I believe we can use story to help each other. This bread is great bread, easy to make, and very economical. My wife taught herself from online recipes and I have recently been trained by the master.

Prepare to be amazed! This recipe takes very little labor, is economical on ingredients and yields delicious amazing bread.

The Recipe

Measure and mix the dry ingredients, doesn’t have to be super mixed.Ad warm water and stir (hot water if you are in a hurry).

Bread dough should be lumpy and a little sticky, not too wet. Cover and let rise three to four hours until whenever (can rise overnight).

Get some fresh airEnjoy quality time in nature

Take some picturesThink about stuff, do some errands

via GIPHY

1. 
   Take out of the bowl and spin it and knead it (doesn’t need much)Cover and let rise 30 minutes.Pre-Heat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Put the pan and lid in the oven (empty). Pan heats for  30  minutes while the bread rises. Put the bread in the hot pan and bake for 30 minutes with the top on.Remove the top of the pan, bake for 15 more minutesRemove from the oven and let it cool. Reflect upon how much yeast you saved.

2. 

   Above: bread machine recipe, yields a small loaf, creates bread in an hour Below: Risa’s bread, much more yield for the cost, creates bread in 5-6 hours

3. Gather your loved ones, slice and eat bread

Congratulations! You can make Risa’s Bread!

Pedagogy: This is an example of using digital tools to tell the story of how to make bread. We are isolated but we are not alone. We are all in this together. Let’s make the best of it!

Wow last week was a big change for the campus and the employees who work here! Nearly all employees are now remote work from home employees! All of our our faculty and students are having classes online!

And we did it! Huzzah! It was really an incredible feat and shoutouts and kudos all around! The fact that we made these pivots so quickly is a testament to the ingenuity and creativity of our faculty, administrators and students.

Now that we have had a taste of the online experience, it’s time to take a collective step back and have a good think about our learning goals and how to make the most of a bad situation, keeping in mind the needs of our students.

People Missing in Action

Some students have not returned to class or checked in. They could be traveling, they could be sick or they could be taking care of the sick. What will their experience be when they find their way to the your course site? Please pace activities and instructions accordingly. Maybe create a check-in forum.

Grades

Many colleges, including Vassar, are offering an NRO option. The policy is humane, generous and provides great flexibility in grading and conducting learning activities for the rest of the semester. Students can scale their level of involvement to match their available bandwidth. Leverage this to provide a more relaxed learning environment for everyone. 

Pressure

Anyone who knows me, knows I adore the faculty. They rise to every challenge and constantly amaze and impress. That very quality can be a little intimidating to students. This April, we need to avoid falling into the usual “April Frenzy”. The usual intensity at this juncture will be intolerable for just about everybody.

So, in your quest to provide the best instruction, please be careful to not inadvertently ramp up the pressure. Faculty members are heroes to students. Please provide learning activities for your students that can be scaled to suit their available time and energy and send the message that any level of involvement is okay. Everything is okay!. Don’t worry, be happy! It’s a free pass to participate however you can. Reduce the pressure, reduce the anxiety, & reduce the stress load. Give yourself a break, too!

Sliding Scale of Engagement

Design learning activities to accommodate a range of involvement. Only have time for a sentence? That’s fine. Want to post an image and a paragraph or two? Super! Want to make a full-length film because your home and bored? Coolio! It’s all OK! Have fun! The situation is serious but their learning activities can include levity.

Zoom / Teaching Online in Real Time

Zoom is a powerful and fantastic tool. Bear in mind it is just one tool in the online teaching toolkit.If you don’t like zoom, please be assured though that you don’t have to hold zoom classes for all the same times that you used to teach in person. We are already hearing reports of zoom fatigue. Most online classes typically provide very little synchronous content. I earned my Master’s degree online, and the synchronous real time experience was the exception, not the norm.

The beauty of an online class is that the activities can be conducted to suit one’s schedule. Some of your students are in different time zones. Maybe there’s only one computer in a house of eight. Maybe their internet connection is poor. Please design your online plans accordingly. Zoom excels class for check-ins, office hours, consults and the like. Please assure your students that if they can’t make a zoom session, that it is okay. Missing a zoom session should not be the equivalent of cutting a class. Ask your students how they think zoom fits into class. Also, gauge your own comfort level. Use the technology in a way that best fits your teaching style, your needs and your students’ needs.

Intro to Zotero Groups for Creating Public Bibliographies

February 7, 2020 at 12:00 pm  (Electronic Classroom, Main Library)f

Zotero groups provide the opportunity for students and faculty to collaborate remotely to build custom bibliographies.These web-based bibliographies can be used in classroom instruction, community engagement activities, and much more. 

In this one hour workshop we will cover how to create a personal Zotero account, create a Zotero group, customize group privacy settings, add members to your group, and create collections of bibliographic content. Finally, we will touch upon publishing options to share your bibliographies with the world, including a demo of the implementation of the Zotero WordPress plugin. Led by Nicole Scalessa, Head of Digital Scholarship and Technology Services.

