NMC is hosting several upcoming training opportunities for employes. Seats are limited! Register for all courses through NeoEd Learn using these instructions. For questions, contact professionaldevelopmentinstitute@nmc.edu
Canva Basics
Wednesday, February 4, 12–1 p.m.
Instructor: Alison Thornton
Flyers, newsletters, presentations, infographics, mind maps—you name it, Canva can help you design it. With thousands of beautifully crafted templates and intuitive drag-and-drop tools, Canva makes it easy to bring your ideas to life. In this hands-on session, you’ll learn how to customize layouts, edit images, work with text, and make the most of Canva’s built-in magic. Whether you’re designing for your classroom, your team, or your next big idea, you’ll walk away with creative tools and confidence to match.
Canva Presentations and Canva AI
Monday, February 9, 12–1 p.m.
Instructor: Alison Thornton
Focusing on presentations and the use of AI, you will learn to apply the skills you have learned in Canva Basics to develop graphically pleasing presentations including video and audio, as well as using features such as drawing, resizing designs, magic features, text-to-image features, instant styles, and layouts. You will learn how to use AI to start the development of your presentations and how to upload existing presentations for further development in Canva. This is for use in class, on Instagram, on campus monitors, and more!
Google Slides and Google Vids
Wednesday, February 11, 12–1 p.m.
Instructor: Alison Thornton
This hands-on course introduces Google Vids, an AI-powered video creation and editing application integrated with Google Workspace, to enhance teaching, professional development, and campus communications. Participants will learn to quickly generate video drafts using Gemini AI from simple prompts or existing Drive documents, utilize built-in templates, record screen or camera content, integrate various media, and employ editing tools for customizing and branding short-form video content up to 10 minutes in length, ultimately fostering more engaging and accessible learning experiences and internal announcements through streamlined video production.
CPR-AED Training
Tuesday, February 17, 4:30–6 p.m.
Osterlin Building, room 205
Instructor: Eric Darling, Fife Lake Fire Chief
Learn how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) to respond to sudden cardiac arrest. This is a non-certification training that will provide attendees with hands-on learning opportunities.
For questions, contact Garrett Croon at gcroon@nmc.edu or (231) 995-1747.
AI Prompting: Crafting Conversations with AI
Wednesday, February 18, 3–4 p.m.
Instructor: Alison Thornton
Are you curious about AI and how it can help you? Learn about working with the AI Large Language Models (LLM’s like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.ai) to brainstorm, summarize, explain topics, find information on the web, and respond to complex prompts. Come to this session where you will see a demonstration and get hands-on practice in AI Prompting!
Exploring the Evolving AI Landscape
Wednesday, February 25, 3–4 p.m.
Instructor: Alison Thornton
This advanced workshop is designed for faculty and staff who are already familiar with AI LLM’s and basic AI prompting but want to deepen their understanding of the newest developments in AI. Participants will explore powerful new tools and features—including Gemini Flash 2.5 Image, ChatGPT-5, Study and Learn, Agent Mode, storybooks, real-world applications that are reshaping education and productivity, and other new launches. (Please take AI Prompting before signing up for this class or ask athornton@nmc.edu for a waiver, if you are familiar with AI Prompting.)
AVIRT (Active Violence Immediate Response Training)
Monday, March 16, 3:30–6 p.m.
Osterlin Building, room 205
Instructor: Eric Darling, Fife Lake Fire Chief
When acts of violence occur, you can’t always wait for EMS to arrive. AVIRT Training was developed with law enforcement and medical experts to empower everyone to become an immediate responder. This course is designed to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge to respond effectively to active violence and emergency situations. AVIRT teaches both active shooter response skills and emergency bleeding techniques. Certification period: 2 years