We found 246 results that contain "iteachmsu"

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Social Science. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Amanda Kreuze: Amanda is appointed as the instructor of the online version of ISS310: People & the Environment for the Spring Semester 2020. As the course administrator and coordinator, I could not do my job without a highly motivated and knowledgeable person like Amanda in that role. She truly cares for her students and does her best to make sure that they are not only successful, but also that their online experience in People & the Environment is positive. The situation that students (and instructors) now find themselves in is unfathomable in many regards, but Amanda continues to do all that she can to provide a safe and positive online environment for students to learn. Thank you Amanda for all that you do for onGEO and your students!
 
Ida Djenontin: In addition to maintaining high performance on her own work, Ida has been a great support to both me and students in her role as TA for two of my classes this Spring! She has done a yeoman job with grading, but more importantly, has taken many other steps to get to know the undergrad students and to help with management. These have been crucial in helping us all successfully navigate the transition to 'remote' instruction. I deeply appreciate her work ethic and positive demeanor.
 
Rajiv Paudel: We would like to recognize Rajiv Paudel, graduate student in the Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, for his unwavering understanding and compassion through an unprecedented semester. Rajiv is teaching GEO325 (Geographic Information Systems) for the Department this spring and found himself responsible for transitioning 42 students through a swift transition to remote learning. Throughout this transition, Rajiv has been concerned for his students and their situations, in and out of the virtual classroom. Rajiv has been willing to work individually with students to remedy technical challenges with the fully online labs and repeatedly put his students first. The onGEO group is grateful for all that you do, Rajiv!
 
Aaron Luedtke: Aaron is one of those exceptional graduate students who devotes a tremendous amount of energy on being one of the best teachers in our department. Aaron received the Harry Brown Graduate Fellowship for Academic Excellence from our department in 2019 and had previously received the Fred Williams Graduate Award for teaching in 2018. This year, he was again nominated for the Somers teaching Award in IAH. Academically and intellectually, Aaron is an outstanding student with numerous fellowships and awards. He received a short-term dissertation fellowship from the D'Arcy McNickle Center at Chicago's Newberry Library and the Everett Helm Visiting Fellowship from the Lily Library at Indiana University. His article on Indigenous communities in the Great Lakes will be published in the forthcoming collection, The Northern Midwest and the US-Canada Borderlands: Essays on a Lost Region, in 2020.
 
Steve Anderson: Steve has been a teaching assistant for one of our department's largest courses--Introduction to Comparative Politics--for several semesters. Given the number of students and the nature of the assignments, this is not an easy job, and Steve always performs beyond expectations. He provides quick, careful, and helpful feedback to students on their work, and he is careful and reliable. Our students are lucky to have him as a teacher, and I'm lucky to have him as an assistant!
 
Kesicia Dickinson: Kesicia is so smart, kind, and respectful. She is inclusive and strong and serves as a mentor to our newest students of color. She is constantly empowering other students who feel out of place in the academy and creating space for them to shine. When some students -- especially her more junior peers of color – feel isolated and feel imposter syndrome, she goes out of her way to remind them that they have earned their space in the discipline and reminds them that they have so much to contribute. Our department is trying so hard to build a minority politics initiative, and without Kesicia and her persistence, encouragement, and participation, we would be a much worse group and department. She kills people with kindness, is genuine, constructive, and empowering. I am so proud to have her as a student in the discipline. I have yet to meet someone as inclusive and encouraging as Kesicia.
 
Natasha Fowler: I’d like to give a huge shout out to Natasha for being an amazing mentor this year! She’s been helping me with my UURAF poster, and I have learned so much from her. From the background science to the research process as a whole, Natasha has played a crucial part in my learning. The process of researching, making, and presenting this poster to the lab has been an amazing experience overall and I couldn’t have done it without Natasha. Thank you so much for your help, patience, and enthusiasm Natasha!
 
Megan Mikhail: Megan, I'm so happy you are in our lab! I so enjoy when you present and teach in our lab meetings, you make the science so easy to understand and also so engaging. You are clearly passionate about your work and it is so awesome to see. I always appreciate your insights as well, you offer such constructive and thoughtful input into research discussions. You're a joy to work with!
 
