A weekly newsletter to build community through updates, opportunities, and celebrations | | March 20, 2025 | Volume 11 | Issue 26 | | Spotlight on Zieaira Martin | | |
By Zieaira (Zee) Martin, Student Success Advisor, Talent Search
I was born in Manassas, Virginia. Moved to Thomasville at the age of 5, so I like to say that I am a Thomasville Native. I completed all of grade school through Thomasville City schools school system.
After graduating Thomasville High, I furthered my education at the Illustrious Winston-Salem State University. My family is true to " Ram Pride" as both of my siblings are alumni from the university as well. Upon graduating, I returned to serve my Thomasville community and started my career in education at my alma mater (Thomasville High) as a business and marketing education teacher.
I just started at Davidson-Davie on January 13th, so I've been with the institution for 2 months. And I must say, I love it here!
I have an amazing husband, who happens to be my high school sweet heart (13 years on 3/20) ! Together we have two beautiful children, Journee (7) Ashton (18months). We also have a pet Fiddler Crab named Mr. Krabs.
In my free time, I enjoy crafting, gardening, and researching herbs for my home/family apothecary.
| |
-
Travel: So far my favorite travel destination has been Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. Afro-Brazilian culture is beautiful to say the least. Currently at the top of my list to visit is Tokyo, Japan
-
Podcasts & Books: My friends an I are doing a challenge of 6 podcast or books for this year. We have been listening to Keisha's "The Authentic Life" podcast, B.Simone's "Let's Try This Again" podcast, and the book I will start soon is "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl" by Issa Rae.
-
Food: Indian cuisine, Jamaican, Mexican ( specifically El Tio Tortilleria on National Hwy in Thomasville)
-
Show: Beauty in Black- Tyler Perry ( Netflix)
-
What animal would you be? A sea turtle because they are so majestic and peaceful. They also live long lives, so I believe if I could talk to them, they would have the most amazing stories. I would love to flow through the Gulf Stream, floating in that warm current just seems so relaxing!
| |
|
Professional Learning Events
| | | | Summer 2025 Effective Teaching Online | | |
By Trudy Brown
Now accepting registrations for the Summer 2025 Effective Teaching Online training.
The Effective Teaching Online training is a six week asynchronous course covering research-based, best practices for teaching online, as well as tips and resources for using YuJa and Moodle. Each week includes a lesson and an activity in which participants will try out strategies or tools from the lesson. This training is for full-time and adjunct faculty members who are teaching online at Davidson-Davie and will provide a foundation in principles that are essential for building an effective online course such as:
- Instructor presence
- Objectives and course alignment
- Regular and Substantive Interaction
- Correctly setting up your Moodle Gradebook
- Creating accessible content for your course
- Evaluating the quality of your course
Additionally, adjunct instructors will receive a $270 stipend for successful completion of the course.
-
Dates: 05/19/2025 - 06/30/2025
-
Facilitators: Trudy Brown & Christina Kirwan
Please sign up by filling out our registration form.
| | |
Hi there! I’m your friendly accessibility widget, but my friends call me Widgy.
Last semester, everyone got access to a pretty neat digital accessibility tool: YuJa Panorama. But like many of the things we buy to help us, this tool is neatly tucked into a corner. I’m here to drag that tool out of the corner, dust it off a bit, and show you some of the cool features it has to offer. Over the next eight weeks, I’ll highlight major elements of Panorama with my “Dear Widgy” column, but if you have anything else you want to ask me, feel free to email my quirky designer: christina_kirwan@davidsondavie.edu
| | |
Dear Widgy,
What’s up with these Pictures in Moodle?
| | |
If you are teaching a Moodle course this semester, you may have noticed little pictures, or icons, next to some (if not all) of the content you have put into your Moodle course. These are YuJa Panorama icons to signify the level of accessibility of your digital content. Additionally, you are able to click on these icons to see your accessibility score, an accessibility report, and access alternative formats for your content.
The goal is a green smiley face for all of our digital content. However, keep in mind that this does not mean that the document is fully accessible--but a great first step! We’ll get more into these accessibility reports in the upcoming weeks. For now, here’s a refresher on an Introduction to YuJa Panorama, including more information on what these pictures represent.
| | Sensory Room at Davidson-Davie | | |
Hello and Welcome to 60 Seconds with Accessibility, I am your host, Alyssa Embry.
Our office is excited to present Davidson-Davie’s first Sensory Room! This is a designated space on campus for students, staff and faculty to take a break from everyday stressors. It will also serve as a Lactation Room for our parenting students. Come to the Love Building, Suite 206, Rm 217 for access to a swinging chair, fidget toys, noise cancelling headphones, comfortable seating, and more. There is also a mini fridge for convenient storage of breast milk.
| | |
Please give students priority to the space. We will monitor students' usage of the space and provide time limits. We will not monitor time faculty/staff spends in the space as this should be determined with their respective supervisor. The phone can only dial out to emergency services including 911, 988 and campus security. Protocol reminders are posted in the room.
If you have questions or requests for the Sensory Room, please reach out, we would love to hear your feedback.
That concludes our 60 Seconds! As always you can get in touch at accessibilityservices@davidsondavie.edu. Have a great day!
| |
|
International Intrigue
Aaron's Reflection
About a month ago, I had the privilege of attending the Community Colleges for International Development (CCID) conference in Washington, D.C., alongside the International Education team. This wasn’t my first time at CCID, as I assisted Dr. Sarah Wright and the Fulbright Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) with a talk last year—but this time, I took a chance and threw my name in the ring to give my own talk at one of the faculty forums. To my delight, I was selected to present on a topic I care deeply about: integrating non-Western music into my Music Appreciation course.
After an initial introduction in front of a room filled mostly with non-music faculty, we then broke into smaller groups and rotated between them. I walked each group through the global sounds I bring into MUS-110—music from diverse traditions, each carrying its own cultural and historical weight. I didn’t just talk about the music; I demonstrated ways to get students actively engaged, whether in class discussions, online activities, or hands-on listening exercises. In an attempt to help my ideas transmit back to music faculty at the colleges represented, I prepared a handout that attendees could share with their musical colleagues back home.
I’ll admit that the first presentation was a little shaky, but once I got into the rhythm of sharing my experiences, the presentation felt natural. The best part was the conversations that followed. The faculty forum wasn’t just a chance to present; it was a space to exchange ideas, to learn from peers across the country. I even met an attendee from Indonesia who offered me some additional resources to help with my lesson about Indonesian gamelan ensembles. During the rest of the conference, I attended presentations featuring speakers from all over the world—each offering insights that reinforced the value of international collaboration in education.
Of course, the trip wasn’t all conference rooms and PowerPoint slides. With our visiting Fulbright Teaching Assistants—Fabiola Contreras, Neriman Yeniay, and Órla Casserly—we carved out time to experience Washington, D.C. On our first day, while Dr. Sarah Wright attended to her board duties at CCID, we took the opportunity to explore the Capitol Building and the Library of Congress. Throughout the week, we visited monuments, sampled incredible food, and took in the city’s atmosphere.
For anyone interested in International Education, I can’t recommend CCID enough. It’s more than just a conference—it’s a hub for fresh ideas, global perspectives, and meaningful connections. If you’d like to hear more about it, feel free to reach out or stop by for a chat.
| | | | Do You Have a Story to Share? | | We want to promote faculty and staff stories! Please contact Amy Holmes (amy_holmes@davidsondavie.edu) with ideas or referrals for stories. | | The Storm Report is brought to you by | | | | |
