Back in November, Amherst College presented its Digital Pedagogies concept to the other LACOL IT folks. Presenters were Jaya Kannan, Andy Anderson, Kara McGillcuddy, Asha Kinney, and Shivaji Kumar. They call their site Academic Technology in Action.
They encountered the same problem we have struggled with – lots of innovation, but it appears isolated, and faculty do not see the connections to their own learning and see their innovations in an isolated way. So they decided to make innovation more visible through their web site while also collecting evidence of success. The web site started with a focus on instructional technologies and shifted over time to a bigger focus on pedagogy, incorporating course blogs and web projects. I am wondering if this last piece is something we can highlight? (course blogs and web projects).
They also talked a lot about digital annotation and crediting campus partners – I think that is a space we can potentially do better, highlighting our collaborations. Finally, they talked about having about 3-4 blog posts per term, rotating them back into visibility at strategic moments of the term. Someone else (Swarthmore) mentioned looking at the Special Occasions calendar and see what days are out there, e.g., Nation STEM day and based on this have specific blogs, social media posts and such – who wants to review these calendars to see what we can use?
Here some other web sites from colleagues at other places:
Paula Lackie
oh-em-gee .. There IS a day for “that”:
– https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/calendars/2022/01
– https://www.calendarr.com/united-states/observances-2022/
Paula Lackie
Potential special days (** denotes specific ideas)
January
1 Jan: (sadly, the College is closed on “National Fruitcake Toss day” ) http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-fruitcake-toss-day
9 Jan: Static Electricity Day
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-static-electricity-day
** electricity awareness?! .. perhaps a simple post on battery life, power use, what the little letters and numbers mean that are so faintly printed on your power brick..
10 Jan: Clean Off Your Desk Day & cut your energy costs https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-clean-off-your-desk-day
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-cut-your-energy-costs-day
** link to Store Smart, Store Less activities
14 Jan : Dress up your pet (aka irritate your pet) day http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-dress-up-your-pet-day
17 Jan: International Mentoring Day
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/international-mentoring-day
18 Jan: National day of Racial Healing
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-day-of-racial-healing
23 Jan: National Handwriting Day
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-handwriting-day
** Carly — anything here for writing practice?
25 Jan: Russia: Students Day
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/russia/students-day
(oddly .. in the US it’s “National Opposite Day”)
28 Jan: Data Privacy Day.
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/data-privacy-day
** coordinate with Kendall?
** a) Or: coping with multiple Google accounts.
** b) Another venue for promoting 2factor across accounts (facebook/twitter/etc)
** c) coordinate w/ new (?) registrar on FERPA rules?
(coincides with “Have Fun At Work Day” ?)“Where people aren’t having fun, they seldom produce good work.”- David Ogilvy
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-have-fun-at-work-day
31 Jan: Inspire your heart with Art
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-inspire-your-heart-with-art-day
** anything with theater/dance? ..
Paula Lackie
Potential special days (** denotes specific ideas)
February. – Black History month
1 Feb: Freedom Day (Emancipation Proclamation issued 1863)
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-freedom-day
2 Feb: Groundhog Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-groundhog-day
** Another opportunity to tidy google spaces?
3 Feb: Optimists day
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-optimist-day
** Dann….? 🙂
7 Feb: Clean out your Computer
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-clean-out-your-computer-day
** More for Store smart store less / helpdesk collaboration
8 Feb: International Safer Internet
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/safer-internet-day
** Kendall?? Helpdesk?
11 Feb: International Inventors day https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/inventors-day
** LL ? and/or Little Prompter and/or DataSquad and/or …?
11 Feb: International day of women & girls in science
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/inventors-day
17 Feb: Random Acts of Kindness Day (.. just this day. knock it off the rest of the time! 😉 https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-random-acts-of-kindness-day
18 Feb: Battery Day (no info)
** same as the electricity related one in January
20 Feb: International World Day of Social Justice
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/world-day-of-social-justice
** similar to racial justice in the US/January
23 Feb: International Single Tasking Day “This is the day not to try to be the jack of all trades, but instead, to focus on being the master on one. …, studies have shown that multitasking does not work: it reduces productivity and increases stress. Today, do only one thing at a time without feeling guilty.”
** maybe something on the Pomodoro Technique https://francescocirillo.com/pages/pomodoro-technique
28 Feb: Public Sleeping Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-public-sleeping-day (details here on nap types.)
