In addition to the course videos being available on YouTube for #ETT511 this summer, I’ll plan to try also making audio-only versions of my weekly course videos available as a course podcast that you can subscribe to using any podcast app of your choice (options include Downcast, Instacast, Apple’s Podcast app, or others to and be able to then easily download & access all future course podcast episodes directly from your smart phone or tablet. The course podcast will contain audio-only versions of all course videos (so, you can choose to either view the videos or listen to the audio in podcast form). You don’t need to watch both, unless you would like to hear the same message twice Here’s the podcast URL you can use to subscribe to our course podcast in your podcast app of choice: http://justcast.herokuapp.com/shows/371/audioposts.rss I’ll be curious to hear at the end of the course whether you preferred the audio or video option for my communications in the course.

Globe University-Woodbury staff and faculty at Lyngblomsten. The Globe University-Woodbury campus spent the 8th Annual Community Service Day bringing the residents of Lyngblomsten, a healthcare, housing and services organization for older adults, to the Minnesota Street Rod Association (MSRA) Back to the 50’s Car Show at the Minnesota State Fair. About 24 staff and faculty partnered up to walk approximately 12 of the residents through the Car Show . They had fun learning about the cars they drove and experiences they have had throughout their lives. "On behalf of Lyngblomsten, thank you and your team for volunteering to take residents to the car show last week," said Shannon Parker, manager of corporate and community engagement at Lyngblomsten. "The residents had a great time! It takes groups like Globe coming to volunteer to make these special events possible." Staff and faculty with the residents at the Car Show. Both staff and faculty commented on what a great organization Lyngblomsten is and how they would like to volunteer again at this facility. "What a lovely experience for our Community Service Day," said Globe University-Woodbury Dean of Students, Kelley Alliffi. "I really enjoyed the outing, and I am especially aware of how much it means to the residents to have people around to interact with, since my grandmother was recently in a similar situation. I plan to volunteer with them more on my own." About Lyngblomsten: According to Lyngblomsten, they are a Christian nonprofit organization serving older adults and their families through healthcare, housing, and community-based services. For more than a century, Lyngblomsten has been caring for the elderly and providing support for their loved ones while engaging the hearts of volunteers and donors who help carry out their mission. "We appreciate the generous gift of time from volunteer groups that make these events possible and enhance the lives of older adults in the community," said Shannon.   Globe Education Network (GEN) Community Service Day: For the past eight years, Globe Education Network has designated one day each year to close the campuses and volunteer throughout the community. According to GEN’s Director of Community Service and Charitable Giving, Community Service Day is a special day for our organization to show our "We Care" message and feel the impact we can have in one day. The post Staff & Faculty Educated Via the Wisdom of Senior Citizens appeared first on Globe University Blog.

I was excited to learn that my Blackboard course, ETT 510: Instructional Media and Technology, which I designed and taught online during Fall 2013, has been reviewed by the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program and received the distinction of being named an Exemplary Course. Below is the email notice I received from Lauren Krznaric at Blackboard: On behalf of Blackboard and the Exemplary Course Program Directors, I am pleased to inform you that your course, Instructional Media and Technology, has been recognized as a 2014 Blackboard Catalyst Award for Exemplary Course. Congratulations on this achievement! You join a select group of educators and course designers from around the world whose courses have earned the Exemplary Course designation. One of my reviewers, Leah Chuchran, shared these kind comments on Twitter: @jrhode it's probably ok to mention now that I was fortunate to be able to review your course. It def is exemplary, congrats! — Leah Chuchran (@LChuch) May 9, 2014 Below is a sampling of some of the great feedback I received from reviewers of my course, including: This is a really well-designed course. I kept trying to find a ‘weak link’ in the course navigation but just couldn’t do it! This is good, right? It’s not an easy feat to design a course that is clear to navigate, robust in content and not feeling like I am lost somewhere trying to find something. The units make sense and the links within keep everything organized. The downloadable syllabus and the schedule were also easily accessed - so important! Exemplary work. It is evident that Dr. Rhode has a passion for higher ed/online education AND design/development skills. It’s also evident that he enjoys the facilitation side and teaching both theory and practice and engaging with learners. The audience for this course really is awesome and ripe for a well-developed course - what more could one ask for? The embedded YouTube videos and especially the channel are an excellent addition to the course. Aggregated content in this fashion is so valuable for the learners. I really enjoy the fact that the synchronous sessions are scheduled and the students are expected to attend in this online class. I think that really is important and should be integrated as much as possible in the online environment. The learning activities truly embody the student-content, student-student and student-instructor theory and practice. The learners were offered an opportunity to gain many new skills, even if there was