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Wimba Collaboration Suite Added to
Technology Support at Northeast
In the last decade, technology has forever
changed education. Computers are everywhere and online
educational offerings continue to grow rapidly. But in the final
analysis, it is still people who teach, not the technology.
For this reason, Northeast Alabama
Community College has purchased the Wimba Collaboration Suite,
which is designed to enhance the ability of people to teach. The
Collaboration Suite will expand the delivery of online as well
as on-campus instruction at Northeast. The suite offers a
collection of tools that allow faculty to preserve the personal
and energetic environment of traditional classroom instruction.
Northeast implemented a Faculty Technology
Team for preparing faculty to integrate this new technology into
the curriculum and promote a student-learning environment that
assists and further encourages the development of technological
skills. Team members, along with members of the Department of
Educational Technology, recently attended a three-day training
workshop conducted on the Northeast campus by Jennifer Nowotny,
Learning/Professional Services Consultant with Wimba, Inc.
Nowotny has six years of experience as an
instructional designer in higher education. Her specialty is
guiding instructors through the process of designing online
activities. Prior to her current position with Wimba, Nowotny
worked in the Teaching and Learning Program at California State
University at Chico, where she supported the distance education
faculty who delivered lecture material online using Wimba
Classroom.
By using Wimba, instructors and students
at NACC can engage in live chat and instant message exchanges.
Through webcams and voiceovers, faculty and students also can
interact through audio and video projections. Instructors may
incorporate power point slides, documents, graphics, movie
clips, web pages, and other images in their presentations,
either online or in the classroom. These presentations can be
recorded and archived and reviewed by students at any time from
computers on or off campus.
“We want to be on the cutting edge in
providing educational technology for our staff and students,”
stated Dr. David Campbell, NACC President. “Over the past few
years, we established a Department of Educational Technology,
expanded our broadcast bandwidth by working with Farmers’
Telecommunications and the Alabama Super Computer Authority,
purchased computer software for the college, opened computer
labs, added a teleconference center, purchased instructional
smart boards and electronic overhead projectors for classrooms,
and added the Blackboard support system for online instruction.
The Wimba system is one more step in our efforts to bring the
best educational technology to our staff and students.”
Campbell in particular commended members
of the Department of Educational Technology for their work. The
Department includes director Sam Dobbs, Judith Lea, and Cain
Fairbanks. Campbell noted that Dr. Joe Burke, NACC Vice
President and Dean of Instruction, coordinated the Wimba system
purchase for the college.
“The Wimba Collaboration Suite works
seamlessly within Blackboard, our college’s course management
system,” said Judith Lea, NACC Blackboard Administrator. “This
system brings us to a new level of what we can do with
educational technology at Northeast.”
Pictured is Jennifer Nowotny demonstrating
features of the Wimba Collaboration Suite to NACC Technology
Team members and staff.
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