Nafiseh Haghtalab: Nafiseh is appointed as the instructor of the online version of GEO204: World Regional Geography for Spring Semester 2020. These are unparalleled times for our world, students and the University alike and Nafiseh has done all that she can to help students continue to be successful in the course amidst a new, and often more complicated, set of circumstances. I sincerely appreciate Nafiseh for her dedication to teaching the online course and supporting her students; having Nafiseh as an instructor has made my job as the course’s administrator and coordinator that much easier and more enjoyable. Thank you Nafiseh for all that you do for onGEO and your students!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll be directed to a form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Natural Science. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".

Gabe Ording: Gabe has been an amazing leader, both before and now during the pandemic. He has worked for a decade to build community in the unit, is always willing to talk and seek creative solutions for problems, and was forward thinking when the pandemic forced us to go remote last spring. In fact, he had prepared CISGS for the possibility of remote teaching by hosting THREE learning sessions before MSU officially went online. This meant that many colleagues were prepared for the transition and that we had already begun critical conversations needed for effective movement to online work. He is similarly bringing people together to discuss challenges and successes in the online classroom this Fall, has worked to ensure any face-to-face instruction is safe for everyone, and is generally an inspiration. Prior to this, his work was instrumental in ensuring that all of the integrative studies centers were working together to collect assessment data to evidence efficacy. Gabe's students also value him as much as his colleagues!

Rachel Morris: Dr. Rachel Morris has worked to expand her knowledge and experience in online pedagogy and has been a great resource and mentor during the pandemic. During FS2020, MSU added access to Labster. Dr. Morris kept BLD up to date on the availability of Labster and offered her assistance to faculty. Dr. Morris carries a significant teaching load, has committee responsibilities at MSU and in our professional society, is an Academic Advisor, and serves as our Graduate Program Director. She is readily available to colleagues for questions and mentoring.

Rupali Das: Dr. Das always goes above and beyond for her students. Her focus is not only limited to her student's understanding the material she is teaching and extends to concern for their overall well being. Her passion for science in infectious and it is amply evident that her regard for her student's interests is paramount! She deserves every recognition for all the hard-work she puts into her science and into her students' growth as competent professionals and robust scientists!

Casey Henley: I appreciate your dedication to your students, colleagues, and the institution. You are a great advocate for continued improvement in teaching and learning and is illustrated with your leadership. 

Stephen Thomas: Stephen Thomas is one of the best educators I know of. Not only is he smart, skilled and knowledgeable, but he is a genuinely caring person who does everything in his power to help students and colleagues be their very best. He works daily to be remarkable in his work as an educator and then he goes the extra mile to help other educators become great in their own right also. In every interaction and collaboration I am lucky enough to have with Stephen, I always come away more inspired, empowered, readied and prepared to face the next big design challenge in education. Thank you, Stephen Thomas, for all you do as a leader-educator at Michigan State University. 

Saul Beceiro Novo: I met Saul through the 2019-20 Adams Academy facilitated by the Academic Advancement Network. From the moment I heard Saul reflect on his experiences making his disciplinary content more accessible and enjoyable to individuals new to the field - I knew I wanted to pay attention to his educator practices. In my experience, he shows great care for learners and colleagues alike, is dedicated to crafting positive and high impact learning experiences, and achieving learning outcomes in innovative and creative ways! Keep an eye on Saul. He's a great educator, doing cool things!

Ashley Dunn: In a very challenging semester, Ashley committed to helping me with ANS 300E, animal welfare judging. She served as both a ULA, an assistant coach for the judging team, and in both roles was a huge help to me. She came to each class prepared, thoughtful and ready to support the students and instructor. In her role as a ULA, Ashley created a mock welfare scenario for the students and monitored their fact sheet submissions providing valuable practice and important feedback to the students. With such a trying semester for me, the quality of this course would have suffered had it not been for Ashley. A million times over, thank you. 

