Adventures in Staff Education

WHO?  The Student Personal Finance Planning Committee, the Staff Association, and The Teaching and Learning Initiative are coordinating this event.
WHAT?  We’ll have four 50-minute workshops in various classrooms; you sign up for the ones you want!
WHEN?  April 26, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. (come for all or part!)
WHERE?  Dalton Hall
WHAT NEXT?  Check out the blurbs below, select the classes you’d like to attend, and RSVP by April 25 with your selections to dattardi@brynmawr.edu or through campus mail to Darla Attardi, Canaday.  Spaces are expected to go quickly!

___"How Should I Invest?  Passive vs. Active Investments” – Jeff Broadhurst, Broadhurst Financial Advisors, Inc  – Come learn the difference between passive and active investments in this lecture and Q & A session.  (10 a.m., Dalton 212A)

___"Budgeting & Money Management” – Elena McClelland, Citizens Bank – Come to learn strategies for managing your money and creating an effective budget.  (11 a.m., Dalton 6)

___"Good Credit: Get It” – Kevin Edmond & Kurt Levan, American Educational Services (AES) – This interactive presentation will focus on what you need to know about credit cards, your credit score, identity theft, and more.  (Session 1: 11:30 a.m.; Session 2: 1 p.m., Dalton 1 – specify your preference)

___"Paying for College: The Investment in Education” – Fred Amrein, Amrein Financial – Whether you're a parent planning for your child's education or simply interested in learning more about planning financially for college, this workshop will be informative and have plenty of time for your questions. (2 p.m., Dalton 212E)

The information provided in these workshops is presented by The Student Personal Finance Planning Committee, The Staff Association, and The Teaching and Learning Initiative as a service to our community.  Presentation of this information should not be construed as endorsement of the organizations offering the workshops.
 

Posted by Darla Attardi at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After three semesters of our fun EW3 (Email and the World Wide Web) class, we decided it was time to create a follow-up program for graduates of EW3 and staff members with comparable computer experience.  This spring we have added a basic Microsoft Word class to the Teaching and Learning Initiative’s staff-student programs, and it is a blast!

Every week for ten weeks, I get to collaborate with Elliott Shore, Chief Information Officer and Director of Libraries, on planning and teaching the course.  Staff members have the opportunity to use and reinforce the basic skills they learned in EW3 for two hours a week while learning how to explore and use the different functions in Word. Three students, Emily Somach (’10), Jaclyn Fleming (’08), and Maeve O’Hara (’08) partner with the five participating staff members (Karen Hickman and Lillie Morgan from Dining Services, Tanisha Powell and Georgia Harris from Housekeeping, and Patty Hardy from the Copy Center) in mentorship relationships, working together both during our one hour class as well as an extra hour a week in small group meetings.  

Why Word?  When we first started talking about what the next level would be for EW3 graduates, Word seemed like a logical choice.  As the most commonly used word processing program these days and a relatively simple program to learn, Word is in many ways a gateway software program.  We hope that learning to use the menus, short cuts, and toolbars in Word will empower the staff to branch out to explore other software programs with confidence.

Have any ideas about other classes we should have?  Want to get involved?  Leave a comment!

Posted by Darla Attardi at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When attempting to master new skills, the most effective learning seems to often come from practice coupled with experimentation.  I found this to be very true when I decided I wanted to use Excel to manange my home budget, for example.  A few people showed me some basic information about formatting and using formulas; it was a few people because after the first couple of demonstrations, I promptly forgot what I had been shown when I then didn't practice it myself.  Upon finally sitting down and practicing, I began to confidently make my columns, name my categories, and use basic formulas.  When I wanted to start keeping track of more complicated information or make my worksheet look prettier, I spent a lot time clicking around in the menus to see how I could do more with Excel.  I am by no means an expert in Excel as a result, but I am proud of my simple and colorful budget, as well as the neat tricks, like conditional formatting, that I learned along the way through practice and experimentation.

How does this relate to you, you ask?  Well, if you are a Contribute user who is considering taking our upcoming workshops, we have created the perfect opportunity for you to practice and experiment.  We would like you to consider spending the afternoon this Friday, October 20, or next Friday, October 27 at your desk or in the CTC exploring Contribute more and exploring the academic websites at Bryn Mawr and our peer institutions. Perhaps you can create a personal webpage about you and your position that can link to your department's home page.  For assistance, contact webhelp@brynmawr.edu.  As you work, jot down questions you have or neat tricks you learn and share them at our November workshop. 

