Welcome to our brownbag hands-on session to "clicker" technology! A group of faculty (Sara Marks, Sara Levine, Meg Hines, Chris Picone, Claire McAndrew, Andrienne Clark, Bornali Bhandari, John Chetro-Szivos, and Tom Schoenfeld) and librarians are gathered in the CTL to discuss the use of a technology that gathers data in the classroom. Tom Schoenfeld passed out a chart entitled "CRS/PRS Competitive Landscape" that he compiled to compare the major vendors.
Sara Levine has been using iClicker within a classroom setting. She mentioned that the Interwrite system is more sophisticated.
Tom has been utilizing Interwrite PRS (Personal Response System) with 100 students within a lecture hall. The system is set up with the gradebook from Blackboard and uses the student ID to associate the each clicker with a student. Tom is now offering extra credit for student participation. Student participation is approximately 60 - 70 percent, and he is hoping that the extra credit will provide an incentive to use the response system.
The CTL purchased the Interwrite PRS system with 32 clickers to utilize and test with our librarians (Sara Marks and Meg Hines). Just a note, Interwrite does offer the ability to make questions and responses anonymous.
Chris Picone mentioned that he is using a Blackboard survey tool to capture student responses; however, students would need to have their laptops charged up and ready throughout the class.
Sara Levine mentioned that the research on CRS/PRS increases student involvement but the research on student learning is not conclusive.
Chris asked about battery life. When the battery dies, do you lose all the student information on the device? Sara L. mentioned that Interwrite advertises that battery life is estimated at two years.
Sara M. mentioned that the system offers out a Master Remote but this has been difficult to configure.
In the spirit of the season, Sara M. created a Halloween demo session. She walked us through the Interwrite system by creating a "New Class" in the control software. Question design options included multiple choice, numeric, short answer, true/false, and survey. Tom uses the survey tool to find out the distribution of majors within the class.
As part of the demonstration, Sara handed out clickers and created six questions, one question of each type. "Students" then turned on their remotes and she started DemoLesson. Sara then talked each "student" through activating the remotes. As students joined the group, the software logged the students. Sara then started the questions and students entered their responses. Interwrite displays the answers and creates a graph. Questions are timed and if students need more time, you can adjust the time given for the question.
When the quiz or survey is complete, the instructor can now go back into the results and review the session.
During the discussion, Chris mentioned the difficulty of accessing the data in Blackboard. The professor has to navigate through multiple screens to display it. Sara L. mentioned that this technology might be useful for psychology students for evaluating data. Tom mentioned that there is a homework setting. He plans to set up questions on the handout, and students will enter answers while doing the assignment. During the next class, students will then upload their responses to the system.
Do you have a question or idea? Post a comment and join our discussion.
Clair
PS Please note that a few changes have been made to this post to include the term PRS and Personal Response System. The request to make the changes came via email message from a public relations firm.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Stories told & retold (with a bit of magic)
Michael Hoberman’s students are telling stories, and now they can be retold again and yet again, with a just a wee bit of audio magic. So, how did he and his students accomplish this bit of technological wizardry? Well, truth be told, the technological aspects were quite easy to master, and the real magic is focused on the telling of the stories.
So, how did this project begin? On a dark and stormy Wednesday, Michael called into the CTL with a challenge. He wondered if there were an easy method to record his students and make the audio files available for listening. I took the request, and after a bit of thought and a quick conversation with Sean, we conjured up a plan to help make this happen.
We determined that we would just three things: a laptop (got it, Michael), a microphone (need it, borrowed from Mike Leamy), and the Audacity audio editing software (needed it, but downloaded from Sourceforge). By Thursday Michael and I were able to meet for fifteen minutes in the Center to set up the software and run a quick audio capture test. (Open Audacity, select start button to record and stop button when done recording. It's that easy!) With the recording process established, the last step would be the conversion to mp3 and the upload to Blackboard. We waited until the next week for that.
Intrigued? Want to know what happened next? Of course, our story has a happy ending, but you will have to wait for the next installment in our series of “Stories told & retold (with a bit of magic).”
Clair
So, how did this project begin? On a dark and stormy Wednesday, Michael called into the CTL with a challenge. He wondered if there were an easy method to record his students and make the audio files available for listening. I took the request, and after a bit of thought and a quick conversation with Sean, we conjured up a plan to help make this happen.
We determined that we would just three things: a laptop (got it, Michael), a microphone (need it, borrowed from Mike Leamy), and the Audacity audio editing software (needed it, but downloaded from Sourceforge). By Thursday Michael and I were able to meet for fifteen minutes in the Center to set up the software and run a quick audio capture test. (Open Audacity, select start button to record and stop button when done recording. It's that easy!) With the recording process established, the last step would be the conversion to mp3 and the upload to Blackboard. We waited until the next week for that.