Julia Hinds: Julia is just the best. This has been a very hard semester in many ways and she has been a support all along. She always goes above and beyond every step of the way and makes everyone else’s life easier. I learn from her every time we meet :)

Nick Rekuski: Nick is passionate about teaching and he is not afraid to take on new challenges. He has taught an extraordinarily wide variety of courses, ranging from MTH 101 (Quantitative Literacy I) to MTH 309 (Linear Algebra). Nick has excelled in his work with students at all levels of undergraduate mathematics – both students who have intense math anxiety and students who love mathematics and intend to major in it. Nick approaches each student as an individual, gets to know them from the first day of class, and creates a community where each feels welcome and is comfortable to contribute to the class discussions.

Cole McCutcheon: Cole is an outstanding person. He exemplifies what it means to be a graduate student: incredibly hard working, determined, stubborn, unwilling to give up, and absolutely tenacious in tackling tough problems. Cole is also an excellent teacher and mentor; he approaches teaching situations with grace and care, ensuring that his students understand and synthesize the concepts at hand. I'm so glad that I get to work and laugh and teach with Cole.

Teresa Panurach

I appreciate Teresa and her plethora of positive practices, as well as her commitment to excellence in mentoring others. She is an inspiration to us all and deserves a raise.


Thank you, Teresa, for improving the lives of MSU students. Teresa runs a program mentoring Drew scholars who are also astrophysics majors, regularly checking in on them, running workshops, and facilitating research experiences. For many students, she has been a splash of support and joy during a lonely and sad pandemic. Thank you for your generosity and energy!


Camilla Monsalve: Life has been difficult for EVERYONE!  Cami makes it a point to come to my zoom office hours every week to see how I am doing.  While I make sure all 190+ Physics and Astronomy graduates are okay mentally, she makes sure I am okay too!  Warms my heart in so many ways.

Meiqi Liu: Meiqi, a first year Ph.D. student, who has not yet even been able to come to the US and is working with us remotely, has done an outstanding job as a TA, particularly grading for STT 441 and STT 861. The students in those courses are fortunate that she is such a strong TA and so diligent in her work. And we as instructors are extremely grateful. In addition, for myself as a scholar, I am very grateful for Ms. LIU Meiqi's work in helping mentor the work of my team of undergraduate researchers, including helping them with their project, which she has been doing since the very start of her time as a Ph.D. student in STT last Fall. This is far above and beyond the call of duty.

Sarah Manski: Sarah has helped us tremendously to successfully navigate the introductory classes in our department. She's extremely knowledgeable, passionate, and very encouraging. Her ability to work with students is amazing. During these unprecedented times, Sarah has been understanding, calm, and very helpful. She has provided valuable insight throughout the course, helped the ULAs, and supported me in successfully negotiating any challenges we faced during this phase. Apart from her role as a TA, she is involved in her own research, and actively works towards the betterment of our department. She is a role model for new graduate students and especially for the new TAs. Thank You, Sarah!!! 
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the College of Human Medicine. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".

Anne Dorrance: Dr. Dorrance has gone out of her way to make sure her students are engaged and communicating during COVID. She works relentlessly to ensure that the students she is associated with are still getting the best out of their experience at MSU. She has been an amazing mentor and I will take away many valuable lessons from her teaching and mentoring style.

Robin DeMuth: Superlative educator and administrator skills
Denis Alix: Dr. Denis Alix has been involved in teaching medical students in the College of Human Medicine at MSU for many years. Prior to teaching, he was a general surgeon involved in the kidney transplant program at St. Mary's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Most recently he has been involved with adding his expertise helping to teach second year medical students in the gastrointestinal interssion elective. I would like to personally thank Dr. Alix for sharing his years of experience with medical students.

Brian Mavis: Dr. Mavis is the epitome of a talented, versatile, creative and courageous educator colleague. He works incredibly hard, and incredibly smart at the same time. He is thoughtful and often "thinks outside the box" to find a better solution. He makes every meeting he attends, every group he joins, every effort he participates in better. He is completely unselfish and will help you if you reach out to him, no matter how much harder it makes his day, or week, or year. He has made a huge impact on the college and on the careers of countless colleagues. Thank you for everything you have accomplished professionally on behalf of our college, and everything you have given me, personally, throughout the years we have worked together. You are irreplaceable.