You may ask what collaboration has to do with this.  If you choose to come to the CTC instead of working in your offices, you will have the opportunity to work alongside others in the community who are exploring Contribute.  You will be able to ask one another questions, assist one another in your work, and generally support one another's experimentation.  I will be popping in to say hello to all of you, and we hope to have Computing personnel on call or even in the room to assist you as needed. 

Come one, come all!

Posted by Darla Attardi at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

EW3 (E-mail and the World Wide Web) is now in its third session, and it is taking off gloriously!

Previously referred to as "Using E-mail and the Internet," this course was created to meet a need identified by both Bryn Mawr College staff members and by the College administration that all staff members be able to access and use email and certain features of the Internet. With this basic goal in mind, the course was co-designed by differently positioned members of the community—administrators, faculty, staff, and students—with the additional and equally important goal of developing mutually respectful and educative relationships and experiences through which both students and staff members learn.

First offered in the spring of 2006, the course provides members of Dining Services and Housekeeping Services (and, starting next semester, other College departments) an opportunity to develop their computer skills through weekly class meetings and weekly mentoring sessions with students, and it provides students an opportunity to develop their skills as facilitators of adult learning.

Our fall 2006 session is starting this week, and we have some fantastic students and staff members working together.  Check back here for updates on what we're up to, as well as to possibly see actual pictures from our class!

**Readers**: When thinking about our class title change, I was struck with a question that I bet one or all of you can answer: What is the difference between the WWW and the Internet?  I have a rough idea, but I need clarification -- leave thoughts as comments.

Also, if you or anyone you know would like to participate in EW3 in the future, please let dattardi@brynmawr.edu know about it!

Posted by Darla Attardi at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As many of you know, we have a Contribute trainer coming on October 4 to provide staff members with a half-day of quality training.  I am both pleased and sorry to say that there is no more room in that class; it filled up quickly. 

There is good news however!  Whether you are taking the October 4th class or not, you are invited to participate in a series of hands-on workshops on web architecture and Contribute that will be happening in early November.  Taught by some of Bryn Mawr's finest, the class will be structured around the concept of small learning groups, complete with collaborative and hands-on learning, some interactive lecturing, and plenty of supportive work time.  If you are a Bryn Mawr College staff member, faculty member, or student and you would like to learn more about this opportunity, please e-mail dattardi@brynmawr.edu. 

If you have any suggestions for specific topics you'd like to have covered in these classes, please post them as comments. 

Posted by Darla Attardi at 7:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Great!  Step right up and join the emerging movement that is the Bryn Mawr program-specific list-serv.  On our Excel list-serv, you can ask questions large and small, commiserate and celebrate with others who share your woes and joys, and offer and receive helpful Excel resources.  Whether you are a new user or an expert veteran, you will learn and be challenged by our fledgling group. 

Contact dattardi@brynmawr.edu if you are interested.

Word to the wise: if you join, please introduce yourself and begin sharing and posing questions as soon as you arrive.  We technical folks can be quiet at times and need YOU to come enliven us.

See you on the list, friends, and happy excelling to you all! 

Posted by Darla Attardi at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

There are two types of people: those who EndNote and those who have bibliographic information stored (or misplaced) in random notes or at the end of academic papers.  Alright, that's an oversimplification -- some are blessed with natural organizational skills and have never lost a citation.  If that's you, keep reading!  You, too, might find EndNote useful. 

EndNote is software that lets you publish and manage bibliographic information (Windows and Mac -- Universal compatibility, too!).  Faculty, staff, and students use the program in various departments on campus to simplify their lives.  We now have a list-serv where EndNote users can post questions, share wisdom, and participate in a virtual learning group centered around this powerful program.  If you are interested in subscribing or in learning more about the program, e-mail dattardi@brynmawr.edu. 

Happy EndNoting! 

Posted by Darla Attardi at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Welcome to Adventures in Staff Education! Prepare yourself for a structured whirlwind, if you will: program updates, educational anecdotes, reflections, and questions -- yes, you too can be a part of the adventure! Please post your comments freely.

To start with, how do you feel about this new blog? What categories would you recommend I insert in the sidebar to the right?

For now, I will be the main poster here. Aside from posting news about staff education, I'll also share helpful resources I find, pose questions about program ideas, and offer a window to the world of teaching and learning.

Again, welcome! I hope you enjoy these pages.

Posted by Darla Attardi at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)