2012 Conference Highlights

Photos by Gary Graupman of Taft College

Location & Date

Friday, 24 Feb. 2012

8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Four Points Sheraton

Bakersfield, CA 93309

This Year's Theme: "Motivating Our Students - Motivating Ourselves"

Presentations

Session One: 9:45 to 10:40 a.m.

Service Learning: Writing with a Purpose Beyond the Classroom                                         

Darlene Stotler, CSUB (Grapevine)

Service Learning is the kind of project that personifies Motivating Students...Motivating Ourselves. When students realize that their writing skills and talents can transcend the classroom and actually help others in the community, their sense of ownership and responsibility is heightened.  Expectations and results increase and the overall feeling of satisfaction that comes from benefitting others escalates a research project into a meaningful project for students, instructors and most important of all—the recipients of the shared knowledge.  

Literature Circles 

Janet Duenas-Clifft and Christina Mody, Bakersfield College (California Board)

Literature Circles is a highly motivating reading program that allows students to take control of their own learning by encouraging collaboration and constructing meaning with other readers. Circles involve a small group of students exploring a piece of literature in depth.

Turnitin.com: More Than an Originality Check  

Gary Enns, Cerro Coso (San Jaoquin)

Have you used Turnitin.com as an originality check? How about as a grading or peer review tool? Since Turnitin’s inception in 1996, iParadigms has added to its Originality Report feature valuable new grading and peer review features that make Turnitin a valuable interactive learning tool. In this session, the presenter will offer an overview of Turnitin’s updated features, demonstrate PeerMark Review and GradeMark activities, and lead a discussion on the lingering issue of Turnitin.com and student intellectual property rights.

Motivating Students and Faculty: Grammar and Reading Cards

Kamala Carlson and Jessica Grimes, Taft College (Mojave)                                                                                

Pre-collegiate students benefit from strategic reading strategies and organized writing formats, which lead to the transference of these skills across the curriculum.  The Grammar Cards (GC) and Increasing Meta-Cognitive Active Learning Strategies (IMALS) build a bridge from pre-collegiate to collegiate-level reading and writing while motivating students and faculty across content areas.

Session Two: 1:00 to 1:55 p.m.

The Research Paper

Judy Kukuruza, Chris Dison, and Theresa Gaumond, Bakersfield College and CSUB (Grapevine)

Students learn to write research papers from a variety of sources and techniques that in their research paper classes that in turn transfer to effective writing, reading, and research skills in other college/university courses.

Using InsideBC/CC/PC to Communicate with Students

Richard Marquez, Bakersfield College (California Board)

Tired of spending hours on a website?  KCCD's new Luminis portal is designed to help you communicate with your students more easily.  During this workshop, I will walk you through how to access InsideBC/CC/PC, upload files, send email, and broadcast announcements to your students.

Teaching is an Art—Creativity in the Classroom

Ann Marie Wagstaff, Melissa Black, Melissa Long, Nicole Celaya, and Kathryn Benander (San Jaoquin)

To motivate ourselves and our students, we like to bring unusual and creative approaches to teaching what might otherwise be viewed as mundane or ordinary. The “art” of teaching is what keeps us fresh and enthusiastic. Each presenter will briefly offer one creative technique used in her classroom to stimulate and motivate students. A discussion to follow.

Transitions from High School to College

Kim Flachmann, CSUB, and Vicki Spanos, Kern High School District (Mojave)

This session will be taking the notion of Building Bridges in another direction--from college to high school.  What we all need to know about each other in order to do our jobs as well as we can.

Session Three: 2:05 to 3:00 p.m. 

                                                                       

Technology in the Classroom: Internet Tools for Teachers

Denise and Billy Mitchell, Bakersfield College (Grapevine)

We will demonstrate how to create an easy and informative Weebly website teachers can use for their classes. We will also demonstrate Engrade, the #1 Online Gradebook. Weebly and Engrade give teachers free and powerful tools that aid the classroom and are available from any internet connection.

Contextualizing Pronunciation Lessons to Motivate ESL Learners

Francisco Gonzales and Linda Nadel, Intensive English Language Center/CSUB (California Board)

This presentation will discuss various motivational factors affecting ESL learners and how understanding these factors is necessary for motivating learners and contextualizing lessons in a pronunciation classroom setting. Lesson sequencing will be delineated and two demonstration lessons will be conducted.

English and the Internet: Engaging Students with Online Resources

Rebecca Benas, Porterville College (San Jaoquin)

Sharing sites, tools, blogs, and videos available online motivates students, provides real-life practice, and adds instruction to a classroom, whether virtual or real. Participants will leave with resources relating to the writing process, analyzing cause and effect, poetry, drama, historical documents and more.

Using Learning Communities Within Individual Classrooms

Jennifer Brezina, College of the Canyons (Mojave)

While the research related to learning communities is generally positive, there can also be logistical and institutional barriers to implementing learning communities. This presentation discusses ways to implement some of the principles of learning communities within individual classrooms to improve student retention and success.

Administrators Honored at Conference
Listed in alphabetical order by institution.

Bakersfield College

Ms. Nan Gomez-Heitzeberg, Executive Vice President

California State University, Bakersfield

Dr. Jacqueline Mimms, Associate Vice President of Enrollment Management

Dr. Kathleen Knutzen, Dean of Social Sciences and Education

Mr. Vikash Likhani, Executive Director of Enrollment Management

Kern High School District

Ms. Vicki Spanos, Director of Instruction

Porterville College

Dr. Antonia Ecung, Dean of Academic Affairs

Taft College

Mr. Val Garcia, Associate Dean of Instruction