News & Happenings
Keep up-to-date with recent news and happenings — my interests range from web design to instructional technology.
2011 News and Events
September 2011
Several of my ideas for teaching online are included in Patti Shank's new book, Online Learning Idea Book: 95 Proven Ways to Enhance Technology-Based and Blended Learning Volume 2.
July 2011
Completed the W3C's Introduction to W3C Mobile Web and Applications Best Practices online course.
June 2011
My professional "bucket list" is complete! The International Journal of Instructional Technology & Distance Learning, published my article, Exploring Community College Student Perceptions of Online Learning, which describes my dissertation research.
May 2011
Need to review concepts from the Basics of Web Design: HTML5 & CSS3 book? There's an app for that!
- iTunes App Store: Basics of Web Design Review
The app provides a mobile way for students to check their knowledge of the concepts and topics in the book. The app features a review quiz for each chapter with 10 randomly chosen questions. Students can review and practice anywhere with this handy app.
March 2011
My new book, Basics of Web Design: HTML5 & CSS3, was published by Addison-Wesley!
Presented a webinar on March 15, 2011, Exploring Community College Student Perceptions of Online Learning, for the Instructional Technology Council, which is a national organization that is a leader in advancing distance education .
January 2011
Presented an e-poster session, Reach Out to Students with Text Messages and Twitter, at the Harper College 2011 Spring TechFest.
Presented the workshop, Supporting Student Success with a Distance Learning Orientation, to Harper College faculty.
2010 News and Events
November 2010
Presented "Exploring Community College Student Perceptions of Online Learning" at the 16th Annual Sloan-C International Conference on Online Learning.
October 2010
Attended the Jossey-Bass Online Teaching and Learning Conference. Inspiring ideas and best practices!
September 2010
Attended the Web Directions USA Conference in Atlanta — what an informative, engaging and inspiring experience!
Panel Member for Harper College Technology Users Group Meeting discussion on: Effective Use of Social Media Tools in the Classroom.
June 2010
Completed the requirements for a Doctor of Education degree from Northcentral University! Dissertation Presentation
April 2010
Completed the Sloan-C Online Workshop: Web Accessibility for Online Learning: A How-To Guide for Creating Accessible Content. Freely available course material.
Presented Engage Visual Learners with a Wordle at a Harper College Bits & Bytes session on April 20, 2010.
Attended the UIC Digital Accessibility Expo on April 19, 2010. It was great to meet Shawn Lawton Henry (W3C WAI Outreach Coordinator) in person. Shawn was one of the reviewers for the Accessibility course material that I created for the Web Standards Project InterAct Curriculum.
Attended the HTML5 Online Conference on April 12, 2010.
March 2010
The 5th edition of my textbook, Web Development and Design Foundations with XHTML, has been published by Addison-Wesley/Pearson Education.
It was an engaging experience to present the session, Renew & Recharge Your Web Design Course, to fellow community college faculty at the 2010 NCCIA Conference.
Presented the webinar, Renew & Recharge Your Web Design Course, for Pearson Education. Webinar Recording Available
February 2010
Interviewed via Skype by Bill Cullifer, the Director of WOW, about the web development program at Harper College. Interview Recording Available
January 2010
Presented an e-poster session, Engage Visual Learners with a Wordle, at the Harper College 2010 Spring TechFest.
2009 News and Events
October 2009
Presented the session, No Web Professional Left Behind: Educating the Next Generation at the 2009 Conference on Information Technology sponsored by the League for Innovation in the Community College.
August 2009
My chapter, "Anytime/Anywhere Online Learning: Does It Remove Barriers for Adult Learners," has been published in the new book, Online Education and Adult Learning: New Frontiers for Teaching Practices.
Even with the convenience of anytime/anywhere online learning, adult learners still encounter barriers and challenges. This chapter explores the growth of online education in higher education and the participation of adult learners.
The chapter introduces K. Patricia Cross’ research about the situational, dispositional, and institutional barriers faced by adult learners in the 1980s. The relevancy of these barriers to today’s adult distance learners is examined. Characteristics of adult learners are discussed. New barriers for learners introduced by online education are explored, including social interaction barriers, technology barriers, student-support barriers, pedagogy barriers, and accessibility barriers.
Suggestions for removing and/or reducing these barriers are provided, including providing technical support services, offering online orientations, pre-assessing student readiness, providing professional development opportunities for faculty which model andragogy and online course methodology, and designing online courses to support learning preferences of adult learners. Recommendations are made for future research.
April 2009
Co-presented the session, "No Web Professional Left Behind: Educating the Next Generation" about the InterAct web design curriculum framework at the 2009 TCC - Technology, Colleges, and Community Online Conference. Fellow members of The Web Standards Project (WaSP) Education Task Force: Rob Dickerson, Christopher Schmitt, and Jeffrey Brown joined me for this panel discussion.
Elluminate Session Recording
March 2009
Attended SxSW Interactive in Austin, Texas. A highlight was the unveiling of a new web design curriculum framework, InterAct, created by The Web Standards Project (WaSP). Education Task Force. InterAct is intended to be a living curriculum to help schools, colleges and universities bridge the gap between educators and industry best practices. There is a wealth of course materials that educators can adapt or adopt as best meets their needs — including assignments, projects, exam questions, resource links, and even learning modules.
It was a great experience to work with my fellow WaSP Education Task Force members during 2008 and 2009 as the curriculum framework took shape. Web Development & Design Foundations is one of the recommended reference books for the Web Design 1 course. Also check out the Accessibility course — I spent many hours developing this course and organizing materials for it. A shout-out of thanks goes to course reviewers Glenda Sims, John F. Croston III, Virgina DeBolt, Mark DuBois, and Jon Gunderson.
February 2009
Co-presented the session: "Community of Inquiry Framework: Teaching Presence Encourages Student Motivation" for the StarLink Webinar, “Award-winning Tools, Tips, and Techniques for Online Instruction”
Participated in the online Sloan-C Workshop, "Using the Community of Inquiry Framework to Design and Assess Online Courses".
August 2008
MERLOT, the Multimedia Educational Resource for Learing and Online Teaching, announced that my E-commerce Business Ethics Case Study has been selected by the MERLOT Business Editorial Board as a winner of the MERLOT Award for Exemplary Online Learning Resources – MERLOT Business Classics 2008.
Northcentral University Press Release
July 2008
Invited by the Web Standards Project to join their Education Task Force's project to create an open-source standards-based web design/development curriculum.
March 2008
2008 EDUCAUSE Midwest Regional Conference - Co-Facilitator for the panel discussion: "Creating Accessible Electronic Instructional Materials for People with Disabilities"
February 2008
Presented the audio poster session "Collaboration in the Online Classroom" at the 2008 IOC - Illinois Online Conference for Teaching and Learning.
Presented a Harper College Department of Instructional Technology Workshop:, "Collaboration in the Virtual Classroom: A Case Study".
January 2008
Received the 2008 Outstanding e-Learning Faculty Award for Excellence from the Instructional Technology Council (ITC).
The ITC is a national organization that promotes effective use of technology to enhance distance learning. Member institutions may nominate an exemplary faculty member for this national award. The nominations are reviewed and the recipient is chosen by a panel of judges including ITC board members, past awards winners and other ITC members.
Northcentral University Press Release
Harper College Newsletter Article
January 2008
The 4th edition of my textbook, Web Development and Design Foundations with XHTML, has been published by Addison-Wesley.
A blast from the past — 2002-2007 News.