Intrigued? Want to know what happened next? Of course, our story has a happy ending, but you will have to wait for the next installment in our series of “Stories told & retold (with a bit of magic).”
Clair
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Anniversaries and Eateries in Central Mass
This weekend Rebecca and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. Now, anyone who has been to one of our parties knows we're foodies, but it's become something of a tradition on our anniversary to seek out new and interesting places. If you're like us and not from Central Mass, then you have to get everything by word of mouth, and sometimes this is like pulling the proverbial tooth; perhaps everyone's afraid of giving foreigners (I'm from Texas, and she's from Alaska) the inside scoop on the "dishy" restaurants. Thus, I thought it might be helpful to have a short list of places we've been to or hope to go to:
Last night we traveled a short distance to Aylmer's Grille in Jaffrey, NH. The wine list was short, but stocked with solid choices. On the recommendation of Rebecca's brother, we tried a red new to both of us: 7 Deadly Zins, from Michael~David Wineries in Lodi, CA. The nose was almost overpowering (Rebecca adds that it was "big with a lot of 'jam' in it"), but the attack was anything but overwhelming, and the follow through was excellent, especially if you're having red meat. In the event it worked out well for both of us; for an entrée Rebecca had the evening's special, surf-'n-turf, and I had the beef tenderloin medallions; note to self: avoid the "surf" when this far inland. Both appetizers -- a wild mushroom ragout and the bread with kalamata tapenade in basil olive oil -- were a bit on the salty side, but delicious nevertheless. Desert was a chocolate mousse, followed by a lengthy digestion and a brisk walk outdoors. In all, the service was good, and the tempo was relaxed; a very nice experience.
Previous anniversaries and nights out have taken us to Sonoma in Princeton, MA and Luca's Mediterranean Café in Keene, NH, as well as Acquo Bistro in Peterborough, NH, and the good ol' standby, The Monument Grill, in Leominster, MA. We've also heard good things about The Inn at Jaffrey Center and the Fitzwilliam Inn restaurant (NH), as well the 111 Chop House (Worcester, MA), which is run by the same folks who own the Sole Proprietor (also in Worcester).
By the way, if you're looking for an excellent wine shop in the Fitchburg-Leominster area, you've got to go to Kappy's Fine Wine and Spirits (near the Kmart, at 1 South Street). The new wine steward is from the main Boston branch of Kappy's, and thus far he hasn't given us a bad recommendation.
Cheers,
Sean
Last night we traveled a short distance to Aylmer's Grille in Jaffrey, NH. The wine list was short, but stocked with solid choices. On the recommendation of Rebecca's brother, we tried a red new to both of us: 7 Deadly Zins, from Michael~David Wineries in Lodi, CA. The nose was almost overpowering (Rebecca adds that it was "big with a lot of 'jam' in it"), but the attack was anything but overwhelming, and the follow through was excellent, especially if you're having red meat. In the event it worked out well for both of us; for an entrée Rebecca had the evening's special, surf-'n-turf, and I had the beef tenderloin medallions; note to self: avoid the "surf" when this far inland. Both appetizers -- a wild mushroom ragout and the bread with kalamata tapenade in basil olive oil -- were a bit on the salty side, but delicious nevertheless. Desert was a chocolate mousse, followed by a lengthy digestion and a brisk walk outdoors. In all, the service was good, and the tempo was relaxed; a very nice experience.
Previous anniversaries and nights out have taken us to Sonoma in Princeton, MA and Luca's Mediterranean Café in Keene, NH, as well as Acquo Bistro in Peterborough, NH, and the good ol' standby, The Monument Grill, in Leominster, MA. We've also heard good things about The Inn at Jaffrey Center and the Fitzwilliam Inn restaurant (NH), as well the 111 Chop House (Worcester, MA), which is run by the same folks who own the Sole Proprietor (also in Worcester).
By the way, if you're looking for an excellent wine shop in the Fitchburg-Leominster area, you've got to go to Kappy's Fine Wine and Spirits (near the Kmart, at 1 South Street). The new wine steward is from the main Boston branch of Kappy's, and thus far he hasn't given us a bad recommendation.
Cheers,
Sean
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Adobe Acrobat: Old Technology, but New Features
On 18 October, the Center hosted a technology demo by Adobe representative, Ali Hanyaloglu, who showed us the wonders of Adobe Acrobat Professional. We'll be posting a podcast of his presentation in the Idea Center this next week, but in the meantime you'll probably want to go to their website and view the demo for Acrobat Pro. I think you'll be surprised by all the new features.
