The Southwest Technology Showcase (STS) brought together the best and brightest in the realm of instructional technology in the region. Over 150 individuals from 22 schools and organizations in four states attended the two-day showcase, including 24 students from 3 Nevada higher education institutions. The Nevada State College campus community celebrates the accomplishments of the
The Showcase featured presentations by 23 faculty, staff and administrators from 11 schools in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. These demonstrations showcased innovative uses of technology for instruction, professional development, and student services.
The following awards were given to 6 of the 20 presentations.
SOUTHWEST TECHNOLOGY SHOWCASE WINNER’S CIRCLE
Best of Show Award:
A special congratulations goes to Nevada State College’s very own Roxanne Stansbury and Marilyn Berry for their award-winning presentation: Overcoming the Hurdles and Stress of Group Projects with Wimba.
Best of Track Awards:
John Louviere, Utah State University
Assessment Interactive and Game Strategies: Full Immersion American Sign Language Training in an Online Environment
Roxanne Stansbury and Marilyn Berry, Nevada State College
Content New Media Strategies: Overcoming the Hurdles and Stress of Group Projects with Wimba
Chunyan Song, PhD, California State University, Chico
Delivery Online and Mobility Strategies: Promoting Student Service Learning with Web Guest Speakers
George Joeckel, Utah State University
Design Usability and Accessibility Strategies: PDF-Based Online Assignments: Free Software, Accessibility Tools, and More!
People’s Choice Awards:
Justin White, Clark County School District
Student’s Choice: Wiki-Teacher. Com
Donna Eyestone, City College of San Francisco
Faculty & Staff’s Choice: Podcasting for Teachers
Month:
Writer’s Workshop Offered Day of Learning and Fun
By Jess Marvin
The School of Education at NSC is shaking up the way teachers teach, and students learn about how to write. Through the annual Writer’s Workshop Extravaganza, NSC’s pre-service teachers and local elementary students are brought together to learn from each other.
The School of Education course, Teaching Writing Across the Curriculum (EDRL 427), plays host the Writer’s Workshop Extravaganza each year,
As School of Education Lecturer Clairin De Martini explains, the event serves the NSC population in addition to the local community. This event is really three-fold, as we’re helping local school children, preparing our pre-service teachers for the classroom, and welcoming back many of our alumni who come back to participate in this event, said De Martini.
Paul Mayorquin, a sophomore pre-service teacher participating in the event, got a little more than he bargained for. Mayorquin, a secondary
For Mayorquin, he hopes to one day inspire children such as Angelina Herrera. Many people are inspired to become teachers, because they had a great teacher along the way. I didn’t always have that experience though, so in becoming a teacher, I’m looking forward to teaching my students that school can be a fun place. I’m hoping I can be a source of inspiration for students, said Mayorquin,
Fulfilling the needs of the educational community is one of Nevada State College’s fundamental goals. The School of Education is achieving those goals through its mission of graduating responsible and competent teachers serving in schools throughout Nevada.
Biology Professor Lives by Example, Providing Aide to Underserved Nations
By Jess Marvin
Long known as a professor who emphasizes the importance of community-based learning in his classes, Dr. Hon-Vu Duong (better known as Dr. D to his students), is a living example of the difference one can make by serving communities in need.
This year alone, Dr. Duong has gone on three separate relief missions to Haiti and Vietnam with a team of U.S. ophthalmologists to perform eye surgeries and other essential procedures for people in need.
In April, Duong traveled to Haiti just months after the country’s devastating earthquake. Though his most recent trip was prompted by Haiti’s
The eye surgery team Duong most recently traveled with in Haiti provided cataract surgeries to restore sight, other reconstructive surgeries, and additional forms of medical intervention to improve the overall quality of life for Haitians. Given the earthquake’s devastation upon the country, Duong and the team knew going in that there would many more unknown variables. During his mission to Haiti in April, Duong and his colleagues worked with Haitian medical teams in Port Au Prince and Lascahobas in triage treating earthquake victims, in addition to performing cataract and other eye surgeries.
The devastation was so profound. Duong said, referencing Haiti’s condition. The hospital the team worked out of in Lascahobas, which is located about 45 miles east of the country’s capital, did not suffer much damage. However, the Haitian government estimated at the time that there were between five to ten thousand Haitians living in makeshift tents in Lascahobas that had been displaced from Port Au Prince.
Days in the clinic, Duong recounts, were long and taxing. This year proved especially trying as the team’s support staffs were reduced by nearly half. Despite these setbacks, Duong and his team worked until the last patient was treated. The clinic, which opened at 8 AM and closed around 8 PM, served approximately 700 patients in a one-week period.
Duong’s relief did not end in Haiti. In June, Drs. Duong & Westfield joined up with the Hawaiian Eye Foundation as well as other ophthalmologists from across the U.S. to work in Hue, Vietnam. Duong’s medical team provided educational training to Vietnamese ophthalmologists on the most current surgery techniques. Duong lectured on basic oculoplastic surgery, assisted in the cataract wet-lab, instructed surgery residents, and offered consultations during the five-day mission. Duong returned to Ben Tre, Vietnam in November, with a team of ophthalmologists and optometrists, providing both medical and surgical eye care.
After each mission, Duong shares his experiences with his students. They are hard trips, says Duong, but well worth it. Though modest about discussing his relief work, Duong is perhaps providing the best teaching model for his students leading by example.