a "stretch" involved. I love how the learners were surveyed about their technical skills so you could gauge your audience. The journal activity seems to be a key component and allow you to "take the temperature". In addition, I really enjoyed both the ID model presentation as well as the tech-integrated ID plan assignments. Especially the models/templates that were provided - I can imagine how much time this saved both parties in the process. I think that learner support was one of the main foci for this course, from the course design to the variety of content to support learning to the learning activities in which students were given opportunities to perform and shine. The course design is exemplary. It’s easy to navigate and it just makes sense. It provides the learners with all of the necessary information to be successful and to jump right in and feel like they can begin learning the subject at hand, not how to get to the content and activities. The learning activities are awesome. Assessment of each of the activities is thorough and clear with the rubrics. Each of the activities is appropriate for the audience. Student engagement is obvious throughout, including in the discussions and the group projects. The feedback on the various assignments were also important in creating engagement. I truly hope it is nominated as one of the Bb Exemplary Courses for 2013. It truly is one of the most well-designed courses I’ve seen. The Blackboard Catalyst Awards will formally be presented at the Blackboard Catalyst Awards Luncheon on Thursday, July 17th at Blackboard’s annual worldwide user conference, BbWorld. As an exemplary course winner, I’ll be preparing a poster presentation for BbWorld, a 4-minute screencast course tour, and also may be giving another information session at BbWorld (if proposal is accepted) with tips for exemplary course design in Blackboard. Thank you to all my NIU ETRA Technology Specialist cohort students in the course this past fall and for your valuable feedback that guided the course design and delivery. I’ve previously shared my tips learned through the experience with other faculty and am currently in the process of designing a new course, ETT 511: Advanced Instructional Media and Design following the same principles of quality course design. I was also thrilled to hear that the NIU MOOC that my colleagues Stephanie Richter and Tracy Miller helped develop has also received the Exemplary Course Award, also to be recognized at BbWorld! For faculty who have never considered participating in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program, I encourage you to do so! More details are available at blackboard.com/ecp

My family was so excited to learn that my 2nd cousin, Jared Abbrederis, a former walk-on wide receiver who just finished his career with the Wisconsin Badgers, was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. For anyone wondering the family connection, my mom’s maiden name is Abbrederis and Jared’s grandpa Abbrederis and my grandpa Abbrederis are brothers, making my mom and Jared’s dad 1st cousins, and Jared and me 2nd cousins. Man, so blessed to be a packer! Can't wait to get to work and have another opportunity to play the game I love! #blessed #ao1 — Jared Abbrederis (@abbrecadabra) May 10, 2014 Not only is our family excited, but so is my entire hometown, Wautoma, WI where Jared also grew up and his family currently lives. The entire community is sharing it’s pride. My hometown, Wautoma, WI showing it’s pride in Jared Abbrederis @abbrecadabra on his way to Titletown pic.twitter.com/EBtqhHaDOp — Jason Rhode (@jrhode) May 11, 2014 Jared has defied the odds time and time again during his high school and collegiate athletic career. In high school, despite suffering a devastating leg injury, he went on to win multiple state championships as a track star, breaking state records in the 110m high hurdles and 300m intermediate hurdles, as well as lead his high school football team and track teams to state championships as a senior. Jared holding high school track and football championship trophies He went on to be a walk-on at the University of Wisconsin, where through his hard work and dedication he become one of the all-time greatest wide receivers at UW, finishing his career tied for the school record for receptions (202) and ranked No. 2 all-time at Wisconsin in receiving yards (3,140) and touchdown receptions (23). Being from Wisconsin, our family has always been huge Badgers fans, but all the more with Jared playing on the team. While he’s certainly well-known throughout WI, my girls may be among his biggest fans! My daughters, ages 2 and 5, meeting Jared at Badgers Family Fun Day in 2013 The entire Abbrederis family certainly couldn’t be prouder of Jared! Some of the Abbrederis family with Jared following big win Playing for the Packers would be a dream come true for Jared…and he’s now one step closer to that dream become reality! Leading up to the draft, he and his family talked about the opportunity to possibly playing for the Packers. Here are a couple of videos of Jared leading up to the draft in which he was asked about the possibility of playing for the Packers: It’s been fun following all the conversations and media about Jared since the draft. Here are a few tweets and links to articles immediately following his draft announcement by the Packers: With the 176th pick in the 2014 #NFLDraft, the Packers select Wisconsin WR Jared Abbrederis.