Paula Lackie
Potential special days (** denotes specific ideas)
March
1 Mar: Mardi Gras & International Zero DIscrimination Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/mardi-gras
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/zero-discrimination-day
** UDL
3 Mar: Simplify your life day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/simplify-your-life-day
** google caledar tips? .. updates on simple/integrated tools
3 Mar: I-want-you-to-be-happy (no details – but, easy tie in with above?)
4 Mar: 3-in one ..
– NATIONAL DAY OF UNPLUGGING
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-day-of-unplugging
– NATIONAL EMPLOYEE APPRECIATION DAY
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-employee-appreciation-day
– NATIONAL GRAMMAR DAY (see also 8 Mar)
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-grammar-day
8 Mar: National Proofreading Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/national-proofreading-day
** maybe – just a listing of funny typos? and a tiny bit about what’s going on with autocorrect
9 Mar: Get Over It day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-get-over-it-day
** Time to adopt a new cloud computing mindset? .. this is a stretch. :-/
11 Mar: World Plumbing day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/world-plumbing-day
** but – let’s make this about Carleton’s ethernet & wifi awareness (overlaps with 10 Mar: Mario Day.. and Mario in general!)
11 Mar: 311 Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-311-day
** both about 311 and about how to get non-emergency help
14 Mar: Pi Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/national-pi-day
** something with computational support?
14 Mar: National Nap Day .. related to 3 Jan “Festival of Sleep” & 18 Mar World Sleep Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-napping-day
** something about sleep and brain function? Blue light from screens.. setting your screen to dim?
20 Mar: Vernal Equinox (aka Shunbun no Hi in Japan)
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/vernal-equinox
** get ready for spring term .. get ready to graduate. tidy up your stuff.
20 Mar: UN French Language Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/french-language-day
** Maybe highlight the French dept textbook integration & explain how textbooks work/don’t work with Moodle. ?
related to 21 Feb International Mother Language Day & .. can we highlight anything for Linguistics? Mike Flyn’s efforts with the Dakota language project?
15 Mar: Everything you think is wrong
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-everything-you-think-is-wrong-day
16 Mar: Everything you do is right (no details)
21 Mar: International Day of Nowruz (new year in Persian)
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/international-day-of-nowruz
** Same stuff as 20 Mar Vernal Equinox
26 Mar: World Earth Hour
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/earth-hour
** power saving tips: Last class in a classroom? Shut down the system, don’t leave your power bricks plugged in all the freaking time, turn off your lights, turn down your thermostat in the winter – up in summer. etc. There’s an embedded video at the link to jazz up the post.
30 Mar: I am in Control Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/nationalam-in-control-day
(commemorating Al Haig’s statement after the attempt on Reagan’s life in ’81)
** Another opportunity for addressing digital detritus & taking control of one’s inbox/calendar/backups …
31 Mar: World Backup Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/world-backup-day
** “DON’T BE AN APRIL FOOL. Be prepared. Back up your files on March 31st.”
An opportunity to know the difference between Backup & Archive.
Paula Lackie
Potential special days (** denotes specific ideas)
April
1 April – april fools day
** yea.. something about Moodle switching to comic sans & the “Hotdog” color scheme. ? https://www.schemecolor.com/hotdog.php
2 April: World Autism Awareness Day
http://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/world-autism-awareness-day
** anything about learning styles?
3 April: (Ramadan) + Find a Rainbow Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-findrainbow-day
** color picking tools & schemes? .. Doug – something on joyful/easy design?
4 April: School LIbrarian Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-school-librarian-day
** 3 cheers for our R&I compatriots. – highlight our collaborations
5 April: Read a Road Map Day .. similar to GIS day (no details)
** something with Wei Hsin? – highlight the shift from our local GIS server to ArcGIS cloud?
6 April: National Tartan Day
(An annual celebration of Scottish culture and heritage that began in Canada in the 1980s.)
** something with Macalester? (Doug & I are Alumni from ’80.)
8 April: Day of Silence
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-day-of-silence
** something on being an open and affirming office
9 April: Cherish an Antique Day (see also 11 April: 8 Track Tape day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-cherish-an-antique-day
** have any old .doc files? or.. (list any old stuff) – you need to convert or toss them!
9 April: Name Yourself Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-name-yourself-day
** Alert people to the audio recording of their names, how to label themselves in Moodle, where their names come from in Colleague/whatever the new thing is. (Partner with the helpdesk ?)
10 April: Encourage a young writer day (no details)
** celebrate our bloggers!
12 April: D.E.A.R. Day (Drop Everything And Read)
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-dear-day
** about JAWS?
15 April: World Art Day (Divinci’s birthday)
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/various/world-art-day
** similar to the rainbow day.. ? or – showing off Doug’s artwork?
19 April: Hang Out Day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/usa/national-hang-out-day
** it’s about driers and energy consumption – but let’s make it about making the drop-ins more friendly.
20 April: UN Chinese Language Day (similar to French / English/ Spanish language day)
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/chinese-language-day
** LL & tone practice
21 April: World Creativity and Innovation day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/world-creativity-and-innovation-day
** Show off something we’ve done.
22 April: Take a Chance day (no details) also coincides with Talk Like Shakespeare day.
And: World Book & Copyright Day (see also 26 April World Intellectual Property Day_
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/world-book-and-copyright-day
https://www.thereisadayforthat.com/holidays/united-nations/world-intellectual-property-day
** Alert people to the copyright committee & some basic tools. e.g. zotero. And Creative Commons !!
Paula Lackie