Archives for September 2013

FINAL REMINDER: Blackboard Open Forum on October 2, 2013

September 30, 2013 by

Educational Technology will be hosting a second open forum about Blackboard and Learning Management Systems (LMS) in general on Wednesday, October 2, 2013, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the main atrium of the Havener Center. Students, faculty, and staff are all welcome to attend. Refreshments will be provided. Participants will be eligible to win a door prize.

If you have not yet taken the Blackboard/LMS Review survey, please take a few minutes to do so. Participants can elect to be entered into a drawing for a prize!

http://tinyurl.com/LMS-Review
(Survey is available until Tuesday, October 1, 2013)

Filed Under: Blackboard 9.1, Learning Management System, Technology Evaluation

Setting Expectations: Social Media Guidelines

September 27, 2013 by

When you use a social medium in your course such as a discussion board or blog, consider starting off with some guidelines. Some aspects of social media are very beneficial to education, while others are best avoided.  Establishing expectations early can stop problems before they start.

Here’s an example set of guidelines to get you started:

1. Only post things that you would want everyone to know.
Ask yourself: Is this something I want everyone to see?

2. Do not share personal information.
Ask yourself: Could someone find me based on this information?

3. Think before you post.
Ask yourself: What could be the consequences of this post?

4. Consider your audience.
Ask yourself: Who is going to look at this, and how are they going to interpret my words?

5. Know how to give constructive feedback.
Ask yourself: Will this post help or hurt others?

6. Stay on topic.
Ask yourself: Does this post contribute to the discussion or distract from it?

7. Always cite media from other sources.
Ask yourself: Who is the original creator of this work?

Adapted from Kim Cofino’s “always learning,”
Cofino, K. (2009, September 6). [Web log message].
Retrieved from http://kimcofino.com/blog/2009/09/06/student-blogging-guidelines/

Filed Under: Featured Stories, Teaching Strategies, The Blog

iPad U Open for Business on Thursday, October 3, IDE Room 104

September 27, 2013 by
icon-iPadU

WALK-INS WELCOME!
NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY!

First Thursday of the Month!
Noon to 1 p.m. in IDE 104
Bring your iPad and your ideas!

WHAT IS iPad U?

iPad U is a special session of EdTech U where EdTech staff and iPad users share ways to use the iPad to enhance teaching and learning. During iPad U, we encourage you to experiment with apps to discover their full potential.

Apple rep, Josie Lollie, will show you the newest, latest, and greatest apps, accessories, tips, and tricks for your iPad, or help you get started with a new one.

Stop by IDE 105 and visit EdTech U as well!

apple-red
Filed Under: Uncategorized

Statement from EdTech on New Building Blocks in Blackboard and Other Technologies

September 23, 2013 by

Pearson Education recently sent an announcement to several instructors that a new building block for Blackboard was now available, similar to other publishing company building blocks (e.g. McGraw Hill Connect). We will not be able to deploy the Pearson building block at the beginning of the Fall semester 2012.

We here in Educational Technology (EdTech) are always excited with new technologies become available, but timing is often a critical issue for us. In this case, Pearson announced the release of their building block just before the beginning of the semester before we had a chance to thoroughly evaluate it.

Whenever new learning technologies are released on campus, we here in EdTech take three things into consideration:

  1. First and foremost, it must pass a thorough security audit to ensure that confidential student and faculty information is not compromised and that the integrity of the network will not also be compromised. We take both issues very, very seriously.The Pearson building block so far has not passed this first test to our satisfaction.
  2. New technology must also be tested to ensure that it will work well with the other technologies that have been installed on campus. This is often a very challenging process, but in most cases we are able to find an acceptable solution.Again, the Pearson building block for Blackboard does not meet our expectations for how well the technology will work from inside Blackboard.
  3. Finally, EdTech staff needs time in order to become familiar with the technology ourselves. We will not be able to provide adequate support to our campus community unless we have a thorough understanding of how the technology works, including any potential quirks. Our general preference is to have the technology made available to us (EdTech) in our development environment in the semester prior to its deployment to the production environment. In practice, this means that we want access to the technology in the Spring semester if it will be used in the Fall. This gives us the opportunity to test the technology, learn how it all works, and use the Summer semester as an early-adopter phase for some instructors.Once again, Pearson Education has not been able to meet this simple requirement despite our repeated requests.