Pavneet Banga: Pavneet knows what she wants, pursues her goals with vigor and grace, and inspires faculty, student and staff every day to do their best in any circumstance. Thank you Pavneet for putting everything first!

Amanda Moser: Amanda came into the program the very day we needed to have a backup assistant, without hesitation, she took the initiative to assist faculty, students and staff in the program. Thank you Amanda, for reminding us to keep calm and carry on!

Rachael Weisbrod: Thank you Rachael for always going above and beyond with faculty, student, and staff requests! Faculty appreciate the initiative in guiding and teaching undergraduates, without having ever having to ask. In short, Rachael Rocks!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from the Broad College of Business. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Naomi Neilsen: Naomi puts her heart and soul into making sure the content, topics, exercises, power points, presentation delivery, & commitment to students in BUS 103 & BUS 591 makes students career ready!
Aubrey Wigner: Dr. Wigner organizes teaching materials and supports a team of recitation leaders for ESHP 190. I have served as a member of that teaching team for the last 5 years. Dr. Wigner's energy ignites our team and prepares us for all possibilities. His ability to think creatively during the pandemic and assist us in moving our courses online is appreciated.
Kenneth Szymusiak: I have worked with Ken on entrepreneurship programs at MSU for several years. He is the lead instructor of a teaching team for ESHP 190. It has been a pleasure to serve on that team for the last 5 years. Ken is always working on improving student learning. He is bold and willing to test new teaching approaches. I always appreciate the resources he provides to us as co-instructors while still allowing us the flexibility to share our expertise and manage our recitations.
Michelle Snitgen: I have co-led a social innovation themed recitation session for ESHP 190 with Michelle for the last 3 years. Michelle is always thoughtful in her preparation for our sessions. Students appreciate her organized approach. She is a wonderful colleague! I appreciate her willingness to work collaboratively and blend our teaching styles to deliver the best learning opportunities for our students. We worked together to transition our recitation to a virtual environment during the Spring 2020 semester and improved our online teaching strategies for Fall 2020. Michelle's organized approach and flexibility made our transition to virtual effective. I am grateful for the opportunity to teach with Michelle. She offers so much to our colleagues and our students.Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

The following is a list of the educators receiving the #iteachmsu Educator Award from College of Engineering. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Chris Shaltry: The Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit, held on January 14, 2022, wouldn't have been possible without participation from educators like you. I know that ongoing uncertainty and stress at work and at home mean many folx are spread thin, and your willingness to share your time with us demonstrates your commitment to not only educator development at MSU, but the university's teaching and learning mission as a whole. The insights you provided (and continue to provide through asynchronous feedback opportunities) are invaluable as we continue to listen, learn, and ultimately shape what role the Center for TLI plays for Spartans. Witnessing the level of engagement, passion, and constructively critical questioning - makes me all the more excited to be a part of the Center staff moving forward. I'm looking forward to continued opportunities to work with you in the near future. Thank you again for the service you provided to MSU by participating in the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Kick-off Summit!
Beth Gettings: Beth is an inspiration and a genuine badass!  She is made of pure grit, except for her heart -that is pure gold.  She, along with my two amazing LAs, Gabi Cuenca and Hannah Ahmed, are the only reason my course occasionally comes across as organized!  I will miss them so much next year.  Thank you for all you do and all that goes unrecognized!!
Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

The following is a full list of the educators receiving the 2021 #iteachmsu Educator Award from all colleges and educator units. For more information on these awards, check out the article entitled "#iteachmsu Educator Awards".
Broad College of Business 

Naomi Neilsen
Aubrey Wigner
Kenneth Szymusiak
Michelle Snitgen

College of Agriculture and Natural Resources 

Jenifer Fenton
Tatiana Thomas
Jessica Kiesling
Scott Winterstein
Aakanksha Melkani
April Athnos
Ankita Bhattacharya
Sihan Bu
Rick Jorgensen
Srishti LNU
Chia-Lun Yang
Lucas Krusinski
Alyssa Harben

