[DG: Teaching & Learning] TWSIA 2012

[Maggie McVay Lynch]

Good Morning Sakai Teaching and Learning List:

It is time to begin the work around the Teaching with Sakai Innovation
Award (TWSIA).  Unfortunately, with all the transitions many planning
committee members have been making (myself included) and the work the Board
has been doing to transition, this very important award planning effort has
started late this year.  I volunteered to take up the mantle of chair this
year to make sure we move forward and are still able to run the contest in
a timely fashion and get awards completed and awardees travel arrangements
in time for the summer Sakai 2012 conference.  It is an exciting time in
the history of technology and learning with the Web 2.0 environments and
the new LTI integration possibilities creating both challenges and
opportunities for amazing student engagement and learning.  We will need to
take these into consideration as we discuss and plan for the TWSIA 2012
award.  I hope you will join us.  Sign up at
https://confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/PED/TWSIA+2012

For those who may be new to the list, let me take a moment to describe this
important award.

The intent of the Teaching With Sakai Innovation Award (TWSIA) is to
recognize excellence in teaching and learning. Each year, since the first
call for entries in 2008, educators from institutions around the world
submit their courses in the annual competition.An innovative course or
educational experience is defined as one that, by design, engages and
challenges students, resulting in greater student interest, a deeper level
of understanding and/or a lasting change in the students' perception of an
issue or topic. Of course, as this is a Sakai award, the innovation must be
implemented within a Sakai instance.

Though technology is an important part of the evaluation process, the award
is about more than simply using new technologies; rather it is an approach
to teaching and learning that results in a much-enhanced, even
transformative, educational experience for students.

The major goals of the TWSIA are:

   - To promote excellent pedagogy and innovation in teaching and learning
   - To create a community of educators who want to share teaching and
   learning practices
   - To encourage greater faculty involvement in the Sakai community

The award has provided for winners to receive travel expenses and
registration to the Sakai conference, and a responsibility to present their
award winning course to the Sakai community so that other teaching and
learning faculty and staff/administrators may learn from their excellent
work.


*What Do We Need to Get This Going This year?*

We are in great need of volunteers who have time and interest in helping us
in this transition year.   I've listed below the roles and estimated number
of hours of commitment each role will entail.  Because we are already
behind in the planning effort, we must learn what worked and did not work
last year, and make some quick informed decisions about this year. If you
can be of assistance this year, please go to the TWSIA confluence
pages<https://confluence.sakaiproject.org/display/PED/TWSIA+2012>for
this year and enter your name, email and role(s) you are willing to
fulfill.  If you are having difficulty using the page, please feel free to
email me directly with your information and I will enter it for you.

Planning Committee (approximately 6 one hour meetings) - First meeting will
be scheduled for next week
Judging Committee (approximately 4 one hour  meetings + time judging
entries) - First meeting will be scheduled in January
Communications Committee (approximately 4 one hour meetings) - First
meeting will be scheduled for next week
Rubric Committee (unknown, depending on work of planning committee and if
rubric(s) need to be revised)

Please feel free to volunteer for more than one committee. :)  I am looking
forward to seeing what amazing work our Sakai institutions and faculty have
undertaken in teaching and learning this year.  I hope you will join me in
making this award one of many great experiences teachers and faculty can
have within the Sakai community.

-- 
Maggie McVay Lynch
Thanos Partners
Online Learning Specialist
3459 NW 115th Avenue
Portland, OR 97229
503-780-1431
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://collab.sakaiproject.org/pipermail/pedagogy/attachments/20111108/09bd38f9/attachment.html