Sandy Point Arts Retreat: Creating Virtual Online Learning Communities

Dr. Barbara Rogers Bridges
Fifteen year veteran K-12 teacher
Ten year veteran designing, teaching and coordinating partners in online learning communities
Fifteen year veteran of higher education teaching

	Bridges has designed/managed/directed/facilitated and taught in five virtual online learning communities over the past decade. Visit the communities by clicking the URL’s below. 1996–2002 ArtsNet Minnesota Coordinator Barbara coordinated the development, conceptualized and wrote the curriculum content and acted as the listserv moderator (600+ participants) for a collaborative online interactive curriculum site (over 8000 pages) website partnership for The Walker Art Center, The Minneapolis Institute of Art, The Weisman Art Museum, Minneapolis, Minnesota and the Minnesota Museum of American Art. ArtsNet Minnesota WON A Museums and the Web first prize in 1998. The Louvre came in second! http://www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/

	1997 – Present - Bemidji State University Director, Professor, Designer DLiTE- Distributed Learning in Teacher Education (K-8 Hybrid online teacher licensure program), ( 200 students) and FasTrack Secondary Initiative (100 students) . DLiTE and FasTrack have 16 MnSCU community college partners, 15 professors, 300 students and 300 teacher mentors. The graduates pass the state licensure tests at 98% and have an 87% placement rate in a very competitive market. Barbara also Teaches: Foundations of American Education, Methods and Techniques in Elementary Art Education, Critical and Creative Thinking, and Human Relations. Bemidji DLiTE K-8 teacher licensure program http://www.bemidjistate.edu/dlite Bemidji FasTrack Secondary Initiative http://www.bemidjistate.edu/fastrack

	Itasca Community College, Grand Rapids, Minnesota I designed the online nursing program — CLEAN. I facilitated staff development. You could see an overview of the program in the making at: http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/conf/CLEAN.pdf

	Coming Soon: McGraw-Hill Visual Culture Virtual Community. For a sneak peek of Unit Four: Masks, Metaphor and Magic see: http://recordari.com/
Retreats and workshops are delivered using layperson language and are designed with participant hands on the keyboards, not Barbara’s! Workshop menu: * How to become a successful virtual community student, teacher and administrator. * Workshop focused on transferring on-ground curriculum to online digital delivery. * Nuts and Bolts: Building your class in your course management software. Tips for success. * Low cost options for marketing your online classes. * Courting your digital resisters. Drawing on what she has learned over the past decade, Barbara will help you design an online learning community which will avoid the pitfalls associated with online curriculum delivery. Barbara will also design an experience which will fit your requirements and your budget. Do not be caught on the wrong side of the Digital Divide!! Barbara Rogers Bridges, Ph.D., Professor, Bemidji State University, 1135 Monroe St. NE, Mpls., MN 55413 6123457998 email: bbridges@bemidjistate.edu