Not only has Acrobat become more like MS Word (in its annotation and highlighting features), but it's also become more collaborative in the bargain. For that matter, like many instructional technologies (e.g., Smarttech's "Notebook" software that goes with their SmartBoards), Acrobat has become a "content management" system, rivalling traditional and much, much more costly learning management systems (LMS). Indeed, the likes of Blackboard and WebCT might become obsolete with these new lower-cost solutions.
As a side note, I should say that I inquired about LMS solutions when attending the Nelinet "Web 2.0" conference at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. The (admittedly one) Olin student I spoke with suggested that the student body rebelled when presented with Blackboard as the College's LMS solution. Now, I didn't verify the claim, but it does suggest how outdated BB has become; when some of the nation's top engineering students find it cumbersome, confining, and clunky, companies like BB should sit up and take notice. Technology moves at a fast pace, and today's monopoly will become tomorrow's dinosaur.
Cheers,
Sean
Not only has Acrobat become more like MS Word (in its annotation and highlighting features), but it's also become more collaborative in the bargain. For that matter, like many instructional technologies (e.g., Smarttech's "Notebook" software that goes with their SmartBoards), Acrobat has become a "content management" system, rivalling traditional and much, much more costly learning management systems (LMS). Indeed, the likes of Blackboard and WebCT might become obsolete with these new lower-cost solutions.
As a side note, I should say that I inquired about LMS solutions when attending the Nelinet "Web 2.0" conference at Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering. The (admittedly one) Olin student I spoke with suggested that the student body rebelled when presented with Blackboard as the College's LMS solution. Now, I didn't verify the claim, but it does suggest how outdated BB has become; when some of the nation's top engineering students find it cumbersome, confining, and clunky, companies like BB should sit up and take notice. Technology moves at a fast pace, and today's monopoly will become tomorrow's dinosaur.
Cheers,
Sean
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Advice on Advising
The CTL held the second of two "Advising Tools: Web 4 and CAPP" workshops on Thursday, 25 October. Faculty participants reviewed both online and offline tools, as well as best practices. Sean and one of this year's Faculty Mentors, Paul Weizer, guided several faculty members through a mock advising session with a student.
Several things to think about:
First, prior to the advising session, you might want to encourage your students to review the course listings for the upcoming term as well as their progress in a given degree plan; students might even print out a Curriculum Advising and Program Planning (CAPP) sheet to bring along to the session.
Second, you should have received a packet from your department Chair and/or secretary that will contain the following materials to assist in your advising:
- A blank registration form
- A blank schedule worksheet
- The four-year suggested plan of study
- (For licensure tracks) a candidate disposition form
- Student PIN information (which includes the "alternate" pin information)
Third, you might want to take advantage of "Web 4 resources" at the Registrar's office, which offers "self-help" documentation at http://www.fsc.edu/registrar/web4.html.
Fourth, when doing the actual advising you will want to bring up "Web 4" itself (http://web4.fsc.edu/), as well as the "available seats list (http://www.fsc.edu/registrar/seatslist.html). These seats lists provide you with the CRN, section information, LAS course codes, and the scheduled days and times of the various courses. When you go over students' forthcoming schedule, you should walk them through their program or degree requirements, credit hours completed, current GPA, etc. Note: Subtract out the "in progress" credits for an accurate accounting of completed hours.
Special considerations for this academic year:
"Learning community" options are available for freshman this coming spring semester. Moreover, you will want to advise your students of the coming changes in the new LA & S curriculum (AY08/09). Last, registration overrides are now available online but only for your current students or advisees.
Questions from the session:
Faculty question: How much advising do you offer on charting their college learning path?
Mentor answer: When first advising students, ask them what careers they are interested in. Also, some students may prove especially talented, and you may want to advise them on double majors or perhaps even thinking about graduate programs.
Questions from our IM session:
Are advising forms published in the Faculty Advising Handbook available online?
CTL Staff Answer: We will research the advising forms question with various offices and post an answer to Blogthecenter.
Clair
Several things to think about:
First, prior to the advising session, you might want to encourage your students to review the course listings for the upcoming term as well as their progress in a given degree plan; students might even print out a Curriculum Advising and Program Planning (CAPP) sheet to bring along to the session.
Second, you should have received a packet from your department Chair and/or secretary that will contain the following materials to assist in your advising:
- A blank registration form
- A blank schedule worksheet
- The four-year suggested plan of study
- (For licensure tracks) a candidate disposition form
- Student PIN information (which includes the "alternate" pin information)
Third, you might want to take advantage of "Web 4 resources" at the Registrar's office, which offers "self-help" documentation at http://www.fsc.edu/registrar/web4.html.
