Archive | News

2 presentations x 2 days = Success!

By Christine Nehring on May 11, 2016

A wharf in Nanaimo, BC with multiple boats docked

View of Nanaimo Harbour

ABT instructors Mary Higgins and Christine Nehring recently presented back-to-back at both UFV’s annual PD Day and Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Teaching and Learning Conference.

UFV FLO Workshop

In keeping with ABT’s focus on digital resilience and technology use, Mary and Christine participated in the first workshop through pre-recorded video built into a Blackboard shell. The workshop was organized by the participants of UFV’s inaugural Facilitating Learning Online (FLO) course as a way of sharing strategies, successes and challenges from that May 2015 experience.

photos of nine UFV employees who participated in the UFV PD Day FLO workshop

UFV FLO Workshop Team

WordPressing the World one Workshop at a Time

Mary and Christine continued their goal of WordPress world domination by conducting a workshop titled “Blogging in WordPress: Strategies for Success” at VIU’s annual Teaching and Learning Conference. Participants were given a whirlwind tour of WordPress (e.g., the Dashboard, Media Library, Categories and Tags) and were introduced to blogging strategies such as using text and images appropriately, and ensuring accessibility. Participants then created, edited, and posted a blog post. (Here are some examples of their work.) Feedback from the session was excellent, with comments such as:

Resources and hands-on practice at creating a blog post. Thanks! I’m inspired.
I loved how much you got done – my most productive hour today!
Loved having the computer to use and do.
Covered lots; organized; got me off the computer 🙂 . Great session!
How to create a blog, post it, and edit it.
Focus on accessibility was great! #thanks
Much easier to post a blog than I thought; lots of fun; will have to think about doing this with students.

This fall, on top of their regular ABT teaching, Mary and Christine will be running a number of WordPress workshops through UFV’s Continuing Education department. Watch the CE website for the fall brochure.

Image Credit

Image 1: Taken by C. Nehring, used with permission.

Image 2: Screen capture from workshop BB Learn shell. Image created by G. Jang and M. Higgins.

Classroom image by ltdan; https://flic.kr/p/4oA2KC; some rights reserved https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/; retrieved Apr 2016

WWW image by itupictures; https://flic.kr/p/rooPUM; some rights reserved https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/; retrieved Apr 2016

Dual Credit for ABT/SD34 Students

By Christine Nehring on April 26, 2016

Elsie Fu, recent ABT graduate, at UFV’s Clearbrook Campus

UFV and SD34: A Perfect Partnership

A little-known ABT secret is that some of our students are earning dual credit courtesy of a long-standing agreement between UFV and the Abbotsford School District (SD34). Recently, one of our own was featured in a promotional video. Take a minute to listen to Elsie Fu as she talks about how she has benefitted from taking the ABT program.

Career Program Options

ABT isn’t the only program available to SD34 students. Eligible programs range from technology programs such as ABT and architectural drafting to trades programs such as welding and automotive service technician. If you know an Abbotsford student who is high school age, recommend that they talk to their school counsellor about how to apply to SD34’s Career Programs. It’s not everyone who can earn a high school diploma and university certification at the same time! Thanks, SD34, for being a great educational partner.

Image credits

Image of Elsie Fu used with permission from SD34.

Dr. Paul Tinari: Sustainability, 3D Printing, and Star Trek

By Mary Higgins on March 31, 2016

Dr. Paul Tinari, greenSPEAK guest speaker

Futurist, Visionary

Dr. Paul Tinari, billed as Dr. Future, visited UFV on March 17, 2016 as part of the greenSPEAK seminar series. In an invigorating seminar, Dr. Tinari challenged participants to envision the future that could be built using technology such as 3D printers.

Seismic Shift

Past technological breakthroughs such as the steam engine, the automobile, the industrial revolution and the transistor caused huge societal changes, and the sky is definitely not the limit for the next round of innovations.

mage from page 374 of "Inventory of the West End Street Railway Company" (1897)

Steam Engine, circa 1897

Dr. Tinari made a compelling case for the future democratization of design and technology where the facility to create, repair and enhance everything we need—food, shelter, technology, and power—lies with local communities rather than distant corporate or public bodies. This would significantly reduce the environmental cost of production by using Just-On-Order-Making protocols that reduce transportation, raw material and obsolescence costs.

One of the main drivers for this revolution will be 3D printing, and this technology is already creating the future for today and tomorrow:

Ten houses 3D printed in 24 hours and a five-story apartment block with the potential to withstand most earthquakes
A car that is 70% 3D printed that will be 90% 3D printed soon
Prosthetics for children, and the race is on to produce viable replacement human tissue and organs

Star Trek

Interlaced between visions of technology past, present and future, we were reminded of the future imaginings of Gene Roddenbury and Arthur C. Clarke. While some of their predictions have not come true yet (e.g. the matter transporter or the murderous artificial intelligence, HAL 9000), some of the more impossible-seeming technology, such as the replicator, are being tested already. And if Matt Damon had had a 3D printer on Mars, he might have been able to subsist on more than just poop potatoes.