#PackersDraft — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 Abbrederis becomes first @BadgerFootball player drafted by #Packers since @Bill_Ferrario in '01. Thompson had never taken @UWBadgers player. — Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) May 10, 2014 Packers please fans with selection of Jared Abbrederis. Read more: http://t.co/2msgOyjvSX #PackersDraft — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 Learn more about Jared Abbrederis in http://t.co/5XG9ieAT2M's Prospect Primer: http://t.co/HedjNDY9LU #PackersDraft — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 Abbrederis on being drafted: "It's crazy right now. Being able to have my dream come true and play with the Packers, my childhood team." — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 On Abbrederis: "He's a savvy route runner. He creates separation and is very productive." #PackersDraft — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 On Abbrederis' work ethic: "He feels like he has to earn each and every day. Those are the qualities we love about him." #PackersDraft — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 On Abbrederis' speed: "You see a guy with good quickness and create separation. It's what you look for when you turn the tape on." — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 State football & track champ, incredible Badgers career, & now will be a Packer. Congrats @abbrecadabra ! pic.twitter.com/ZfWHQ1xc01 — WisSports.net (@wissportsnet) May 10, 2014 #Packers make Jared Abbrederis' dream come true. Read more: http://t.co/8e8HgLwR6h #PackersDraft pic.twitter.com/EL0UFtXNYP — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 We were surprised that Abbrederis was still available. — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 McCarthy on picking a @BadgerFootball player: "It's nice to come up here and say, 'It's about time, we finally drafted one.'" — Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) May 10, 2014 On drafting a Wisconsin player: "It's about time. He adds competition in the WR room." - Mike McCarthy — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 McCarthy says he "definitely" wants to see Abbrederis in the return mix. — Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) May 10, 2014 MM on Abbrederis: "He's a really good football player. Ted had an appreciation for him lining up against the top corner." — Green Bay Packers (@packers) May 10, 2014 @packers You've picked guy whose desire and drive exceeds his talent and you won't be disappointed. — Frank Abbrederis (@FAbbrederis) May 10, 2014 05/10/14 The journey continues: Jared Abbrederis has come a long way from his walk-on days, but the ex-UW rece… http://t.co/JZV6hhR8cC — Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) May 11, 2014 @abbrecadabra gets his wish…#Badgers star drafted by @packers. Mark it down:this guy WILL carve out an NFL career. #NFLDraft — Rick Pizzo (@BTNRickPizzo) May 10, 2014 .@AaronRodgers12 to @abbrecadabra? Sounds good to us. #NFLBadgers #Badgers — Badger Football (@BadgerFootball) May 10, 2014 As you might suspect, I couldn’t be prouder of the outstanding young man the Jared has become and I’ll be continuing to follow Jared’s career as he launches his NFL career as a Packer, where he’ll be wearing #84. As I come across further news about Jared, I plan to share it to the Jared Abbrederis Fan Club on Facebook so feel free to follow along Jared’s journey there. You can also follow him on Twitter @abbrecadabra.

Have you ever felt unsure if you were in the right job field? Have you ever wondered what a medical assistant does on a daily basis in a clinic? Well thanks to Advanced Pain Management, Globe University-Madison West students can find out! Natalie Busse, director of career services, says "job shadowing is great way to see if you are in the right education field. It can show you day-to-day job duties and see if you would like to work in an environment like that on a daily basis." That is why Globe University is thankful for its partnership with Advanced Pain Management in Madison, Wisconsin. Every quarter, Globe University-Madison West medical assistant students go to their clinic and are able to shadow the medical assistants there and see what they do on a daily basis. The students are scheduled in advance with a medical assistant and spends four hours observing their role. This gives the student an opportunity to ask specific questions related to the field of medical assisting and other related healthcare fields. Advanced Pain Management also has a surgical suite where the providers perform various procedures. This is a great opportunity for students to witness these surgical procedures. Left, regional manager Deanna Grimm and right, student Shelly Ace, job shadowing at Advanced Pain Management The medical assistant students are job shadowing for career development experiences prior to their externship. The job shadowing gives the student an opportunity to learn more about the role of a medical assistant prior to the start of their externship. Advanced Pain Management is also one of our clinical sites for medical assisting clinical externships. The clinic provides an excellent and varied learning opportunity for our students. The partnership does not end with job shadowing. This quarter, one of Advanced Pain Management’s surgical technicians is coming to a class to be a guest speaker on surgical asepsis and will bring instruments and speak about their job and how medical assistants help with surgeries and procedures. This is another way that the medical assisting students can learn from professionals in the field and ask questions to someone who is an expert in the medical field. Rita Cordova, medical assistant program chair, says "this is a fantastic learning experience for the students where they can see day-to-day activities of a medical assistant. They get to observe surgeries and procedures with the management of chronic and severe pain and see what the medical assistant does to help." Thank you Advanced Pain Management for helping Globe University students grow and learn outside of the classroom setting. The post Learning Outside the Classroom-Medical Assisting Partnership appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Did you know that for every 100 ninth-graders, only 70 gradate high school? This video about college readiness in the United States reveals some alarming realities facing educators and students today.