Intro to Audio Recording and Campus Resources

February 12, 2020 at 3:30 pm (Electronic Classroom, Main Library)

Planning to record voice or music and you have never done it before? Interested in podcasting? Perhaps you have an interview you need to edit and share? We’ll review free and cross-platform tools and review resources for audio production. We’ll conclude by visiting the audio production facilities in the basement of Chicago Hall. Led by Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services.

Intro to Hypothesis: Annotate Online Resources in the Classroom (E Classroom)

February 19, 2020 3:30 pm (Electronic Classroom, Main Library)

“Writing in the margins has always been an essential activity for students. Annotation helps in reading comprehension and in developing critical thinking about course materials. Hypothesis enables students to continue this essential activity with online readings.”

~ Source: https://web.hypothes.is/education/

Come learn how to digitally write in the margins of website content! You will create a personal Hypothesis account and test it on a variety of resources. We will also discuss new integrations recently released for use in Moodle that allow students to annotate web page content as well as PDFs in their course modules, without the need for a Hypothesis account. For more information on this new resource visit: https://web.hypothes.is/education/lms/

Led by Nicole Scalessa, Head of Digital Scholarship and Technology Services.

Getting to Know ArcGIS Pro

February 26, 2020 3:30 pm Sci Vis Lab, BLS 101

ArcGIS Pro is ESRI’s next generation Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping and analysis software and successor to ArcGIS Desktop (the suite of desktop programs including ArcMap), which Vassar students and faculty use to teach, learn, and conduct research across several departments. While support for ArcGIS Desktop will continue for some time, more and more GIS professionals and organizations who use ArcGIS Desktop are transitioning to ArcGIS Pro. The purpose of this workshop is to familiarize students and faculty who currently use, or are interested, to use GIS software with ArcGIS Pro. Prior exposure to GIS software is recommended but not required. Led by Neil Curri, Academic GIS Computing Consultant and Adjunct Instructor at Vassar College.

Linux Part I

Feb 28, 2020 3:30 pm  Sci Vis Lab, BLS 101 

Linux is an open-source operating system that can run on any computing device in the world! Come learn how to get started exploring the Linux world on your very own laptop, or use one of our computers. We’ll learn a brief history of Linux, look at the high-level structure of the operating system, talk about situations in which Linux would be a preferable OS, and start navigating the command line ourselves. We will go over common commands and how to navigate the file system, learn about permissions, shortcuts, and methods of installing software. Led by Chris Gahn of ACS.

Linux Part II

March 6, 2020 3:30 pm  Sci Vis Lab, BLS 101

Part II of the Intro to Linux Workshop will pick up where Part I left off. We will become more comfortable with navigating the command line, and introduce several new commands and programs. Finally, we will attempt to create our own Shell Script to perform some automated tasks. Led by Chris Gahn of ACS.

Intro to 3D Modelling 

March 25, 2020 3:30 pm Electronic Classroom, Main LibraryLearn the basics of 3D modelling for 3D printing, game design, and animation. Participants will engage in hands-on work in Tinkercad to create their own 3D objects. 3D models created in this class can be used in the Intro to 3D Printing course the following week. Led by Chad Fust of Academic Computing Services.

Screen Printing with the Vinyl Cutter Demonstration

March 27, 2020 10:00 am – 12:00 pm B19 Innovation Lab (Basement of College Center)

Familiarize yourself with the vinyl cutter in the lab. Learn how to make a silk screen using cut vinyl. After this workshop, participants can make follow-up visits in order to create and print their own designs. Led by Amy Laughlin of Academic Computer Services.

Email amlaughlin@vassar.edu to RSVP 

Intro to 3D Printing  

April 3, 2020 10:00 am – 12:00 pm B19 Innovation Lab (Basement of College Center)

Learn the software and tools involved in 3D printing and see how 3D printers work. Participants will learn the workflows involved in sending print jobs to the 3D printers in the Innovation Lab. Bring your own 3D models from the Intro to 3D Modeling class or learn how to find 3D objects online. Led by Chad Fust of Academic Computing Services.

Intro to Video Editing with Final Cut Pro X

April 15, 2020 3:30 pm Electronic Classroom, Main Library

Interested in learning video editing or recording a narrated presentation? Come to this hands-on workshop where you will learn to use Apple’s powerful but easy to use video editing software. Led by Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services.

Intro to Laser Cutting 

April 17, 2020 10:00 am – 12:00 pm B19 Innovation Lab (Basement of College Center)

Learn the basics of using the laser cutter to engrave and cut a variety of materials. Participants will learn how to invent or adapt designs in order to print them on the laser cutter in the Innovation Lab. Find out how to safely operate the laser and choose safe and appropriate materials for a variety of projects. Led by Chad Fust of Academic Computing Services.

Intro to Machine Sewing: Standard Pillowcase 

April 24, 2020 10:00 – 12:00 B19 Innovation Lab (basement of College Center)

Come learn the basics of sewing from cutting the fabric to threading the sewing machine, and ultimately going home with a standard size pillowcase. Due to the limited number of machines, materials, and space this class will be available to the first five registrants that contact nscalessa@vassar.edu; others will be waitlisted. If interest warrants, we will schedule another session. Enrollment is full but if you are interested in a workshop like this, please contact Nicole Scalessa, Head of Digital Scholarship and Technology Services.