College of Arts & Letters 

Deric McNish
Danielle Devoss
Krsna Santos
Hannah Allen
Adam Gacs
Nicola Imbrascio
Dr. Sheila  Contreras 
Morgan Shipley
Kenlea Pebbles
Ann Larabee
Mohammad Khalil
Kate Sonka
Peter Hoffman
Hui-Ling Malone
Amy Lampe
Kate Birdsall
Kathryn Houghton
Kate Fedewa 
Casey Miles
Maileen Bugnaski
Dustin De Felice
Megan Walsh
Bethany Meadows

College of Communication Arts & Sciences 

Andrew Corner 
Sara Grady
David Ford
Kate Shabet
Gisele Souza Neuls

College of Education  

Kris Surla
Candace Robertson
Brittany Dillman
Spencer Morgan

College of Engineering 

Ian Hildebrandt
Corey Gamache

College of Human Medicine

Anne Dorrance
Robin DeMuth
Denis Alix
Brian Mavis
Pavneet Banga
Amanda Moser
Rachael Weisbrod

College of Natural Science

Gabe Ording
Rachel Morris
Rupali Das
Casey Henley
Stephen Thomas
Saul Beceiro Novo
Ashley Dunn
Julia Hinds
Nick Rekuski
Cole McCutcheon
Teresa Panurach
Camilla Monsalve
Meiqi Liu
Sarah Manski

College of Osteopathic Medicine 

Jane Gudakunst

College of Social Science

Christina DeJong
Skylar Dewitt
Eddie Boucher
Lindsay Ackerman
Sean Hankins

College of Veterinary Medicine 

Jennifer Thomas
Janet Hengesbach
Micaela Flores
Jule Strachota
Sarah Shull

James Madison College

Jeffrey Judge

Lyman Briggs College

Marisa Brandt

Other Educator Units
Human Resources

Amanda Farrar

Center for Statistical Training and Consulting (CSTAT)

Sanket Jantre
Sichao Wang

Integrative Studies in Social Science

Alison Rautman

Hub for Innovation in Learning and Technology

Jerry Rhead
Breana Yaklin
Summer Issawi
Ashley Braman

Technology at MSU

Nick Noel
Kevin Henley
Drew Beach

University Outreach and Engagement

Diane Doberneck

APUE Office

Jim Lucas

WorkLife Office

John Girdwood
Tiana Carter
Barbara Roberts
Jaimie Hutchison

Libraries

Jessica Sender
Susan Kendall
Julie Taylor

Anyone can recognize a fellow Spartan for their contributions to MSU's teaching and learning mission or for how they made a lasting impression on your experience. All you have to do is click "Thank an Educator" in the left panel of iteach.msu.edu. From there you'll see a short form where you can enter the name, netID, and a short story of the educator you'd like to recognize.

Copyright Basics
Many people believe there is a blanket exception in the copyright law for education.  This is not true.  There are exceptions that allow instructors to use copyrighted material without special permission in face-to-face and real time classroom teaching.  This does not translate over to the posting material on a web site.  Posting materials on a web site is considered re-publication and not teaching, so teaching exceptions do not apply for #iteachmsu.   
The most important thing you need to understand about copyright is that all original works of authorship are copyrighted, by default, from the moment they are fixed in tangible form.  Since 1989, the copyright symbol, a copyright notice, or copyright registration are not required, so you must assume that everything is copyrighted unless you can confirm that it is not.  
Copyright belongs originally to the author and (for works published in the United States since 1978) lasts the life of the author plus 70 years.  As noted above for your own work, authors can sign away their copyrights, or many of the rights of copyright, however, and often do, when they publish.  So, it is important that you think about this when you publish.
Copyright, by definition, only applies to original works of authorship, so the following cannot be copyrighted:

Facts, procedures, ideas, systems, concepts, and principles
Mathematical equations
Lists of ingredients
Strictly factual photographs, such as photos of histology slides

Holding copyright in a work gives someone a number of exclusive rights, including the right to:

Reproduce all or part of the work
Prepare derivative works from the work
Distribute copies of the work, including through the internet
Perform the work publicly
Display the work publicly

Some materials are considered to be in the public domain and do not have copyright protection.   The following types of materials are in the public domain:

Material published in the United States prior to 1924
Material created by a United States government employee and published by the United States government
Material which the owner has dedicated to the public domain

