The Evaluations Have Begun: Reporting Out on The LMS Task Force’s Work
In our very first blog post, Why Durham Tech is Evaluating Alternatives to Sakai, and What to Expect, we shared that a Learning Management System Evaluation (LMS) Task Force had been formed at Durham Tech and that its charge is to carefully review Moodle and Canvas to determine which of these two learning management systems will best meet the needs of Durham Tech’s students and faculty. Over the past few weeks, the LMS Task Force began its work by first deciding upon the evaluation measures it
Local Voting Resources: Early Voting Ends Tomorrow!
On November 8, North Carolinians will cast their ballots for the 2022 midterm elections. Non-presidential elections often see fewer than half of the total eligible voters cast their ballot during midterm elections, according to North Carolina's State Board of Elections. If you are reading this and will be at least age 18 by election day, you can make an impact by being an informed and engaged citizen and casting your ballot in November, or during the early voting period (October 20 - November 5)
Spotlight on Recent Faculty and Staff Publications
Our Durham Tech Faculty and Staff are doing great things! We want to celebrate and congratulate our talented colleagues by sharing some of their recent publications. We hope you enjoy reading the books, chapters, articles, and poems written by your colleagues. Oluwunmi (Olu) Ariyo is Assistant Director, College Recruitment & High School Partnerships. Education reform in the aftermath of the COVID-19 Pandemic by Oluwunmi Ariyo, and Ansa Reams-Johnson, editor. Hershey PA : Information Science
Explore Shakespeare & other English Classics with Digital Theatre+
Earlier this year we highlighted an exciting new addition to Durham Tech Library's resources, Digital Theatre+. We're revisiting it today to share how instructors and students alike can enjoy rich resources like streaming videos of live theatre, literary theme analysis, and more. Click "continue reading" to see a real example of how, with Digital Theatre+, students and instructors can transform their understanding and discussions of a classic text. We use Macbeth as an example, but there are a
Books for Chills, Thrills, & the Fall Season
Happy Fall Break, everyone! We're celebrating the season of pumpkin spice and spooky tales with a list of books you can enjoy, preferably with a mug of hot cocoa and a nice blanket. We know spookiness isn't everyone's cup of tea, so we've included some lighter fare for those who enjoy the cozier side of autumn. Continue reading for seasonal recommendations of graphic novels, audiobooks, and print books. Psssst...don't forget, we'll be painting pumpkins for Crafternoon later this month! Join us
We Hear You: Instructor Viewpoints from Our Learning Management System Survey
In our second blog post of Fall 2022, we are working to keep you informed about evaluating possible alternatives to Sakai. In late August, we sent out a survey targeted at employees who teach Durham Tech courses using Sakai. The purpose of this survey was to get honest and focused feedback from those who serve as instructors. Because moving to a new learning management system can bring up all different types of reactions, we wanted to make sure instructors had an opportunity to voice their
What We're Reading: Persepolis
Title: Persepolis Author: Marjane Satrapi Genres: memoir, history, graphic novel 2022 Read Great Things Categor(ies): A book about travel; An Artsy Book; A book about community Political protests in Iran have been in the headlines over the past two weeks, with numerous demonstrations in the country propelled by the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died while in police custody. Today I'm highlighting an accessible and personal history of conflict within and surrounding Iran from the
Why Durham Tech is Evaluating Alternatives to Sakai, and What to Expect
Welcome to the new Instructional Technologies Blog. The Instructional Technologies team created this blog to keep instructors informed about technology tools at Durham Tech and best practices for using them with students. Enter your email address in the box on the right and click subscribe to be notified each time a new blog article is posted! In the 2022-23 academic year, our blog will focus on an important project that greatly affects faculty and students – specifically, the project to
Join us for Wearable Art (& Books for Modifying Clothes!)
It's Wearable Art Week for Durham Tech Libraries: We're hosting two crafternoons on two different campuses for students and staff to make wearable art, either with provided tote bags or with shirts or shoes from home that could use a vibrant paint brush or two to look funky and fresh. Why throw an old shirt away when you could dazzle it up with some of our fabric paint? The first Crafternoon will take place on Orange County Campus on September 27th at 11:30 AM. A second one will be held for
Banned Books Week: 2022
Since its inception in 1982, Banned Books Week has stood as an an important week of awareness and advocacy against library and book censorship. 2021 and 2022 have seen an unprecedented rise in attempted book bans across schools and libraries in America piloted by advocacy groups, some having taken place in nearby counties. Started in the 1980s as an awareness campaign by the cooperation of the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom and the publishing community, Banned