Looking Towards the Future

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web-20-tools-some-practical-examples.html)

Northwest Valley 

Community College

on Its Future with Technology

by Kenyatta Y. Phillips

Due to the high volume of working students enrolled at Northwest Valley Community College (NWVCC), administrators realize the need to incorporate more technological tools in the classes at NVCC.  To do this, NVCC is looking to integrate some of the following Web 2.0 tools:

• Wallwisher
• Mobile learning            
• Bubble.us
• Avatars or Voki
• Glogster
• Google sites
• Prezi or PowerPoint 
• Jing or
• Blabberize

For a full list of commonly used Web 2.0 Tools and definitions of the above-listed tools, go to http://edudemic.com/2010/07/the-35-best-web-2-0-classroom-tools-chosen-by-you/ which lists the "Top 35 Best Web 2.0 Classroom Tools Chosen by You."

Online Business Classes

by John Smith

The Northwest Valley Community College lists a business program with offerings such as introduction to business, business systems, business law, and several other business courses. Students may choose to take one or all of these courses in an Online classroom environment. These courses are offered in partnership with Boardman Management Group and Huffman Trucking Company to provide both current and future employees an opportunity to learn new business skills or to prepare for advancement within these organizations. These online courses provide working adults an opportunity to attend school at their leisure and convenience. The classes include Online classrooms use Google Docs as a resource for students to receive coursework from the instructor, view Online lectures, and share information with other students. Northwest Valley offers students a computer lab staffed with informational technicians to assist students with learning the program while providing guidance and direction as needed. The library offers internet access in a Wi-Fi as well as direct links to the Internet. The library offers free computers for students to use to access these services. In summary, these courses are designed for working adults with busy schedules to obtain a business degree and become better able to provide for themselves and their families.

Current Technology at Northwest Valley Community College

by Julia Tolison

The current technologies in use by Northwest Valley Community College include the traditional aids of instruction, whiteboard, and PowerPoint.  Additionally, e-mail continues to be a means of communication among educators, faculty, and students.  However, to compete on a global scale with other institutions faculty are researching ways in which to keep students up to date on their class notes and other materials necessary for their academic success, e.g., email, hand to hand delivery, or materials can be included in class syllabus.  Other more modern forms of communicating additional information instructors might consider for future classes include video, photos, and mp3's. 

Academics in 2013

by John Smith

Northwest Valley Community College Kelsey campus offers students a variety of academic services and assisance through the use of skilled and knowledgeable academic advisors. These advisors asssit students with course enrollment, assist students with disabilities in finding resources and tools to meet their academic needs, and provide students with assistance in locating financial resources to fund their educational endeavors.  At the Northwest Valley Community College, academic advisors are dedicated and highly motivated to ensure students achieve their highest academic potential. Advisors also have a list of valuable resources and study guides to help students learn to master the Web 2.0 computer programs used in the Online class environment. These study guides provide instructions on how to create and utilize blog posts for group projects, Jing instructional videos that provide step-by-step instructions and examples of how to use Web 2.0 computer programs, and tutorials on how to access and utilize Google Docs. in the classroom. The academic assistance provided to students at Northwest Valley ensures students who attend this college achieve their academic goals and move forward to find gainful employment in their academic fields of study.

Community College, Financially Sound

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by Kenyatta Y. Phillips

This is a very valid point!  It is perfect financial logic for students to attend community college before enrolling at a four-year institution.  Attending community college beforehand also helps students transition from high school and better prepare for college.  Additionally, there are long term savings because students are most likely to have decided on a major by the third year of college, and therefore save time and money by not having to change programs after enrollment.

In an article titled "Six Reasons to Attend Community College" authors list other reasons community college is a viable option.  Among these, the article cites that community colleges are significantly cheaper than state colleges and universities.  The full article can be read at http://www.collegeboard.com/prod_downloads/highered/res/cc_tips/SixReasons05.pdf 

The Economics of Technology

By Monique Wilson-Anderson

Enrollment on community college campuses has steadily increased over the last decade. The cost of education at four year universities is more expensive and it just makes sense for students to attend a community college for general education courses. In order for community colleges to remain competitive the student must perceive the educational experience to be on par with the traditional university.  NVCC can use technology not just to advance its distance learning options but also for "regular" courses.  The use of teleconferencing would make courses more accessible to students who may not have the flexibility to attend a face to face class.  Students may choose a community college because of financial reasons, however when the student shows up on campus or participates virtually, he expects to be able to have the same access and resources. Technology is helping community colleges level the educational playing field for all students.

Web Technology Integration in Community College

by Mindy Stinson

The explosion of technical advances have provided the opportunity to work and learn with students in different time zones and with different devices. The Kelsey campus has the potential to add more options for the students who commute from Baderman Island, work odd hours or need more class options. Instructors can use interactive and collaborative media to encourage students to express their opinions and ideas, gather information, and assist in a more dynamic learning experience.

These advances provide a new direction in learning and determine future content in instructional design. The emerging digital culture allows students to interact through media enhanced content.
Previous teaching methods including lectures, class discussions, and laboratory projects. This limited the time of instruction to specific classroom hours and curriculum materials. Web 2.0 tools can build a classroom environment that will improve the classroom experience for many of our students in the Northwest Valley area. A learning management system will extend the traditional methods to a web-based management system. Web course collaboration tool and web course management features are included in learning management systems. The tools will include synchronous (same time) and asynchronous (not happening at the same time) features.

Bridging the gap between fundamentals and technology

By Mindy Stinson

The term "technology in education" has been around for many years. This once applied to audiovisuals and the school intranet system. The currently applies to many forms of electronics to improve student learning and classroom accessibility. Technology is important to our businesses and students as they prepare to become future business leaders.

Our community college has been without any notable technology improvements for several years. A technology needs assessment has recently been completed last year. This year the design phase  has given teachers, administrators, technology consultants Smith Systems Consulting and McBride Financial Services a chance to collaborate on the most efficient use of technology plans for school bonds issued in two series that will start this year and the second series in 2017.

The educational experience will be significantly improved as a result of online and virtual classrooms. The standard classroom experience lacks the opportunities for our working students and island commuters. Information is offered in various ways that focus on the student and problem solving approaches. This differs from the traditional experience in which the student memorizes material in a passive learning experience that is often forgotten after the exam has been given. The student is challenged through interaction with a variety of materials, engagement with groups and individual study. Students are challenged with a higher quality of work with more information available and quicker response times.

More important to academics, these improvements will boost student retention by soliciting continual feedback, centralized assignment management tools, resource availability, and a flexible communication system.