Category: OLLI-USF

OLLI-USF uses the Lumens software to empower, keep track of, and in some cases communicate with OLLI Instructors.

Lumens is more flexible, more powerful, and better suited to our specific needs than its predecessor.  But of course there’s a learning curve, as there is with all software. So, we’ve added some helpful guides to our Essential Resources page.

A quick click on the blue link above will step you through the basic Lumens skills you’ll need as an OLLI Instructor.  The guides are PDF’s, so you can read them online here or download them.

We don’t update this site as often as we do OLLI Connects, but we do add a few bells and whistles from time to time.

We’ve recently added content to the Online Instruction page and made it easier to navigate.

We’ve added a section on PowerPoint that will help you do better PowerPoint (and Keynote) presentations in your Zoom classes.

You should also take a look at the overall Resource List.  Zoom didn’t nullify all the good things we had before COVID-19.

If you encounter problems or find errors, please bring them to my attention at carlson.alan@gmail.com.

Teach4OLLIUSF’s WordPress format enables us to allow–in fact, encourage–comments on our content.  We’ve had a section called Discussion Pages since we launched, but–until recently–no “discussion” has taken place.

Thanks to Zoom and Catherine, that’s changed.  Our involuntary leap into online learning has given us opportunities to do some great new things.  And to mess up every once in a while.  Catherine mentions a couple of both, and we’d like your input on this, too.

Our Discussion Pages are intended for back and forth comments–actual “discussion”–on an issue.  You can also leave comments at the bottom of any page on this site.

You can jump straight to the Discussion Pages section by clicking here.

You can see complete list of all our resources here.

You can become a Zoom expert (Well, almost!) and see more of Catherine’s comments by clicking here.

And if you visit a page you’ve visited before and fail to see the updates, you probably have a “browser cache” issue, which you can learn more about here.

You’ve noticed that the quality of lighting varies among the participants you see in a Zoom meeting or class, and you may be wondering how you can brighten your own image up a bit.  George Hyde has been working on that, and here is his latest recommendation.

“I don’t know if anyone is keeping a list of recommended accessories for instructors teaching Zoom classes, but I have something worth consideration: the Joby Beamo “mini” LED light.  Basically it’s a portable, adjustable LED light source in a cube that’s about 2” on a side.  It has two magnetic surfaces for mounting on anything metallic, plus one built-in and one clip-on ¼”-screw holes, so you can mount in on top of a tripod or selfie stick.  It recharges through USB port taking about 3 hours to charge completely, which supposedly gives you about six hours of light at half-power (which should be enough for our purposes).  About $70 on Amazon.

Earlier I had bought the Qiaya Selfie Light Ring Light ($30 on Amazon), but it was nearly worthless.  Not nearly as strong a the Beamo, and I would definitely NOT recommend it for anyone needing fill-in or auxiliary lighting. “

For more help with online instruction, take a look at our Online Instruction page.  And check out the Resource List for links to all of the great stuff on this site.

We’ve added more resources to our Online Instruction page and updated a few of the existing ones.  If you use Apple products, you’ll want to see what Jeanne Dyer has added.

In addition to the techie stuff, we’ve added the first in a series of resources designed to help you create an online class that is as thorough, as flexible, and as powerful as the face-to-face classes you’re used to.  For the moment, that is also on our Online Instruction page.

While you’re at the site, be sure to visit the Resource List page for links to all the good stuff we have here.

And our usual caveat.  Your browser has probably cached the URL’s of any pages on this site that you’ve visited before.  So, you’ll need to either “refresh” that specific page or clear your cache.  Ask Google about browser caching, if this is a weird new issue for you.

Welcome to Teach4olliusf, the faculty resource site for OLLI Instructors!

We’ve added a new section on videoconferencing and teaching online classes here. And we’ve updated several of the other sections to make them more relevant or easier to use.  You can see the main resource list and jumping off point here.

We’re still “under construction”.  COVID-19 gave us a lot of new, high priority work.

Warning!  If we make changes between now and the time you revisit this site, you (probably) won’t see the new stuff unless you refresh your browser on each page you visit. This has to do with browser caching, and getting around it is another thing that is under construction.  This site was built with 21st Century tools by a guy who grew up listening to scratchy AM radio on a crystal set.  He’s not always finding it intuitive.

While you’re here, subscribe so that you’ll know when we add new resources.  The Subscribe box is to your right on a PC and at the bottom on a mobile phone.

Welcome to Teach4OLLIUSF, our new Faculty Resources Web Site.  Please look around!  Give yourself a self-guided tour.  Follow any links that look useful.

We want your input on making this site functional, useful, and attractive.  You’ll note that there’s a place to make comments at the bottom of every page.  If you think of something — positive, negative, constructive, useful, or just interesting — put it in the Comment box.  We’ll work on it.

And while you’re here, please subscribe, so you’ll know when we add updates.  On a PC or Mac screen the Subscribe box will be on the right  side of the screen.  On a phone, it will be at the bottom.

Thanks for being an OLLI-USF Instructor.  We appreciate the work you do.   Without you there wouldn’t be any Learning for the Joy of it.

To get right to the good stuff, click here.