Daily Archives: November 17, 2010

This Week’s Faculty Professional Development at the Center for Teaching Excellence

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Using Wimba Voice in Blackboard
Thursday, 11/18, 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM
351 Main Building, Downtown Campus
Facilitator: Bill Faber, Professor of Chemistry, Distance Learning and Instructional Technologies (DLIT) Team

Wimba Voice provides a wide array of audio tools in Blackboard that provide faculty with the ability to create voice announcements, audio in tests, and voice boards for assessment and interactivity. Learn how to access and create voice/audio in Blackboard; create a voice board for interaction or assessment; access, link to and embed audio.

Audience: Any full and part-time GRCC faculty member
Prerequisite: Familiarity with computer basics; regular use of Blackboard.This course is eligible for Longevity Training Credit.

Help GRCC Create One Stop Coordination for Events / Promotion / Marketing

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Have you ever started to plan your event (book a room, request a poster, request media) and realize there are 8 different people or departments you need to call? Are you frustrated when you see big events scheduled on the same day and you’d like to attend both?

In an effort to consolidate our process for planning and promoting events, activities and communications we are asking for your help. If you work in ANY department that currently uses a form for calender input, event planning, scheduling, (any type of checklist or reminder form) we would like you to share that with us. A cross-communication team is working on a project to help create a simplified process to help us work more effectively in planning and promoting GRCC activities.

Please send your forms to mpowers@grcc.edu and place EVENT FORMS in the subject line.

Important Web Site Update

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We wanted to update you on the progress of our updated GRCC web site debuting in January 2011.  Thank you all for your patience and your assistance in helping us with content.

Reminder: Between now and December 20, 2010 we will only update LIVE web pages that are outdated or of critical nature. Please send any DATED or CRITICAL updates to Webteam@grcc.edu. (See instructions below)

If you have updates you would like incorporated into the new web please send those to Webteam@grcc.edu and we will place in order of receipt for updates. These may not be updated by January 1, 2011 but will be put into timeline and communicated to you.

We will be scheduling training for new updates in January and February (our goal is to have key leaders in your department trained by March 2011 so you can access and update your own pages.)

Photography is being scheduled for department web pages. If there is a specific need you have for photography please let us know and we will gather the requests to ensure we are organized and efficient with our photographer.

Instructions for updates:

Update critical / outdated information – please place CRITICAL in Subject line – send to webteam@grcc.edu
Photo request – please place PHOTO in Subject Line send to: webteam@grcc.edu
Content Update – please place UPDATE in Subject Line send to: webteam@grcc.edu
(Reminder: these are content updates that are not time sensitive or critical in nature)

Thank you again for your patience and assistance.

Communications | IT | Graphics

GRCC Highlighted in Webinar

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GRCC Wimba Webinar tutorial_labs

Grand Rapids Community College was highlighted in a recent Blackboard Collaborate Webinar entitled: “Pronto: Connecting Your Entire Campus in an Instant” GRCC faculty, staff, and students can use Wimba Pronto for online office hours, interactive whiteboarding, web conferencing, application sharing, and improving collaboration among students, faculty, and staff. GRCC is also using Wimba Pronto for online tutoring for the Biology Learning Center, Business and Accounting Tutorial Lab, and Language Arts Lab.

GRCC Wimba Webinar wimbacollab

An archive of this Webinar is located here.

Bits and Bytes Thanksgiving Food Donations

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Thanksgiving Donations 2010

Katie VanderMeer sent in this report about donations collected by Computer Applications students:

Thank you all who contributed to the Bits and Bytes Thanksgiving Food baskets for our students this year. Our department was able to collect $250 this year! We had 59 requests this year (highest ever in our 4 years of doing it), and were able to fill 12 baskets full of sweet potatoes, corn, beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie, rolls, cranberries, stuffing, and a gift card toward the cost of their turkey.

A special thanks to Kathy Leeuwenburg, Amy Bennett, and Cheryl Kautz who contributed money and food. That helped a lot! And a special Thank You to Terry Simmons who kicked in an extra 80 dollars so that we could reach the goal of 12 food baskets! If you didn’t get a chance to contribute and wanted to, please give your donation to Terry.

Thanks again everyone! And have a great Thanksgiving!

Installation of New Bottle Filler Drinking Station

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The new EZH2O has been installed on the lower level of the Ford Fieldhouse. It will allow students to reuse their current water bottle without the hassle of a conventional drinking fountain. This machine filters the water and keeps track of how many bottles have been refilled and reused. It was purchased by Martin DeVries (Title) for around $800 dollars and will help lead GRCC to a greener campus environment.

Volunteers Needed for Student Info Stations

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Student Life is looking for volunteers to help staff the Student Information Stations for the start of the Winter 2011 semester. This year the Student Information Stations will be held Monday, January 10, 2011 through Wednesday, January 12, 2011 from 7:00am-2:00pm and 5:00pm-7:00pm. Please follow the steps below to register to volunteer.

  1. Click on the link that corresponds with the location you would like to volunteer (Links are provided below)
  2. At the bottom of the spreadsheet are the different tabs dates available. Please click on the date you would like to volunteer
  3. Please put your first and last name, e-mail address and extension next to the time you wish to sign up for. (All volunteer slots are in 1 hour blocks).
  4. You will receive an appointment confirmation from me that will include your time and volunteer location

Sneden Hall | http://bit.ly/Sneden_Hall_Winter_2011

1st Floor Main Building | http://bit.ly/1_Main_Winter_2011

4th Floor Main Building | http://bit.ly/4_Main_Winter_2011

2nd Floor ATC | http://bit.ly/2_ATC_Winter_2011

If you have any questions or need assistance with registering please feel free to contact me at apipoly@grcc.edu or extension 4839. Thank you in advance for your help!

GRCC in the News: 11/17/10

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GRCC football team accepts invite to Mississippi Bowl, misses shot at national title
Published: Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 5:25 PM | Dean Holzwarth | The Grand Rapids Press

It’s not the state where the Grand Rapids Community College football team was hoping to end the 2010 season.  Instead of competing for a national championship in Kansas, the Raiders are headed south to Mississippi.  (More)

Trustee Seeks to Cut Theater Doing Some ‘Evil’ Work
Inside Higher Ed | November 17, 2010

Richard Ryskamp, a trustee of Grand Rapids Community College, has won approval of a plan to discuss possibly cutting funds to a theater group that works with the college and that the trustee has accused of performing some “evil” works, The Grand Rapids Press reported. In June, he criticized the college for working with the theater group because of its production of Corpus Chrsti, in which a Jesus-like character is depicted as gay.  (More)

GRCC resumes debate over funding programs that one trustee says do ‘evil things’
Published: Tuesday, November 16, 2010, 11:25 AM | Dave Murray | The Grand Rapids Press

GRAND RAPIDS — Grand Rapids Community College officials say they will allow debate over whether they should continue funding programs one trustee says includes performances of “evil things.”  (More)