Director of Admissions Kristina Gross rides the carousel with Bob from Oak Park Place. What do tasty gelato and carousel rides have to do with community service? Well, for the staff and faculty at Globe University-Madison East, these gelato and carousel rides go hand in hand with volunteering. Staff and faculty at Globe University are proud to have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the students they serve on a daily basis. But on Globe’s annual Community Service Day, they have the chance to move beyond the doors of Globe to show they care for the community as well. Community Service Day is a special day across all Globe University campuses, when Globe closes all campuses and corporate offices for the day so staff and faculty members can serve the community through volunteering. Staff and faculty escort Oak Park residents around the zoo. This year, Globe University-Madison East partnered with Oak Park Place in Madison to provide two separate outings for Oak Park residents. One group took residents around the Henry Vilas Zoo seeing the animals, the newly opened Arctic Passage, and riding the carousel. "I really enjoyed taking the seniors from Oak Park to the zoo," said Veterinary Technology Instructor Brandie Moker. "We had fabulous weather and they were really happy and thankful to be outside for some fresh air!" The other group of Globe staff walked residents to the newly-opened Metro Market near the Oak Park facilities to enjoy some delicious gelato. "Taking the memory care residents out into the community for the morning was so Medical Assistant Instructor Deanna Rego with Emie from Oak Park Place. enjoyable," said Director of Career Service Elizabeth Disch. "We were informed that this particular group of residents rarely gets out due to the nature of their care, but due to the large number of volunteers in our group it was possible. I’m not sure who enjoyed it more - the residents or us!" "Our outing with the residents gave me a strong sense of gratitude," said Instructor Di Carey. "I was grateful that as a result of Community Service Day we were able to make an impact on the lives of the residents by giving them a change of scenery. By providing the opportunity for those residents to be outside on such a beautiful day, I feel like we helped boost their wellness on many levels. I think it would be great to do this again." Oak Park Place provides quality senior care and services for residents through a continuum of care. They strive to create a community committed to an active and enjoyable lifestyle focused on wellness. Globe staff and faculty look forward to partnering with Oak Park more on future outings or volunteer opportunities. The post Caring Through Carousel Rides: Staff Volunteer With Oak Park Residents appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Who has made an impact on your education? A family member, friend, co-worker or an instructor? On National Teacher Day, Marianne Bovee a two time graduate from the Minnesota School of Business Online, expressed her gratitude for her instructor Dr. Gregory Coughlin. Bovee is a graduate of our health care management program and then immediately jumped in her master’s degree. She recently added a masters of business administration to her resume. Bovee took some time to share her experience as a student with MSB and how instructors have impacted her career as a student. MBA Graduate Marianne Bovee What is your career life outside of school? I worked in higer education for over 19 years as an instructor and an administrator. While I was taking the health care management program, the course work fit in very well with my position as the Allied Health Programs Department Chair. The entire curriculum was very relevant to what I was preparing my students for as allied health professionals and it brought value to my organization and enhanced my leadership skills. While I very much enjoyed my career and loved my students, I was anxious to spread my wings as a business graduate and take on some new challenges using skills I learned from the MBA program. How did you find balance in your life to manage career, school, and family? I was able to find balance in my family and professional life because I had tremendous support. My husband was my rock and cheerleader throughout the seven years I have been at MSB. There were many times that I told him at the start of an extremely difficult course that I just couldn’t do it. Without hesitation he always replied, yes you can, you always do and you always will. I also had tremendous support from my past employer. They believed in education, provided reimbursement and allowed me time off when big projects were due. You had such positive feedback about your instructor Dr. Gregory Coughlin on National Teacher Day. What did he do that impacted your education? Dr. Gregory Coughlin, positively impacted my experience as an online graduate student because of his engagement, feedback, communication, and encouragement. Dr. Coughlin tied every concept covered in his classes to how it impacts our professional lives and