Thanks for joining us! We are excited to be participating in this online workshop series as your instructors and workshop facilitators. We invite you to collaborate with us and with your fellow participants, to share resources and ideas that you have, and to develop and pursue your course-specific interests based on the materials and activities in this online space. For each workshop topic, we hope to:
Through self-directed modules, the workshop series will provide a forum for discussion, resource sharing, and application of various teaching technologies and pedagogies. In the section just below, you can check out the sessions that we have offered during this past year. The last week of each online session will include a face-to-face consultation brownbag with our workshop instructors.
We have designed the workshop so that the level of involvement, participation, and time commitment is yours to decide. Each session will unfold over a 3- to 4-week scheduled timeline, but these sessions are mainly self-paced. Though some of the activities are designed to be synchronous (all of the participants contribute to and work on these activities during the same week) in order to foster a lively discussion amongst participants, you can still participate in these actitivites at any time. You can always access any part of the current or past sessions, jump around from week to week within any given session, and participate in the activities when and how you can. You decide your level of involvement in the session, as time and interest allows.
As each of the workshop topics unfold, we'll categorize content to help you navigate through the course and manage your participation in a way that meets both your interests and schedule. Below is an explanation of the heading structure we'll use to help keep everything organized.
Observe & Consider content encompasses information we want to share with you. This might take the form of articles, links, videos and the audio podcasts we've created. This is your chance to choose and absorb information that is relevant to your teaching and learning challenges. The stakes are low and the potential pay-off is high!
When you see the Share & Connect heading, think interaction. As we've mentioned, one of our main goals is to foster a community that helps one another broaden their perspective on teaching and learning. The Share and Connect activities are what we use to bring the participants together in a virtual space. For example, share and connect could be a really quick collaborative word association exercise or in-depth participation in an online discussion forum.
With Practice & Apply, we aim to dig a bit deeper and explore the practical application for the concepts we'll be sharing. Practice & Apply is 100% activity-based and hopefully help situate you in realistic context to promote creativity and begin adapting the material to your course.
In our first session, Online Discussions, we'll ask you to tell us a bit about ourselves. First, let us share with you who we are!
Instructional Technology Consultant
L&S Learning Support Services
University of Wisconsin-Madison
theresa@lss.wisc.edu
(608) 265-6039
Theresa is an Instructional Technology Consultant for L&S Learning Support Services. Her areas of interest and expertise include classroom technology, learning spaces and classroom environments, language learning, instructional design, and pedagogy. With a Masters in French Literature (currently working on her Ph.D) and over a decade of teaching background, Theresa has significant teaching experience as language instructor. Before coming to Madison, Theresa also worked for a handful of years in marketing and advertising.
Hailing from Minnesota, Theresa is a rabid but realistic Minnesota sports fan (she could probably referee a hockey game), despite living in Wisconsin for the past 8 years. Theresa enjoys a warm cup of coffee (dark roast), perfectly ripe bananas (no brown spots, please), and running at very early hours in the morning (best time of the day, according to her).
Learning Technology Consultant
DoIT Academic Technology
University of Wisconsin-Madison
chad.shorter@doit.wisc.edu
Chad is a consultant for DoIT Academic Technology. As a Learning Technology Consultant, Chad likes to help instructors make a thoughtful use of technology to help improve the teaching and learning experience for them and for their students. He came to his position as a teacher, not a techie, after teaching Italian at large universities for 8 years (including 4 years at UW-Madison).
In addition to his full-time role as a learning technology consultant, Chad is working on his dissertation in Italian literature. He loves spending time with his family and following Braves baseball and BYU & Packers football. He likes biking around Madison (by bicycle and by motorcycle) and would always like to spend more time on the water. Originally from Virginia, he has enjoyed making Wisconsin home for the past seven years (in no small part because most of the population agrees with him that brats are quite possibly the world's most perfect food).
Instructional Technology Consultant
L&S Learning Support Services
University of Wisconsin-Madison
jonathan@lss.wisc.edu
(608) 263-3828
Jonathan works for L&S Learning Support Services as an Instructional Technology Consultant. His current areas of professional interest involve educational multimedia, instructional design, and online and blended learning. He recently completed a Masters degree (completed entirely online) in learning technology and instructional design from the University of Wisconsin-Stout, which provided valuable insight into challenges and opportunities for online learning and virtual collaboration. Before joining LSS, Jonathan spent nearly 10 years various roles state legislative politics, primarily outreach and policy.
Jonathan shows his pride in his Southwest Wisconsin roots by throwing out tree (and other agricultural) trivia. He also claims to make a mean peanut butter rice krispy bar (though we’ve never had the chance to confirm this is true). If you see him in the halls of Van Hise, he’ll probably show you a photo of his kids on his new Android phone (which is very rebellious of him in a very Apple-y workplace).
Senior Instructional Technology Consultant
L&S Learning Support Services
University of Wisconsin-Madison
299 Van Hise
608-265-8945
dmacasaet@wisc.edu
David is a Senior Instructional Technology Consultant for L&S Learning Support Services, where he works with all things video and assists faculty and instructional staff with integrating audio and video into their coursework. His primary interests range from documentary video production, to illustration and graphic design, to conducting workshops and trainings. David has an MFA in media arts from the University of Montana-Missoula. Prior to joining LSS, he worked as an independent cameraman and editor in the rocky mountain west working for film festivals, PBS affiliates, regional ad firms, universities and non-profit organizations.
In his spare time, David enjoys carving spoons and random tools (Greenland kayak paddles) from Wisconsin hardwoods. His artistic obsession list is long but currently includes: podcasting about anything and everything and crafting the ideally comfy wool sleeping pad for car camping (he’s working on rounding up the sheep). If you see David in the hallways of Van Hise, ask him about bison sustainability (you might want to sit down for this).
Instructional Technology Consultant
L&S Learning Support Services
University of Wisconsin-Madison
275 Van Hise
608-262-0515
swagstaff@wisc.edu
Steel is the newest member of the consulting team at L&S Learning Support Services (he joined them in January 2013). Prior to joining LSS, he worked as a consultant for DesignLab, served two years as Assistant Director of English 100, taught writing and literature, and worked briefly as a land surveyor in Boise, Idaho. He has graduate degrees in English and Library and Information Studies and is currently writing a dissertation in the English department on environmental criticism and the Objectivist poets.
L&S Learning Support Services at the University of Wisconsin-Madison supports learning technology in the College of Letters & Science and collaborates with other UW campus learning technology departments and staff. LSS staff members are available to consult on projects using instructional technology. You can request a consultation through our consulting website. Please come and discuss your teaching plans and goals with us!
LSS offers a variety of instructional technology services, including: media production, online learning tools and environments, language and L&S subject library, equipment rental, computer labs and study spaces, and classroom computer & presentation rooms.