collegian.tccd.edu
Say his name PG. 2
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 – Volume 34 • Issue 3 DISTRICT
9/11
Canvas brings growing pains for students, staff, faculty JOSE ROMERO editor-in-chief
20 YEARS LATER
LOGAN EVANS
managing editor
Settled in the heartland of North Texas, Tarrant County sits some 1,600 miles from New York City — a world of difference in terms of culture, landscape and attitude. But on the morning of Sep. 11, 2001, that distance was folded in on itself as the country came together to grieve. SE associate professor of history Kristan Foust was a student attending NE Campus when news of the attack broke. Classes were immediately canceled for the rest of the day. Foust and her roommate began packing their bags, planning to drive to a family farm in West Texas, where they’d be safe in the event of additional attacks. “We were all so scared,” she said. NE instructor of history Samantha Elkins was only in sixth grade. She remembers teachers whispering to one another outside her classroom at J.B. Little Elementary in Arlington. There was a tension choking the air, she said. Something was happening, but her classmates didn’t know what. Then came rumblings that a group of students down the hall was getting to watch TV during music class. By the time Elkins went to music class, the TV was turned off. “When the first plane hit, everyone kind of assumed it was an accident,” she said. “When it became apparent it wasn’t, the school didn’t want to scare any of the students who might have family traveling on planes.” Two decades later, Elkins looks back at that day as a turning point, both historically and personally. New fears began sprouting up in the U.S. over national security and terrorism, things that everyday citizens were hardly thinking of before. Fear was rampant. “In many ways, 9/11 was the end of my childhood,” she said. But above all else, Elkins looks back and admires the people who did good when times were the hardest.
TCC made the transition from Blackboard to Canvas this semester, and experiences have varied. “Canvas gives the faculty members more freedom than Blackboard in some aspects, and less in others,” said Chase Jowell, learning management systems specialist. “For the most part, reception has been positive despite the huge adjustment to workflows.” TCC began the project in December 2020. Jowell said multiple teams throughout the district worked on the transition. “IT, IILE, Learning Commons, CTL and more,” he said. “Name an acronym, it was likely involved.” Currently, it’s a team of two people responsible for Canvas technical support. He said the department isn’t equipped enough to deal with all the tickets. “We are responsible for every technical change, maintenance task, system update and helpdesk ticket related to Canvas or Blackboard,” he said. “We deal with everything from coordination with vendors and installation of publisher integrations to student login issues, all of it.” The week of Sept. 2 had an average of 150-200 tickets when the usual amount ranges from 40-70, which is all they are equipped to handle, he said. NE student development associate Michelle Taylor said it’s been fun but challenging getting to learn the platform. One of the primary challenges Taylor said is Canvas’ lack of options for student organizations. “It is meant more for classes with modules,” she said. “In Blackboard, students were able to self-enroll in any club they are interested in. In Canvas, a teacher for the course page needs to add students interested in joining.” She said students are unsure how to enroll in clubs, and TCC didn’t provide specific instructions for club advisers, leaders or staff. But, she enjoys its ease of use because it’s simple and allows graphics and video. NE student Frances Jamnik said navigating the website was difficult, causing confusion among students and the professor. “I think the main problem is that Canvas has specific opening dates for the main course and assignments,” he said. “For example, lecture videos and quizzes opened two days after the course began.” He said Canvas works well, but it takes a bit of getting used to. The availability of assignments was the biggest problem for Jamnik. Assignments sometimes wouldn’t pop up, almost causing him to miss a submission entirely. Jowell said another common issue he’s run into is enrollment not properly updating. He attributed growing pains as the primary reason for complications and said it’ll be difficult to determine the issues with Canvas since it’s still new. Fortunately, Jowell is also confident to transition to virtual if need be. “ We ’ r e w e l l - p r e p a r e d f r o m o u r experience during the initial phase of the pandemic, so LMS support can go virtual at any time,” he said. “Thankfully, all of our resources can be accessed remotely.” Taylor said student development plans on training organization leaders how to use Canvas during Unplugged, an event on Sept. 17. “It’s been very difficult because we understand how time-sensitive and frustrating these issues are for faculty and students, but currently we just don’t have the resources to handle them at this volume,” Jowell said.
“ P e o p l e c a m e t o g e t h e r, they gave,” she said. “The first responders were incredible for what they did at ground zero.” TCC coordinator of fire services Bill Pearson was a Fort Worth firefighter in 2001, but on the day of the attacks, he was off-duty meeting a friend for coffee. Watching NYC firefighters disappear into clouds of smoke, he thought to himself, “There’s a good chance some of those guys aren’t going to go home.” Twenty years later, Pearson and his department use the memory of that day and the 343 firefighters who were killed in action to teach their students — many of whom weren’t yet born — of the danger inherent to their career path. “With the job, there’s risk,” he said. “There’s going to be some tough days. It’s what those guys experienced.” All told, around 3,000 people were killed by the attacks in 2001. In addition, over 6,000 were injured and reports of hate crimes against Muslims spiked. During this time, NE intercultural network coordinator Marjeanna Burge decided to visit a mosque with a non profit she was working for. Muslims in the area had been receiving death threats, and Burge’s organization wanted to show solidarity. “I’ll never forget the smiles, the hugs,” she said. Burge said she recognizes a pattern in how we sometimes respond to tragedy, comparing the stigma that followed Muslims after 9/11 to the reported rise in antiAsian hate crimes in the wake of COVID-19. She believes there are lessons to be learned. “There’s a bigger picture somewhere than just us,” she said. “These experiences we go through are an opportunity for us to learn and do better.” Two decades later, Americans remember the lives lost, sacrifices made and the compassion that can bridge any distance — physical, spiritual, or otherwise.
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