Thompson Rivers University

What is a Wiki?

July 11, 2006

KAMLOOPS – Teachers interested in finding out about wikis and other tools for teaching with technology should mark Aug. 28 and 29 on their calendars.

That’s when TRU’s Instructional Development and Research Group (IDRG) and School District 73 (SD 73) will present the Tech It Up! summer institute focusing on teaching with technology.

“Teachers at any level can attend sessions of interest to expand their awareness of using educational technologies in their teaching, whether they’re teaching face-to-face, online, or a combination of both,” explained co-organizer Melissa Jakubec, an instructional designer with TRU’s Instructional Development and Research Group.

The event is more focused on how technologies can be used effectively in teaching, but there will be some workshops so teachers can learn how to use classroom management systems like Moodle and WebCT,” she added.

“Themes include curriculum tools, enhancing instruction with technology, and emerging technologies, with round table discussions to close each day,” she said. “The round tables are a key feature for thoughts and ideas on topics like time management, ethics, academic honesty, student motivation, emerging technologies and distributed learning.”

Cost of the summer institute, to be held at TRU, is $50 before Aug. 4 and $60 after that date. Fees include lunch and refreshments throughout the day. Participants may view a detailed program and register onlineor by phone to 250.852.6251.

On August 30th, the day after the institute, teachers may attend a free, half-day introduction to the SD73 course “Introduction to Distributed Learning,” which will have a pilot offering in the fall.

“The intro to the distributed learning course will be an informally structured online seminar that models the development of learning communities, with participants encouraged to explore their own areas of interest,” said Jakubec.

For more information, please contact Melissa Jakubec at 250.852.6257 or by email.