Using Outside Sources
The material that you post to #iteachmsu should be your own work, as you do not have the right to post, distribute, or display material that is not your own.  Of course, sometimes you will use outside sources in creating your own work, and you want to make sure that you do so legally. 
Public domain and uncopyrightable sources
It is legal for you to post and reproduce sources that are in the public domain (or uncopyrightable—see above lists in Copyright Basics) as well as create derivative works based on them.  Good scholarship says that you should still cite these sources and not simply plagiarize.   
Creative Commons sources
You may find materials on the web that are licensed under a Create Commons license similar to the one #iteachmsu asks its authors to use.  You should check which Creative Commons license was used to be clear on how you are allowed to use the material. 

Creative Commons attribution licenses allow you to use the material as you like as long as you give attribution. See How to give attribution.
Some Creative Commons licenses specify you may only use for non-commercial reasons or you must license your derived material similarly (“share alike”).
Creative Commons licenses that specify “no derivatives” mean that you may re-post the material but not remix or build your own work on it.

Other copyrighted sources
It is legal for you to use most copyrighted sources if you:

Cite ideas, facts, and other information
Link out to sources on the web
Quote short excerpts from textual works with attribution

However, even if you cite your source, you are probably infringing on someone else’s copyright if you:

Use larger portions of copyrighted texts
Closely paraphrase portions of copyrighted texts
Use parts of song lyrics or poems where even one line can be considered a significant portion of the work

Terms of use
On the web, some sources may come with licenses and terms of use that take precedence over basic copyright law.  MSU Library electronic resources all come with licenses and terms of use.  Using material that has terms of use means you agree to abide by those terms.

Look for “terms and conditions” on any web site, usually found in the small print at the bottom of the page or in an “about” section.
The terms may allow you to use portions on a site like #iteachmsu, or they may prohibit you from using any portion on any web site.
Terms of use may specify exactly how you may use the content. For instance, YouTube specifies that you may link to their videos or use their own embeddable player, but you may not download videos and save them on your own computer or server. 

Multimedia
Use of multimedia (images, music, video) can be especially fraught with possible copyright infringement issues.  For instance, most images that come up when you do a Google images search are not legal for you to reuse.  To stay legal you may:

Link out to videos and audio instead of downloading (which could violate terms of use)
Use a web site’s own embeddable player or a form of use that the site itself suggests
Use images that are marked public domain or with a Creative Commons license that allows re-use

Tip: To find public domain or Creative Commons images, you can search for “public domain images” or do a Google Images search, then, at the top of the page, click on “Tools”, then under that “usage rights”.  Limit your search using this link to images that are labelled for “reuse with modification”. 
 
Seeking Permissions
If you determine that it is probably not legal to reuse the work or the amount of the work that you selected, you may seek permission from the copyright holder to use the work.
There are a few caveats:

You must make sure you have identified the actual copyright holder of the material you want to use and not just someone else who is reusing the material. This can be difficult and time consuming if you are using material from Power Point slides and other non-traditional sources you find on the web.  
Because #iteachmsu may eventually be opened up to the public, you would need to seek permissions to post on the open web.
It is very unlikely you will receive permission to reuse commercially published material on a site like #iteachmsu.
If you are able to get permissions from commercial sources, the fees may be cost-prohibitive.

Because of these caveats and the nature of #iteachmsu, it is recommended that you please do not rely on being able to use or embed much, if any, outside, copyrighted sources in the materials you post. 
 
Getting Help with Copyright
The MSU Libraries Office of Copyright can be found at https://lib.msu.edu/copyright/ . 
Susan Kendall, Copyright Librarian, is available to help you work through a copyright question, although she cannot give legal advice.
The Office of Copyright can help with some permissions questions but asks that you consider copyright and the above caveats first before choosing your sources.