Our commitment in Educational Technology is to provide the instructors we support with the best possible experience we can with the technologies that are available. Only when technology has met the three basic requirements above do we feel comfortable supporting it for the campus.

As always, we welcome all feedback from our campus community on this or any other educational technology issue.

Filed Under: Blackboard, Classroom Technology, Featured Stories, Learning Management System, Technology Evaluation, The Blog

Call for Presentations: Missouri S&T Teaching and Learning Technology 2014 Conference

September 18, 2013 by

TLT-header-02Educational Technology is now accepting presentation proposals for the Seventh Annual Teaching and Learning Technology Conference, scheduled for March 13-14, 2014. Interested presenters can download a copy of the Call for Presentation form at the TLT 2014 website or click one of the links below:

Call for Presentations: Word Document

Call for Presentations: PDF

Call for Presentations: Online (NEW!)

The theme for this year’s conference is Student Engagement. EdTech is looking for presentations that showcase how technology can be used to help engage students in all stages of the learning process. EdTech will review ALL submissions regardless of content.

The opening keynote speaker will be Dr. Rebecca Brent, President of Education Designs, Inc. Dr. Brent has many research interests, as outlined on her website.

As we have done for the last couple of years we will be offering several tracks for presenters and participants:

  • Teaching with Technology – Enhancing the instructional process by including a technology component
  • Blended Learning – Replacing some or all of the face-to-face communication in class with online tools
  • Best Practices in Teaching Strategies – Pedagogical theories on effective teaching (with or without technology)
  • “Hands-on” Activity – Computer labs are available for hands-on presentations or demonstrations
  • K-12 Education – By popular request, we will be offering a few sessions geared towards K-12 instructors. If you would like to present towards this audience, please use the same form available through the links above.

Proposals will be accepted until Friday, November 8, 2013. Decisions regarding acceptance will be made by Friday, November 22, 2013. Accepted presenters will be notified between Thanksgiving and Christmas. If you do not hear back from us by then, then feel free to contact us by email (edtech@mst.edu) or by phone (573-341-4131).

Filed Under: Education Research, Learning Theory, Teaching Strategies, The Blog, TLT Conference, Training Opportunities

New eFellows Selected for 2013-2014

September 16, 2013 by

eFellows PinNew eFellows have been selected for the 2013-2014 academic year. The eFellows program is an opportunity for instructors to redesign their courses to incorporate more technology, with the overall goal of improving student performance. Instructors can overhaul entire courses, designing from the ground up (Tier 1), or they can make relatively minor changes, changing only one aspect of their course at a time (Tiers 2 and 3).

Provost W. Kent Wray—with input from Educational Technology (EdTech) and Dr. Jeff Schramm, who is Special Assistant to the Provost for eLearning—has awarded eFellows grants to the following individuals:

TIER 1 (up to $5,000)

Tier 1 is a full course redesign. Instructors may take up to a full semester to redesign a course from first principles, with the expectation that they will be delivered in the following semester. Courses may be delivered in an online or blended format.

Awardees:

  • Dr. Olivia Burgess (English & Technical Communication) – Developing an Online Version of English 60: Research and Writing
  • Dr. Dave Westenberg (Biological Sciences) – Building an Inverted Microbiology Laboratory Course to Increase Student Preparation and Enhance Student Engagement
  • Lucy Sutcliffe (Speech Communication Center) & Dr. Irina Ivliyeva (Arts, Language, & Philosophy) – Enhanced GTA Training and Assessment Practices with Technology
  • Terry Wilson (Biological Sciences) – Redevelopment of Cellular Biology Lab Lecture
  • Dr. Amber Henslee (Psychology) – Course Redesign of Psych 50

TIER 2 (up to $2,000)

Tier 2 is an intermediate step between Tiers 1 and 3. It is smaller in scope than Tier 1, focusing on one or more aspects of a single course, rather than a full redesign. A Tier 2 project could eventually lead to a course redesign over time. Elements of Tier 2 can be introduced in the semester in which they are developed.

