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In This Issue About the Newsletter
This is the first issue of a new newsletter about Instructional Technology at Ursinus. Its purpose is to inform and, we hope, inspire faculty in their use of technology in teaching. We will write about how faculty members are using Blackboard and other resources on campus, and tell you about new tools available to you. In our “Website of the Month” column, we will point you to websites that describe innovative applications of technology in teaching, or provide you with resources that you and your students can use. Our “Faculty Profiles” will highlight exciting applications of instructional technology on campus. We will answer your questions, and write about what you want to hear. So please let us hear from you! Our first order of business is to let you know who “we” are, what we can offer you, and what Instructional Technology means to us. Instructional Technology (IT) Defined The field of instructional technology has its roots in several disciplines. These include the behavioral and cognitive sciences, communication theory, and constructivism. When technologies, such as computers, digital video and the World Wide Web, are applied to the art of teaching and the science of learning, the marriage produces a model that can solve instructional problems and enhance learning outcomes. At Ursinus, IT was first implemented on campus in conjunction with the laptop initiative. The role of instructional technologists is to assist faculty in the integration of appropriate technologies in their course materials and teaching strategies. To this end, IT staff can provide consultation to brainstorm initial ideas, assist in developing a budget for new projects, contribute to problem solutions, provide individual or group training in technologies, help faculty develop departmental and course web pages, implement new technologies to address instructional needs, and evaluate the effectiveness of alternative approaches. Who Are We? Each of us brings a unique background and
skill set to her position. We can work
together, or coordinate with other individuals and departments on campus, to
provide a complete solution to your instructional technology needs. Paula Laholt: I joined the Instructional Technology team in
the Spring of 2000 after earning a second M.Ed., this time from Formerly, I had spent a major portion of my
career with Educational Testing Service as a manager for a software
application development group working with both external clients and internal
operational departments. During this time, I applied my previous graduate
studies, from In my position here, I have worked with faculty to apply several types of technology at a variety of levels, from simple web research to the use of video as applied to teaching and learning. I have supported the UC course management system, web design and implementation, research data acquisition and analysis, online survey design, experiential learning and the creation of multimedia products. I have been honored to present at several regional and national educational conferences over the past two years. My personal interests are those that involve the challenge of ‘reaching beyond my grasp’ (with apologies to Browning) whether professional or recreational. I look forward to my continuing relationships with faculty members, and also my support of those with whom I have not yet worked. Contact: plaholt@ursinus.edu, x2678. Jan Richard: My academic interests span the humanities,
sciences and social sciences. My
undergraduate degree was in Classical Civilization from Yale, an
interdisciplinary major which included ancient languages, literature,
philosophy, history and art. I earned
an MS degree in Computer Science from Villanova where I did research on
computer systems that learn. Most
recently, at I have spent my entire career in
education. After teaching at the K-12
level, I joined Academic Computing at At Since arriving at Ursinus in January, I have enjoyed speaking with several faculty members about their current use of technology and ideas for the future. I look forward to meeting with other faculty or departments to discuss technology needs. I would be happy to visit classes to learn first hand how you are or would like to be using technology in your teaching. Contact: jrichard@ursinus.edu, x2755.
For faculty use, we have both digital video and still cameras. The still camera is a 2.1 pixel Olympus Camedia, model C-2020 with zoom. The pictures can be transferred to a PC or laptop using a serial cable and software installed in the Faculty Multimedia Resource room on the 3rd floor of Myrin. This camera will also shoot a short amount of video. The video camera is a Sony Handicam zoom mini DV model DCR-TRV900. Video is stored on a DV (digital video) tape and can be captured (transferred to a PC) and edited on a high-end PC in the Faculty Multimedia Resource room.
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Ever wonder what you can do with this equipment? Here are some of the ways in which faculty at Ursinus have used this technology:
For student use, there are cameras for loan from the Media Services area in the basement of Myrin. If you want to borrow either of the cameras for faculty use or want instruction in the use of them, just give one of us a call!
