road today for up-to-date news about the OpenLab and information about our workshops and events. Also visit “In the Spotlight” Here, we showcase the excellence and innovation of particularly well-done sites, which may spark ideas for other users about their own sites. We may even feature your site! This fall we are introducing a new feature, “People’s Choice”, offering an opportunity for members to recommend sites for recognitions — Stay tuned for more details!

We look forward to working with you,
The OpenLab Team

In the Spotlight: Open Pedagogy on the Open Lab!

Image: opensource.com

Open Pedagogy on the OpenLab is a forum where our community can ask questions, stimulate discussion, and access/share resources related to teaching and learning on the OpenLab. This site is a good place to find ideas for digital pedagogy assignments, access information on best practices and tips for open digital pedagogy, and engage other faculty members in discussions about what open pedagogy is and what shape it can take in our classrooms at City Tech. With this in mind, faculty members are encouraged to join and contribute to the site, to help expand the available resources and generate further the discussion. If you join, you will also receive notifications when new content is added or discussion is happening on the site.

In addition to this site, the OpenLab also hosts a series of Open Pedagogy events each semester. Our first event for the Fall of 2016, held in conjunction with the Library, will focus on open educational resources (OERs) at City Tech. In addition to deconstructing the term “OER,” we will hear from several City Tech faculty on OERs they have developed. Refreshments will be served (thanks to the Faculty commons for its generous support of this event!) and part-time faculty are eligible to receive a stipend for participation. Visit the event posting for more information and to RSVP! We hope to see you there!

In the Spotlight: Crear Futuros

The OpenLab is not for coursework alone! City Tech’s CREAR Futuros is a great example of a clean and straight-forward project on the site. CREAR Futuros, a joint project of the Hispanic Federation and the City University of New York, is dedicated to bringing increasing attention and resources to improve educational achievement and economic opportunity to Latinos. The OpenLab project site supports these goals by offering resources and information to City Tech’s Latino students. Students can come to the site to get oriented to opportunities offered by CREAR Futuros, to find contact information for key team members, and to learn about upcoming cultural events. Check out the site for an example of just one of many exciting projects that are using the OpenLab to build community within City Tech and beyond.

In the Spotlight: New Features on The Open Road

The Open Road has been updated, with new easy-to-use features! Check out our OpenLab Calendar where you can see the month’s upcoming workshops, events, and office hours. See OpenLab News for weekly announcements and updates. And stay tuned for This Month in the OpenLab, a monthly post that will announce new developments on the site, including the plugins that you’ve requested. As always, we will continue to highlight noteworthy courses, projects, clubs, and ePortfolios in the Spotlight, and you will always be able to RSVP to workshops from the Workshops and Events menu item.

In the Spotlight: City Tech Printmaking Club

City Tech’s Printmaking Club is a one-stop shop for students learning to make prints. The club, advised by Profs. Libby Clarke and David Barthold and staffed by a top-notch team of student officers, is dedicated to “keeping traditional printmaking alive at City Tech.” On the club’s OpenLab site, students can find posts on the history of printmaking through the development of ink, on printmaking techniques like linocut, and on events like their recent Valentine’s Day Card sale. All around, this site is a great example for any club trying to boost their online presence.

P.S. Want to learn more about the Printmaking Club? Check out their current exhibition of prints in the City Tech library!

In the Spotlight: The Buzz

Welcome back to all all who are returning to City Tech and the OpenLab! With the restart of the semester comes the restart of The Buzz, our student blogging site dedicated to all things City Tech. Our student bloggers write about everything from National Cookie Day to the magic of the universe. They give advice and take magnificent photographs. Get to know our team of top-rate writers and photographers, and stay tuned for posts from our newest members to the team — Samantha, who will blog about her full-time life pursuing her degree while parenting full-time; and Pamela, who will post tips and stories about professional development for her fellow students. Check back in throughout the semester for these posts and more from our amazing team of students on The Buzz!

In the Spotlight: L4 – Living Lab Learning Library

Faculty members — Will you be planning spring courses over the winter break? Do you intend to use the OpenLab next semester? Would you like fresh ideas for your pedagogy? If so, check out L4: Living Lab Learning Library! L4 is a resource exchange for innovative teaching practices, where City Tech faculty can interact with each other and a community of educators at large. As the site says, the grant-funded project was designed to re-envision General Education as a “living laboratory” using City Tech’s signature strengths — hands-on experiential models of learning and our vibrant Brooklyn Waterfront location. Brought to you by the Gen Ed Seminar, the OpenLab, a Culture of Assessment, and the Brooklyn Waterfront Research Center, the site offers a one-stop shop for teaching and education resources — including tools for research and assessment. Want to learn more? Check out the site or contact L4 Coordinators Profs. Anna Matthews and Laura Westengard.

In The Spotlight: #The Guide

#TheGuide, a project from Professors Karen Goodlad and Laura Westengard, is a one-stop shop for tips, tricks, and advice about our CityTech campus and surrounding neighborhood. With posts from students about local wine, local businesses, and local attractions, it has everything a newcomer – or a CityTech veteran – would want to get oriented to the community. Check out their extensive list of dining options, their profile of CityTech amenities, and their advice for college survival, including time management and intellectual openness. And stay tuned for updates! Students will be adding even more to #TheGuide in coming weeks.

Category: Community&Collaboration