Disruption

There is growing evidence that we are rapidly reaching a turning point, and while I was listening to Dr. Tinari, a post on Twitter caught the eye of my colleague, Christine Nehring:

@ABTInstructor, check out the Age of Disruption report that @AnthonyLepki just tweeted. Sure wish I’d been able to attend Dr Tinari’s talk!

— C Nehring (@ABTatUFV) March 18, 2016

This report from Deloitte outlines the challenges to Canadian businesses posed by changes in technology, and identifies many of the issues that Dr. Tinari has been raising for the last few years. While companies are struggling to adapt, new research shows the generation after the Millennials (Generation K), are primed to be innovators:

Members of Generation K increasingly value things they can actively co-create. It is a generation of makers, creators and inventors. From Sarah, who builds her own computers, to Jake, who loves making horror films with his pals on his iPhone, today’s teenagers don’t only want to buy stuff, they want to imprint their voice on products, services and media, and become part of the design and creation process. Producing something themselves has value for this generation. It resonates with their desire to be self-sufficient, and to have physical experiences in a digital world – as well as their desire to have agency and impact.

— Think millennials have it tough? For ‘Generation K’, life is even harsher

Back to the Future

There is no doubt that technological advances are already changing the way we live and work, and there are an increasing number of warnings about job security across the board. Some types of employment will be lost, and some sections of society will be impacted more than others. The recent reports from World Economic Forum and CitiGroup make it clear that we are already well down the road of disruption.

There are challenges ahead, for sure, but Dr. Tinari demonstrated that the future we make could be a great deal brighter and equitable: communities empowered to solve local issues, and a multitude of home-based makers unfettered by gatekeepers.

Two weeks after the seminar, I am still thinking about the possibilities and opportunities. Are you ready for the coming disruption?

Countdown to the New Semester!

By Mary Higgins on August 28, 2015

Christine Nehring and Mary Higgins preparing for the new ABT students

Christine and Mary work on the orientation PowerPoint in the ABT lab

Eleven days until the new semester.

Fall semester starts on September 8, 2015, and preparations for the new Applied Business Technology (ABT) students are gathering momentum. On the first day we run an orientation event that gives new students the opportunity to meet instructors, receive timetables, tour the facilities, and ask questions. It is the start of a six-month journey, and helps make students feel at ease in their new environment.

New ABT Alumni Facebook Group.

After all the excitement of the end of term activities and convocation in June, we have been busy working with the UFV Alumni Association on setting up a Facebook group for UFV ABT Alumni. If you are one of our alumni, you can now sign up for news updates, job postings and networking opportunities here: www.facebook.com/groups/UFVABTAlumni

A few places left for September.

This is the AB3 winter 2015 cohort – do you want to be an ABT student?

There are still a few places available to start the program in September 2015, and you can find out more information about the program and funding opportunities on the ABT website: www.ufv.ca/abt/ You can start the application process online https://www.ufv.ca/abt/apply-now/ , and you can email the program head, Christine.Nehring@ufv.ca, if you have any questions. There is only a few days left, so contact us and get your application in quickly!

We also have another intake of students in January 2016, so if you are interested in the program you can come to one of our information and assessment sessions to find out more. The dates are on the ABT website https://www.ufv.ca/abt/assessment-dates/ and the next session is September 25, 2015. Please email Christine.Nehring@ufv.ca if you wish to attend.

ABT Blog Home

Recent Events: Web Comms Expo and Convocation!

By Mary Higgins on June 25, 2015

AB3 Winter 2015 Class

We are using our first blog post on the new ABT blog to tell you about two recent events: the inaugural ABT Web Comms Expo and Convocation 2015.

Web Comms Expo

In January 2015, the ABT program added a new course to the already-comprehensive list. Web-based Business Communications has been developed to give students the skills and experience they need to successfully manage online communications in today’s online business world. During the seven-week course students work in teams to develop a marketing strategy for a product or service. As part of that work, they use project management tools such as timelines to keep their project on track, create blog posts and a product home page on the ABT WordPress website, and post Tweets on Twitter.

On June 3, 2015, the AB3 cohort was the first to have the opportunity to take part in a trade-show event called the Web Comms Expo. Each team created a booth and presented their product or service to judges. It was an exciting morning, and the judges were very impressed with the booths and the students. Here are the teams with their booths:

Image showing Team 1 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 1, ABT Web Comm Expo

Image showing Team 2 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 2, ABT Web Comm Expo

Image showing Team 3 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 3, ABT Web Comm Expo

Image showing Team 4 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 4, ABT Web Comm Expo

Image showing Team 5 and their display for ABT Web Comm Expo

Team 5, ABT Web Comms Expo

There are more pictures from the Expo on the UFV Flickr site.

Convocation, 2015

On June 12, 2015, many of the 2014–2015 students who successfully completed the ABT Certificate Program crossed the stage at the Abbotsford Entertainment Centre to receive their certificates. It was a joyous occasion and a fitting way to cap all the hard work that they did!

The photos below were generously sent in by some graduates, and we would be happy to add more from ABT grads (just email them to Christine). There are also official pictures on the UFV Flickr site that feature some of our grads (you might need to scroll down the page).