Blackboard Users Group Forming Are you using Blackboard to post your syllabus and class assignments, but wondering how Blackboard’s other features might benefit you? Have you found a way to use Blackboard quizzes to improve student preparation and better tailor your lectures to address areas of difficulty for your students? Are you using discussion groups in a creative way to promote student engagement with the material? Whether you’re a Blackboard neophyte or a seasoned veteran, the new Blackboard Users Group is for you. Blackboard Users Group (BBUG) is an online forum, in Blackboard, for faculty to discuss their use of Blackboard in teaching, find out what features other faculty have found useful, talk about problems or concerns they have with their use of Blackboard, and get instructions on how to use Blackboard’s features. Since BBUG is online, you can post comments or questions, or read and reply to them, when it’s convenient for you. There are no meetings to attend – unless you want to set one up. This academic year, close to 200 faculty members have used or are using Blackboard in over 300 courses. Why not learn from one another’s experience? The Blackboard Users Group is now forming. It’s easy to join: 1. Log into Blackboard 2. Click on the Community tab. 3. Under the heading Organization Catalog, click on the Organizations link. 4. Next to “Blackboard Users Group,” click the Enroll button. 5. On the Self Enrollment page, for Access Code, type “faculty” and click Submit. 6. Click OK to continue. “Blackboard Users Group” should appear under My Organizations on the UC Online home page when you log into Blackboard. We hope to see you online!
We are talking about your PC files. Periodically, everyone needs to provide an off-site repository for their computer files so that they are not lost through a hard drive failure or other calamity. How often should you do this? We recommend every month for files you rarely edit, and every week or so for files you change frequently. If you are working on a file daily, then it is wise to save this file or folder to another location on a daily basis. Computing Services backs up the Blackboard file server automatically every night, so anything you enter into Blackboard can be retrieved under normal circumstances. How Do I Back Up My Files? If you have a CD-R or CD-RW drive that can write to a CD, you can use the Roxio CD Creator software installed on your laptop. The most recent laptops distributed spring/summer 2002 have this capability. If you do not have a CD writer, you can always come to the Computing Services area on the third floor of Myrin and use the external CD writers there. Be sure to bring a blank CD. For more frequent backups of very active files, you can use the server space you have allocated to you. Just drag-and-drop your files to your department folder or to your own R: drive. Copying files to floppy disks is a quick and easy method for temporary backups of files that you modify frequently. Be aware, though, that floppy disks are not particularly hardy and often fail. Therefore, we recommend that you back up on multiple floppies, keep them in a protective box, and use an alternate backup method for more permanent storage. Speaking of Backups, Where is My Gradebook Kept? If you are using the Gradebook feature of Blackboard, it is to your advantage to export, or backup, this file separately and frequently. Although the Gradebook is backed up from the Blackboard server, it is not as accessible as having your own copy. To do this: enter your course and select Control Panel –> Online Gradebook –> Export Gradebook. Follow the instructions presented. More About Gradebook… Have you noticed that sometimes a student is locked out of an online quiz? You will see the lock icon in the spreadsheet view of the Gradebook. This may mean that the student has entered the quiz but has not actually responded and clicked the Submit button. If students use the Back button on their browser, it will appear that they have not completed the quiz. When a student clicks on the quiz to enter it, s/he has made a decision to continue. The student then receives a message window asking if this is OK. Once in the quiz, the student should not use the Back button even if you have designated that they may take the quiz as many times as they like.
Website of the
Month: The Shodor Education Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving math and science education at all levels through the use of models and simulations. The Shodor Foundation also partners with other foundations, government organizations and universities to provide educational resources free of charge. Their website includes lots of well-designed and ready-to-use models, complete with guides for using the simulations in teaching. The topics covered include astronomy, biology, chemistry, computer science, environmental studies, math, physics, medicine, physiology, probability and statistics, and more. “Project Interactivate” is a group of web-based activities designed to help middle and high school students grasp mathematical concepts through visualization and experimentation. Education majors might find these activities useful in their student teaching, while students who have had difficulty with high school mathematics may find that these models offer a new perspective. In addition to ready-made simulations, the Shodor website provides information on easy-to-use tools for developing your own simulations for teaching. The Shodor Foundation has funding to come on-site to teach college professors and advanced students how to use these tools. Their workshops are both entertaining and inspiring. Anyone who is interested in bringing these workshops to Ursinus should contact Jan Richard, x2755.
http://www.webstyleguide.com If you’re designing a new website, or
thinking about a facelift for an existing site, you might want to check out
the Web Style Guide, 2nd Edition. This online guide, developed at the |