Awardees:

  • Kellie Grasman (Engineering Management & Systems Engineering) – Online Management Concepts
  • Dr. Joan Schuman (Engineering Management & Systems Engineering) – Introduction to Project Management Redesign
  • Emma Satterfield (Chemistry) – Tailoring Resources and Increasing Accessibility for Students in General Chemistry
  • Dr. Katie Shannon (Biological Sciences)
  • Kim Kinder (Mathematics & Statistics) – Using Remediation Videos with Calc II and Continuing Use of iPad Apps for Immediate Response to Student Questions.
  • Dr. Fiona Nah (Business & Information Technology) – Using Blended Learning to Teach a Core Course in IST

TIER 3 (up to $1,000):

Tier 3 eFellows projects are about the adoption of technology and the teaching strategies necessary to improve teaching and learning. Typically, it a Tier 3 project only makes minor, but important changes, to an existing course, introduced over the course of a semester.

Awardees:

  • There are no Tier 3 eFellows for 2013-2014.

Participants in the eFellows program will spend the next several months developing technology changes to their courses. They will work extensively with EdTech to ensure that their technological and pedagogical needs are aligned with each other to produce the best possible course experience for the students.

Participants will also be presenting on their progress and findings at numerous events throughout the academic year. This includes EdTech’s annual Teaching and Learning Technology Conference (March 13-14, 2014) and CERTI events.

Stay tuned to the eConnection and EDUMINE communication channels for information on upcoming eFellows events.

To become involved with the eFellows Program—or simply to find out more—contact Angie Hammons (hammonsa@mst.edu, 573-341-6195) or Dr. Jeff Schramm (schrammj@mst.edu, 573-341-4808).

Filed Under: eFellows, The Blog

Blackboard Open Forum on Oct. 2, 2013

September 16, 2013 by

Educational Technology will be hosting a second open forum about Blackboard and Learning Management Systems (LMS) in general on Wednesday, October 2, 2013, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the main atrium of the Havener Center. Students, faculty, and staff are all welcome to attend. Refreshments will be provided.

As with the previous open forum, your feedback will be given to a project team of instructors, students, and EdTech staff to review Blackboard use on campus. What features do you like and dislike in Blackboard? What features would you like to see? What features do you use? The open forum is a chance for you to tell them what you would like to see in an LMS. Your input is important to the project team.

If you have not yet taken the Blackboard/LMS Review survey, please take a few minutes to do so. Participants can elect to be entered into a drawing for a prize!

http://tinyurl.com/LMS-Review
(Survey is available until Tuesday, October 1, 2013)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

REMINDER: Taking a hard look at Blackboard…how well does it measure up?

September 13, 2013 by

Do you think Blackboard should have features that it doesn’t have?  Are there things you like about Blackboard that you don’t want changed?  How well is Blackboard supporting your teaching and learning needs?  If you don’t use Blackboard, why or why not?

During the fall semester, Educational Technology will be working with a committee of instructors and students to evaluate Blackboard against S&T’s needs and expectations for a learning management system. The features of other learning management systems will be reviewed as well. The process will allow everyone to be heard through surveys and open forums.

Your input – what you like, dislike and wish for – is important to the project team! 

This process works best if everyone is involved. Here is your chance. The link below will take you to the survey to offer your opinion and feedback. Please take a few minutes to fill it out and let us know what you think. You will have the opportunity to enter your name for a prize.

http://tinyurl.com/LMS-Review
(Survey is now available until Tuesday, October 1, 2013)

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact Educational Technology at edtech@mst.edu or Angie Hammons at hammonsa@mst.edu.

Filed Under: Blackboard 9.1, Featured Stories, Learning Management System, The Blog

Summer Semester 2013 Blackboard Courses Become Unavailable on Friday, September 13, 201

September 12, 2013 by

IT and Educational Technology will make Blackboard courses for Summer Semester 2013 “unavailable” to students at 5 p.m. on Friday, September 13, 2013.

Summer Semester 2013 courses will still be visible to instructors, but students will no longer see the courses.

Questions or comments can be directed to the IT Help Desk at 573-341-HELP or online at http://help.mst.edu.

Filed Under: Uncategorized