asked us to think as professionals. I really struggled preparing for my final two classes which required students to complete a business project or business plan. Dr. Coughlin was the instructor and I called him asking for help because I was very frustrated and unsure of myself. He spent almost an hour on the phone with me guiding me and reassuring me he was there to help. He steered me in the right direction and provided support for me at a time I needed it the most. When I thanked him, his reply was "I am happy to help; I want you to be successful." It was important for me to have a professor that was available, knowledgeable, kind and thoughtful. Being an online student can be isolating especially at the graduate level but Dr. Coughlin always made me feel important and supported.  What impacted me the most as an online student was the positive feedback I received from Dr. Coughlin on my course work.  Dr. Coughlin gets it and his encouragement kept me engaged, pushed me to work hard, and helped me reach my goals. What advice would you give to a potential student? You’re never too old to go back to college. Learning at any age benefits you and your family. I highly encourage anyone on the fence about getting a master’s degree to ask their employer how would it affect their current position and start looking at what options are available to you with an advanced degree. Set your goals and make it happen. The post How One Instructor Can Make an Impact appeared first on Globe University Blog.

Online asynchronous discussions are often incorporated by faculty into blended or online courses, providing opportunities for rich dialog among students outside of the traditional face-to-face classroom environment. A number of steps can be taken to promote an engaging and interactive online discussion, beginning with drafting the discussion questions that students are asked to respond to. This infographic highlights a variety of suggestions that can yield more meaningful and deeper online discussions. Source: BangTheTable For students in my summer course, ETT 511, you may in particular find these tips helpful as you draft the discussion questions for the week your group facilitates. What additional suggestions do you have for writing engaging questions for online discussion forums?  Feel free to leave a comment with your ideas!

Faculty and staff pulling weeds and harvesting lettuce for the Appleton Farmer’s Market The faculty and staff from GU-Appleton participated in Community Service day on Friday, June 19 by volunteering at Riverview Gardens in Appleton. Altogether, 15 staff and faculty members volunteered their time at the urban garden harvesting and preparing lettuce and spinach to sell at the Appleton Farmer’s Market the next day. The first order of business was to take a tour of the farm, which was previously occupied by a golf course. The tour guide took the Globe volunteers to the farm area, where other volunteers were already hard at work pulling weeds, watering plants, and chopping wood. The farm is entirely organic, so everyone had to wash their hands before going to the field so the plants don’t get contaminated with chemicals on the hands from lotions, bug sprays, or other contaminants. Harvesting spinach to clean and package for the Appleton Farmer’s Market The group then harvested lettuce and spinach, while others pulled weeds. Either way, everyone got their hands dirty! After a quick lunch break, some stayed to pull the endless weeds, while the rest of the group went inside to clean and package the lettuce and spinach so they were ready to sell. Kim Stevens, Campus Director, enjoyed incorporating Globe’s We Care mission into the volunteer work: "I look forward to Community Service Day each year. It is such a wonderful opportunity to work with an organization in our community that relies so heavily on volunteerism. I am proud to work for an organization that cares about its students, staff, faculty, and community. Community Service Day gives us the opportunity to demonstrate We Care in a different light." Librarian Michelle Karbon was excited to be part of the harvesting and cleaning process. "It was awesome to physically pull spinach and then be part of the cleaning and packaging," she said. "I was part of the entire cycle that I had previously taken for granted when visiting the farmer’s market." Admissions Representative Angie Wells was thankful for being able to volunteer outdoors on a sunny day: "We were lucky to have such a beautiful day to spend outdoors and give back to the community." About Riverview Gardens: Riverview Gardens is a socially innovative, self-supporting venture that engages Fox Valley residents in community stewardship of a market garden enterprise, community park space, and job training program while enhancing the missions of local outreach organizations and building financial resources to help address root causes of poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. The post GU-Appleton Participates in Annual Community Service Day at Urban Farm appeared first on Globe University Blog.