About

Portrait of Instructor Fleishans
Brendan Fleishans, Instructor, MOS, MCT

My Community College Journey So Far

Hello! My name is Brendan Fleishans and starting in the Fall 2020 semester, I will be joining the Office Information Technology program as an instructor. I’m excited to join Kellogg Community College and wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to you.

I am a first-generation college student and a proud community college alumni and advocate. I believe that a community college education is a transformative experience that helps students meet their futures head-on. I know from experience the hardships college students can face. However, those challenges helped make me stronger; as a person and as a professional. I learned from other students, faculty, staff, and mentors how to move forward. As a result, I knew early on that I wanted to be a community college instructor. I want to be part of a community that focuses on helping others in creating a future by obtaining skills that will serve beyond the classroom

Teaching Philosophy in Practice

Technology is designed to help us solve problems and find solutions in an efficient and effective manner. Knowing what tools are available and how to use these tools to find solutions are valuable skills in the workplace today. While technology has much to offer, I acknowledge that there can be challenges. Technology often pushes us out of our comfort zones. My mission is to meet you where you are in your current skill using technology, to accept you for who you are, and help you build confidence and technical skills.

Within the classroom, my approach embraces aspects of technical knowledge and practical use. My teaching style gravitates towards live demonstrations and discussion. Assignments and readings are selected for their technical value and to provide you with active learning experiences. I believe striving for excellence is a virtue; and that mistakes are part of the learning process. I believe our mistakes and failures provide for learning opportunities for continuous self-improvement. I strive to ensure the content I present not only aligns with the course objectives, but offers value to your college experience and your future career goals.

What am I working on this term?

Like you, I have a few projects that I am working on outside of the classroom. Here’s a sample of a few things I am working on in the Summer of 2020.

  • Preparing for my first semester at Kellogg Community College. Go Bruins! 🙂
    • Learning more about KCC and connecting with KCC resources.
      • Completed KCC New Faculty Orientation!
      • Joined the KCC Faculty Mentoring Program
    • Reviewing course materials, preparing demonstrations & discussions.
    • Learning more about the Moodle LMS (I’m a Blackboard Certified Trainer & have used Brightspace in the past).
      • Learn Moodle Basics – Completed!
      • Online Teaching and Learning Certification Course – Completed!
  • Preparing to renew my certifications for Office 2019.
    • COVID-19 has had a bit of an impact on my schedule but I’m finding my way!
    • I am celebrating my 10 Year Anniversary as a Microsoft Certified Trainer, which is super exciting!
  • Building my KCC Staff Website
    • Aiming to build a site that is useful.

Education

M.A. – Educational Technology, Central Michigan University
B.B.A. – Computer Information Management, Northwood University
A.A.S. – Marketing, Alpena Community College
A.A. – Business Information Systems, Alpena Community College

Certifications

Microsoft Certified Trainer (2010-Present)
Microsoft Office Specialist Master (Office 2016, 2007)
Microsoft Office Specialist (Word, Word Expert, Excel, Excel Expert, PowerPoint, and Outlook 2016)
Microsoft Office Specialist (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2013)
Microsoft Office Specialist (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2010)
Microsoft Office Specialist (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Access 2007)
Microsoft Office Specialist (Word, Word Expert, Excel, PowerPoint 2003

Fall 2020 Courses

Currently, I am scheduled to teach the following courses for the Fall 2020 Semester: