30 Clicks: Paperless Solutions

Reducing paper is about more than print costs and sustainability. There are also the issues of flexibility, accessibility, and accountability. This Cannell Library 30 Clicks session addresses print handling, PDF document format, and Microsoft Office review tools, and addresses pros, cons, and challenges of going paperless. Click here to download the handout from the Paperless Solutions session.

Need a Smart Classroom Key?

Fall term is almost upon us. If you are teaching in a Smart Classroom and wish to use the Smart Classroom podium, you need a key. To receive your key you must take a brief training in one of two formats:

Complete the Convenient Online Smart Classroom Training

You may also opt for Online Smart Classroom Orientation which may be taken online from any location. You will be guided through the basic operation and features of the Smart Classroom podium. A printer is required to print the quiz results page which is required to receive a podium key.

1. Navigate to ClarkNet.
2. Paste the following into the address bar: http://intranet.clark.edu/department_information/human_resources/development/smart_classroom/smartclassroom.htm

OR

1. Navigate to ClarkNet.
2. Click “Tools.”
3. Click “Smart Classroom Podium Training” (found under “Employee Training”)

Go through the presentation and complete a brief quiz. To obtain a key, print out your passing (80+) score sheet; write your name, phone number and department name at the top; and bring your score sheet to the front desk in Teaching and Learning center in GHL 206.

*To access ClarkNet while on campus, simply type “intranet” in your browser address bar.  If you are off-campus, navigate to intranet.clark.edu, and enter your Clark username and password when prompted.

Come to an Open Tech Lab

Offered several times per week, these drop-in open labs are an opportunity to receive the required training on Smart Classroom podium equipment, or practice with the equipment. Click here to view the Open Technology Lab schedule, and stop by for assistance!

If none of the tech labs work for you and you would like in-person guidance, please call or email me to make other arrangements.

Please return the key to the Teaching and Learning Center in GHL 206 when it is no longer needed.

If you have any questions, just let me know. Thank you and have a great term!

Discovering Podcasting.

What is a Podcast?

A podcast is an audio or video file distributed via the internet (typically through subscription) to be viewed or listened to using a personal computer or portable audio device. Podcasts are almost always free, and may be made and distributed by anyone who wishes to take the time to record one. Subscription services typically allow users to subscribe to podcasts so that new material will be automatically delivered and synchronized to their audio software or portable device. To become familiar with the podcast medium, I recommend browsing the expansive selections of podcasts at podcast.com.

In a relatively short time, podcasts have become immensely popular tools for quickly and easily sharing information on the web. Podcasts as well as blogs, wikis, and other tools of the collaborative web–Web 2.0–are becoming more and more common in higher education, and below is a quick summary of the more common ways podcasts are used in an educational environment.

You may also download PowerPoint and audio of last year’s “Podcasting Demystified” session, which was recorded live via miked iPod with armband.

Live Podcasts

What you will need:

• a digital recording device or medium
• confidence and clarity
• internet access for publishing
  
• audio recording/editing software (optional)

iPod Nano with Blue Mikey

In this example, an instructor uses a 4-GB iPod Nano ($110) attached to the Mikey microphone ($70) and the iPod Nano ArmBand ($9) to make live recordings of his courses. Live recordings of classes provide students with the option to review material presented in class at a later time, and provide an invaluable resource for students who miss part of a lecture. Additionally, an archive of podcasts may provide instructors with a valuable tool to review and assess their own teaching performance and strategies. While pricier, recording audio live tends to reduce the overall processing time of podcasts, since little editing is done and the recording is delivered to students as is. Live podcasting does not offer auto-captioning, so text transcripts may not be easily available which may raise important accessibility concerns.

Pre-Recorded Podcasts

What you will need:

• a mic or recording device
  
• internet access for publishing
  
• audio recording/editing software (such as Audacity)
• patience and planning

A pre-recorded podcast provides a more cost-friendly alternative, with the only hardware required being a computer microphone (easily found for under $20) and audio editing

Audacity audio editing software.

software. An instructors’ voice can provide a welcome dose of humanity into the online class experience, and a helpful auditory aid for language classes. Audacity is an example of free audio-editing software which provides all of the basic tools for recording, editing, and converting the audio files to the appropriate format. While pre-recorded podcasts provide a much more affordable option, they require more preparation time since they are not recorded during a class. Also, since they are recorded ahead of time, it is easier to provide captioning or text versions to accompany the audio.

Use Existing Podcasts

What you will need:

• prep time and trust
  

A third alternative, for instructors who want to purchase nothing and download nothing, would be to utilize existing podcasts. Instructors can incorporate listening and responding to a podcast a weekly assignment, or watch a video podcast in class. A word of caution: since anyone can record and distribute podcasts, instructors intending to use podcasts in the classroom should be familiar with the material or and verify that the presented information is accurate and appropriate to the class. iTunesU provides colleges and universities with dedicated space for podcasts designed specifically for educational use.

Keeping Track of Your Podcasts

RSS Feed Icon

With so many web subscription services, it would be exhausting to check each one five times a day for new content. For that reason, RSS Readers provide a convenient option for staying on top of syndicated content. Using RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication), you can monitor all of your favorite subscription-enabled sites. Whenever you see the symbol on the right, you know you’ve got the RSS option. For more detailed information on RSS, refer to the link above.

Other Podcast Links

• Easy, step-by-step tips for Podcasting: How to Podcast
• Video Podcast Example: Ask the Techies video podcast
• Chronicle of Higher Education Tech Podcast: Tech Therapy
• iTunes Education Podcast Service: iTunes U
• Podcast search engine: www.podcast.com

The Incredible Blog

What is a blog?

At its simplest, a blog is an online journal. At its best, a blog is a means for an individual, group of individuals, or organization to publish and share their thoughts with the online community, Inviting discourse, criticism, and engagement.

What does “blog” mean?

The word “blog” comes from “web log.”

What makes up a blog?

Depending on the objective, blogs features can vary widely. Here are the most common items found on a blog post:

Post title: typically is the subject, but may be something else. Think of a book title: sometimes it’s straight-forward, while other times it’s not.

Post date: when the post went live. This is not necessarily when the post was created, however. Many blog services allow you to set a future date to allow your post to automatically go live at a pre-established time.

Body: What should you put in a blog post? Well, in terms of content, posting something for the rest of the world to see can seem intimidating. At the same time, blog posts, by nature should have a certain degree of informality. While evaluation may be necessary to the learning process, too much moderation can hurt the effectiveness of blogging.

What can you put in the body of a blog post? Run! Be free! Just about anything goes here. You can add text, links, images, video, audio, and everything in between.

Comments:  What is a blog without collaboration? Your readers have a chance to shout back at you. You may choose to let them post to their hearts content, or you can moderate your comments if you prefer to keep things organized.

Tags: Give search-engines a “hint” as to what you’ve got here. Meta tags provide ultra-cliff notes for your post, or “information about information.”

“Posted by…”: Many blogs have more than one contributor. This lets everyone know who posted this info.

How do I make a blog?

I can personally make two recommendations, depending on what you’re looking for in terms of content. These generally cover most blog basics.

Blogger (www.blogger.com) provides a quick and easy setup, with simple and straightforward usage. Blogger best serves blogging in its simplest form: sharing links, posting messages, and leaving comments.

The more robust WordPress (www.wordpress.com) allows for more customizable options in creating a blog that can function in many ways like a website. Its generous formatting tools make it the ideal choice for users wanting “more than just a blog.”

Is There a “Right Way” to Blog?

Not necessarily. A blog can be as simple or as elaborate as you wish. To make the most of blogging, however, you must take advantage of what it offers. A blog is web-based, meaning that by posting onto a blog you are inserting your voice into the interconnected web of online information. The capability to add web links forms the backbone of web publishing. Sarah “Dixie” Feldman explains the importance of the hypertext revolution in her essay “Uncovering Webness:”

Hypertext formulates information that helps in the search for, and construction of, patterns, or context. Aside from encouraging us to think in terms of multiple, flexible contexts, non-linear (hypertextual) thinking actually aligns with the human mind’s natural inclination to associate.

So although some people think of links as diversionary, dissociate devices, they are in fact tools for synthesizing. Links build bridges between multifarious elements, connecting ideas, providing context, and forging relationships between topics.

Let’s not forget the lessons of Jorn Barger, the man who coined the term “blog” (and never made a dime):

I was a very, very late adopter of the Web, not switching from lynx (text-only, Unix-based) to Netscape until late 1997. But by that point the Web had grown into a vast impenetrable treasure cave, generally in pitch blackness. I desperately wanted someone to ‘turn on the lights’ so I could see what was where, what treasures were there for my enjoyment.

So I determined to take on that task for a while — to devote full time to lighting up the dark corners, building my “Net.literate” portal, and keeping up a running commentary in my weblog.

Hyperlinks make the internet the interconnected web that it is, so be like Barger: make plenty of links to “light up the dark corners” for your readers.

Why Bring Up Old Stuff?

Never forget that just because you’ve made a new post, your old posts aren’t gone. They are just as present as the newer posts, even if they are no longer immediately visible on the main landing page. Google search will return search results from older posts as well as current posts. Blogs can receive steady traffic even after they’ve been abandoned, largely thanks to older posts which are fair game according to Google search.

So Many Blogs, So Little Time!

RSS Feed Icon

With so many informative blogs, it would be exhausting to check each one five times a day for new content. For that reason, RSS Readers provide a convenient option for staying on top of syndicated content. Using RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication), you can monitor all of your favorite subscription-enabled sites. Whenever you see the symbol on the right, you know you’ve got the RSS option.

So Many Kinds of Blogs!

• Sous Survivor: Life in, and out, of the kitchen.
• Rachel in Mali: a Peace Corps travel blog.
• Dan Pink’s Blog: an author, speaker, and writer share info about his books as well as info related to his books.
• Mark Cuban: Personal blog of the owner of the Dallas Mavericks
• Cannell Library: Our own Cannell Library, with multiple contributors.
• Til’ Death Do Us Part: A wedding blog
• Breast and Belly: Birth of a child
• Death of a loved one: A blog post (and follow up comments) about a death in the family.
• jek2k.com: Blogfolio of an web designer.
• Sacha Greif: Web designer blogfolio, with some links to other great blogfolios!
• Eric Stoller’s Blogfolio: sharing his professional portfolio as well as related information

Email Etiquette

Email inefficiency can suck up the time email was designed to save, and more. While several email guides are available, the rules below represent the most commonly cited email guidelines and violations.

1. Avoid “Reply All”. Email should not substitute for a discussion board, and replies should be directed to the sender–not the group. “Reply All” should be avoided unless it is absolutely essential that everyone see and read your reply.
2. Be aware of accessibility. Use alt text if your message includes images, and consider including or linking to a text version of images which include text. Setting defaults to 14 will insure an accessible font size.
3. ALL CAPS IMPLIES YELLING. In the absence of inflection, joy can be mistaken for anger quite easily. Never send email angry.
4. Know when to call. Email is not designed for and should not be used for extended exchanges.  Consider switching to a phone call if more than four exchanges have happened with no end in sight.
5. Update Subject Lines. If you are changing the subject in a reply, be sure to change the subject line accordingly.
6. Follow the Email Golden Rule. Put yourself in the recipient’s shoes. Avoid sending something electronically that you would prefer to be told to you in person.
7. Be cautious of over-formatting. Color text as well as color background reduces readability. Underlined text can be confused for web links. Stick to simple formatting (bold or italics, not both) whenever possible.
8. Keep to business hours. Compose email on off-hours, but send it within business hours. Receiving email on off-hours can foster guilt.
9. Humor and emotion can get lost in text. In the absence of inflection and body language, clarity becomes essential. If you need a “smiley face” to explain yourself, consider avoiding the joke altogether. Also, don’t write emails when angry.
10. Respect the end of the exchange. If the information is all there, resist the urge to tack on one-word replies. Not only are they unnecessary, but they can be misconstrued as a prompt to re-open a closed conversation.

Further Reading (available in the TLC Resource Library):

• Business E-Mail: How to Make It Professional and Effective by Lisa A. Smith
• E-Mail: A Write It Well Guide: How to Write and manage E-Mail in the Workplace by Janis Fisher Chan
• How You Say It Matters: a Guide to Creating Professional and Accessible Publications by Robert Boy and Amy Cline
• Send: Why People Email So badly and How to Do It Better by David Shipley and Will Schawlbe
• Writing Effective E-Mail: Improving Your Electronic Communication by Nancy Flynn and Tom Flynn

Video Links

• Proper email etiquette with corporate comedian Greg Schwem
• Seven keys to effective email
• Tim Sanders: What Are the Biggest Email Mistakes?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srrnMIskxTM

Engagement, Not Enhancement: Building Bridges in the 21st Century Classroom

Fall Faculty Focus – 2009

Objective: Examine ways learning strategies have changed in response to the digital age, and discuss strategies for addressing these changes.

Three tips for effective leverage of classroom technology:

1)    Build bridges: All educational technology—from chalkboards to Smart Podiums—enables unique modes of interaction between learners.

2)    Avoid the “factuum”: With the abundance of easy-access information in the digital age, learners need guidance and context more than data and facts.

3)     Don’t let the walls fool you: The digital age extends learning beyond the walls of the classroom, while collaborative learning creates communities within.

Works Cited:

Bligh, Donald. What’s the Use of Lectures? New York: Jossey-Bass, 200.

Garrison, D. Randy, and Norman D. Vaughan. Blended Learning in Higher Education: Framework, Principles, and Guidelines. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2008.

Pink, Daniel. A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future. New York: The Penguin Group, 2005.

Kapp, Karl. Gadgets, Games, and Gizmos for Learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2007.

Richardson, Will. Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms. Thousand Oaks: Corwin Press, 2009.

Rose, David H., and Anne Meyer. Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 2002.

Young, Jeffrey. “’Teach Naked’ Effort Strips Computers from Classrooms.” Chronicle of Higher Education, (July 24, 2009), http://chronicle.com/article/Teach-Naked-Effort-Strips/47398/

Managing Budgets with MS Excel

So far, it’s been the summer of Excel in Employee Development! We’ve followed up our Grade Weighting session with a session on Managing Budgets with MS Excel. In this session attendees explored how to leverage MS Excel to accurately track expenses, calculate account balances, forecast, and much more. If you missed our June 23rd session, by popular demand we’ll be offering a the session again on July 21st from 1:00pm to 3:00pm. We’ve made the course materials available on our ClarkNet Employee Development Training Handouts page (Clark ID & password required). You will want to download the following files:

***Update 6/30: We’re in the process of updating our Managing Budgets handouts. I’ll re-post the links as they become available.***

If you have any follow up questions related to information covered in the session, feel free to drop into one of our open technology labs or contact Julio directly at jappling[at]clark.edu. To register for the July 21st session, contact Valerie at vmalinosky[at]clark.edu.

Grade Weighting with Microsoft Excel

In our Grade Weighting with Microsoft Excel technology session, we discussed how to set up Excel to calculate weighted student grades.
In the age of online Learning Management Systems (Blackboard, Angel, Moodle, etc.) which track scores online, there are still reasons instructors may opt to keep track of their grades in Excel.

1) Curriculum planning. Establishing a grading rubric is an essential step in curriculum planning. What would student scores look like if you weighted quizzes heavier and homework lighter? You can experiment with different scoring scenarios much more quickly and easily using an offline tool than making these changes on your LMS grade book.

2) Analysis. Take advantage of the various data display tools (graphs, pivot tables, etc.) to monitor trends and patterns in your grade book. Perhaps you may even compare current student performance to previous terms, and determine whether or not changes need to be made.

3) Flexibility. Specific scenarios may require your grade book to be more flexible than an automated LMS grade book allows for. Perhaps you wish to drop the lowest homework and quiz grades for each student, or only keep the highest of several quiz grades. The ability to work “under the hood” of your gradebook may be helpful.

4) Accountability. Like human beings, LMS grade books are prone to errors as well. While human-error is always a factor, having full working knowledge of the formulas being used to calculate your student’s grades is a desirable option. It doesn’t hurt to have a “backup” gradebook, to be sure that weights are being correctly calculated.

5) Student Serving. Unlike a LMS gradebook, your Excel file is not available online for your students to view. You may, however, opt to provide a blank Excel for your students to allow them to not only keep track of their grades, but plot out possible grade scenarios. This helps field the “what do I need to do to get on a the final get an A?” question.

If you missed the session, you can download the handouts from the Employee Development Training Handouts page. Material covered in the handouts includes:

• Exporting rosters from Instructor Briefcase to Excel
• Basic refresher on formulas
• Calculating Percentages
• Basic SUM functions
• Using IF to display letter grades.
• Using MIN to drop the lowest score
• Using MAX to keep the highest score

These files are posted on the Clark intranet page, so you will need a Clark login and password to access them off campus.

Creative Commons Resources

The following are some links for Creative Commons licensed material that may be of interest to educators. Before proceeding to the links, I recommend consulting the useful “What is CC?” section of the the Creative Commons Homepage as well as a summary of the various license options. You may also consult the video below:

Full Course Packages

• OER Commons: provides an open-access knowledge base for sharing course material (syllabi, homework assignments, readings, etc.). You may contribute course materials or download them for free.

Audio Resources

• Owl: Allows you to search for similar music based off of characteristics of music you have.
• Jamendo: Is a music service where all artists share using a Creative Commons license. Most music from Jamendo may be downloaded and used for free.

Image Resources:

• Deviantart: Is an site where artists may post and share their work. All work, unless otherwise noted, is the sole property of the author, however, art in the  Resources and Stock Images is intended for re-use. Owners may want credit, but rarely want money.
• Flickr Creative Commons Search: Flickr (the YouTube of photo sharing) has provided a search for photos specifically licensed for Creative Commons.
• Wikimedia Commons is “a database of 5,190,769 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute.”

Text Resources:

• Intratext provides a library hyperlinked religious and historical texts.
• Traveller’s Point provides tips by travelers for travelers, as well as photos and site-specific recommendations.

Video Resources

• Youtube.com/edu is a specific area of YouTube dedicated to Creative Commons licensed, educational videos.
• iTunesU (demonstration)provides free educational content through the iTunes library.

Other Related Links

• The Creative Commons  Homepage
• Google Advanced Search (search by license)
• Yahoo Creative Commons Search
• Mashable.com’s 25+ sources for Creative Commons Content
  

Blog links from our blogfolio session.

Here are the blogs featured in our session.

For general information on blogs, see the wikipedia article on blogging.

Julio’s blog examples:

• Sous Survivor: Life in, and out, of the kitchen.
• Rachel in Mali: a Peace Corps travel blog.
• Dan Pink’s Blog: an author, speaker, and writer.
• Mark Cuban: Personal blog of the owner of the Dallas Mavericks
• Cannell Library: Our own Cannell Library, with multiple contributors.

Edie’s Event Blog Examples

• Til’ Death Do Us Part: A wedding wlog
• Catholic Wedding Girl: A wedding blog
• Breast and Belly: Birth of a child
• Death of a loved one: A blog post (and follow up comments) about a death in the family.

Julio’s Blogfolio Examples:

• jek2k.com: Blogfolio of an web designer.
• Sacha Greif: Web designer blogfolio, with some links to other great blogfolios!

Edie’s Blogfolio Examples:

• Edie’s Example Blog
• Edie’s blogfolio
• Eric Stoller’s Blogfolio