23,000 users. 36,000 sessions. As with any new platform, users flocked slowly to the #iteachmsu Commons, a platform for educators at MSU that combines aspects of an online forum and social network. But iteach.msu.edu has seen exponential growth over the last year. Makena Neal, head of the #iteachmsu Commons team, attributes this growth, in part, to the versatility built into the platform’s core concept: that it would be whatever purpose its community of users decided. 
“We built #iteachmsu Commons, and it’s been a very informed process throughout many years of focus groups and testing, but ultimately, it’s a space that’s for educators, by educators,” says Neal. “We’ve stuck to our guns on this: how the community picks it up is how it’s going to be used. We’re not gatekeepers. People can use the platform however it’s going to be most meaningful and useful for them.”
Neal and others who worked on the project believed in the vision: that MSU educators, broadly defined, could benefit from having a digital place to ask questions, trade tips, and share ideas. But evangelizing for the platform was difficult with people already inundated with communication channels like websites and newsletters. Neal thinks the interactivity offered by the platform, and its focus on MSU educators specifically, differentiates it from other media and social networks available to Spartans.
“The Commons is meant to be a place where people can connect and share knowledge regardless of their role, regardless of their discipline, and get feedback and insights from other folx across the board,” says Neal. “MSU is a really big place. We’ve got educators working across a variety of roles and spaces. Some are physically on campus, and some are around the world, especially given today’s remote and hybrid work. Sheer size and disciplinary silos can make it really difficult to connect with people outside of our ‘home bases’. It’s also difficult to elevate and leverage the knowledge that exists in those other spaces. Iteach.msu.edu can help.”
One of the new functions driving this sharing is the threaded reply, similar to the one adopted by many social and message apps over the past few years. While a seemingly small detail, threaded replies open up entirely new formats and, accordingly, created a new recurring feature on iteach.msu.edu: “Ask Me Anythings,” or AMAs.
“Educators from around campus volunteer to host an AMA on a topic of their choosing,” says Neal. “For example, ‘Makena Neal is hosting an AMA on adult learners.’ Users can reply in a thread with questions or comments, and the host can reply directly. It’s now a much more user-friendly experience. One of the really cool things about the AMAs is that they’re repositories of knowledge, discoverable by searching iteach.msu.edu. You might search for the phrase ‘adult learners’ and find an AMA where the host shared a series of links, documents, and tips.”
Neal and her team are watching the platform evolve with continued fascination. Some of its popular components were designed and inserted by the team intentionally, such as the Thank an Educator feature. 
“Anyone can go to #iteachmsu and recognize any MSU educator that has had an impact on them. And of course, when I say ‘educator,’ I mean anyone who contributes to the teaching and learning mission of the university,” says Neal. “This includes everyone from undergraduate learning assistants to administrators, librarians to learning designers. I really love that. I think it’s really important to elevate and celebrate the amazing work we know is happening at MSU, but that we don’t always hear about.”
But other features, like the AMA, are evolving naturally from the community of users. And the platform is also serving as a way for previously seldom-connected offices to collaborate or gain more visibility with other audiences. For instance, the MSU Extension group is the fastest-growing group on the platform, and they are curating articles related to the extension and outreach side of education, including reaching diverse audiences and facilitating groups, according to Neal.
“We’re seeing units, like the Office for Faculty and Academic Staff Development, turn to iteach.msu.edu when they get questions about specific topics,” she says. “For example, if an educator has questions about what components need to be on their syllabus at the beginning of the semester, OFASD can direct them to the list of syllabus resources on the #iteachmsu Commons, or they can search iteach.msu.edu themselves. It’s a really exciting multi-unit collaboration.``
To keep the campus community apprised of everything happening on #iteachmsu Commons, Neal and her collaborators began releasing a newsletter highlighting popular content on the site, called the “#iteachmsu Digest.“ The Digest also includes a Featured Educator section to bring attention to the site’s popular Thank an Educator function.
Neal is optimistic about the site’s future now that so many groups and tens of thousands of individual users are having conversations there. She also maintains that those not inclined to use the site’s interactive features will still find useful content about their discipline or unit. 
Below is a list of the most popular content from #iteachmsu Commons during the 20-21 academic year.

How Do We Best Support Students in a Remote Learning Environment? (article)
Mid-Semester Feedback (playlist)
Student Success Contacts and Resources (playlist)
MSU Learning Communities are Spaces to Explore Ideas in Education, Teaching, and Learning (article)
Educator Development Opportunities (playlist)
A Case for More Testing: The Benefits of Frequent, Low-Stakes Assessments (article)