Savvy Research with Zotero

01/30 Wednesday 3:30 pm, Main Library Electronic Classroom 160

Learn how to use Zotero to automatically grab citations from web content, organize your research with tags and keywords, collaborate for group work, and configure bibliography exports for print and web tools. Please RSVP to cmoritz@vassar.edu.

Video Editing: Final Cut Pro X 

02/08 Friday 1:00 pm, Main Library Electronic Classroom 160

Interested in learning video editing or recording a narrated presentation? Come to this hands-on workshop where you will learn to use Apple’s powerful but easy to use video editing software. Led by Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services, organized by DiSSCo. Please rsvp to babailey@vassar.edu (suggested but not required).

Video Editing: Adobe Premiere Pro

02/13 Wednesday 3:30 pm, Main Library Electronic Classroom 160

Interested in learning to edit video with a powerful and popular software suite? Come to this hands-on workshop where you will learn to use Adobe Premiere Pro. Led by Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services, organized by DiSSCo. Please rsvp to babailey@vassar.edu (suggested but not required).

Intro. to Python

02/15 Friday 3:30 pm, Sci Viz Lab, Bridge Building

A hands-on intro to this popular scripting language. Led by Academic Computing Services’ Chris Gahn, organized by DiSSCo. Please rsvp to chgahn@vassar.edu (suggested but not required).

Intro. to R and Data Visualization

02/22 Friday 1:00 pm, Sci Viz Lab, Bridge Building

Basic overview of using R and RStudio for statistical analysis and data visualization. This workshop covers the practice of using R; it does not teach statistical concepts.Led by Carolyn Moritz, Digital Technologies Librarian. Please RSVP to cmoritz@vassar.edu (suggested but not required)

Intro to Digital Drawing 

02/20 Wednesday 3:30 pm, Collaboration Studio, Main Library

Interested in drawing digitally or in VR? We will provide a brief overview of digital drawing options on mobile tablets, peripherals and in VR. Try out a number of different devices. Led by Amy Laughlin and Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services, organized by DiSSCo. Please rsvp to babailey@vassar.edu (suggested but not required).

High-Performance Computing (Cancelled)
03/01 Friday 1:00 pm, Sci Viz Lab, Bridge Building

Crafting with Arduinos (E-Sewing Follow-up)  

03/29 Friday 2:00 pm, Collaboration Studio, Main Library

Advanced follow-up to the fall E-Sewing workshop: Have fun making wearable tech with LilyPads and learn to use and program Arduino boards to bring your tech crafts to life. Those who have completed e-sewing projects at the library are encouraged to bring them for this workshop; however, all are welcome! Led by Carolyn Moritz, Digital Technologies Librarian. RSVP to cmoritz@vassar.edu (suggested but not required).

Photographing Your Artwork

04/05 Friday 3:00 pm Taylor Hall 328

Need to put together your senior portfolio? Want to submit work to galleries or other exhibition calls for entry? Come to this workshop and learn how to photograph 2D and 3D artwork. Organized by DiSSCo, Led by Amy Laughlin of Academic Computing Services.  Please rsvp to amlaughlin@vassar.edu (suggested but not required).

Intro. to GIS and Spatial Mapping 

04/10 Wednesday 3:30 pm, SciVis Lab, Bridge Building

Need a custom map for a project or assignment? Interested in analyzing patterns, processes, and relationships between different features or phenomena across a geographic area? Geospatial mapping has applications in almost any discipline. Come to this hands-on workshop to make a custom map and learn about the tools and resources available for your own mapping project. Led by Neil Curri, GIS Academic Computing Consultant and Adjunct Instructor. (Image: Mariah Caballero, Biology & Geography ’19)

Introduction to Audio Recording 

04/17 Wednesday 3:30 pm, Collaboration Studio, Main Library

Planning to record voice or music and you have never done it before? Come to this hands-on workshop where we’ll practice making recordings with Zoom recorders. We’ll also go over campus resources for audio production and visit the audio studio in Chicago Hall. Led by Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services, organized by DiSSCo. Please rsvp to babailey@vassar.edu (suggested but not required).  

Introduction to Audio Editing

04/24 Wednesday 3:30 pm Library Electronic Classroom 160 

Interested in podcasting? Perhaps you have an interview you need to edit? Come to this hands-on workshop and learn about campus resources, tips on making good recordings and the basics of editing sound files with Audacity (and a brief overview of Audition, Garageband and Hindenberg).  Led by Baynard Bailey of Academic Computing Services, organized by DiSSCo. Please rsvp to babailey@vassar.edu (suggested but not required).  

VR Stress-Buster 

05/08 Wednesday 3:00 pm, Collaboration Studio, Main Library

Explore first-hand the potential VR and 360 video have to offer on our various interactive VR devices and 360 video viewers. Brainstorm and discuss ways this can impact teaching and learning. Or just come to relax and have fun!