Fourth, when doing the actual advising you will want to bring up "Web 4" itself (http://web4.fsc.edu/), as well as the "available seats list (http://www.fsc.edu/registrar/seatslist.html). These seats lists provide you with the CRN, section information, LAS course codes, and the scheduled days and times of the various courses. When you go over students' forthcoming schedule, you should walk them through their program or degree requirements, credit hours completed, current GPA, etc. Note: Subtract out the "in progress" credits for an accurate accounting of completed hours.
Special considerations for this academic year:
"Learning community" options are available for freshman this coming spring semester. Moreover, you will want to advise your students of the coming changes in the new LA & S curriculum (AY08/09). Last, registration overrides are now available online but only for your current students or advisees.
Questions from the session:
Faculty question: How much advising do you offer on charting their college learning path?
Mentor answer: When first advising students, ask them what careers they are interested in. Also, some students may prove especially talented, and you may want to advise them on double majors or perhaps even thinking about graduate programs.
Questions from our IM session:
Are advising forms published in the Faculty Advising Handbook available online?
CTL Staff Answer: We will research the advising forms question with various offices and post an answer to Blogthecenter.
Clair
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Web (re)Design: Fits and Starts of 2.0
When Clair and I sat down this last summer to redesign our website, we decided to seek out "best practices" of web design among our regional and national peers. This led us to adopt "Web 2.0" features, which we started implementing over the summer even before our new design was fully built out ... or, frankly, fully conceived.
We began with podcasts on our Idea Center and Faculty Stories pages, but we quickly saw possibilities for video. Although the Center has produced many videos for faculty to post on Blackboard, to date we've only posted one vodcast at our site, and that was a clip from the opening ceremonies in January of 2007. We have plans for more, but we're working out how to keep them from being resource hogs. The ever resourceful Jerry Favata has nearly perfected the mp4 compression, so watch for future events in video as well as audio.
Audio editing has been straightforward, and here we had early help from Michael Leamy, the College's Distance Education Coordinator. For simple audio captures and editing, we use Audacity 1.3.3 beta, and we do our mp3 conversion with the Lame encoder. (To download these, go here for Audacity and here for the Lame encoder.) The wonderful thing about Audacity is not simply that it is free, but that it is platform agnostic, and frankly with the 1.3.3 beta release professional quality editing is easy. For more complicated podcasts, we capture in AIFF and then, once again, import the files into Audacity for editing and conversion.
More "2.0" features -- which is to say interactivity and networking -- are in the works. We only just recently installed a Meebo widget for our "Contact Us" page, so that faculty and librarians can instant message us during set office hours, and of course this blog is brand new. We're hoping that by incorporating unidirectional virtual events (that is, podcasts and vodcasts) as well as interactive and networking features (e.g., IMing and blogging) into our web design we can create a Digital Center for Teaching and Learning.
Cheers,
Sean
We began with podcasts on our Idea Center and Faculty Stories pages, but we quickly saw possibilities for video. Although the Center has produced many videos for faculty to post on Blackboard, to date we've only posted one vodcast at our site, and that was a clip from the opening ceremonies in January of 2007. We have plans for more, but we're working out how to keep them from being resource hogs. The ever resourceful Jerry Favata has nearly perfected the mp4 compression, so watch for future events in video as well as audio.
Audio editing has been straightforward, and here we had early help from Michael Leamy, the College's Distance Education Coordinator. For simple audio captures and editing, we use Audacity 1.3.3 beta, and we do our mp3 conversion with the Lame encoder. (To download these, go here for Audacity and here for the Lame encoder.) The wonderful thing about Audacity is not simply that it is free, but that it is platform agnostic, and frankly with the 1.3.3 beta release professional quality editing is easy. For more complicated podcasts, we capture in AIFF and then, once again, import the files into Audacity for editing and conversion.
More "2.0" features -- which is to say interactivity and networking -- are in the works. We only just recently installed a Meebo widget for our "Contact Us" page, so that faculty and librarians can instant message us during set office hours, and of course this blog is brand new. We're hoping that by incorporating unidirectional virtual events (that is, podcasts and vodcasts) as well as interactive and networking features (e.g., IMing and blogging) into our web design we can create a Digital Center for Teaching and Learning.
Cheers,
Sean
Friday, October 19, 2007
Nelinet: Implementing Web 2.0
Hello, folks.
Today, Clair and I traveled with Sara Marks to the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering for the fourth annual Nelinet Conference: "Implementing Web 2.0." It's only natural, therefore, that we are taking the opportunity to create this blog.
One place I'd send those of you who are interested in Web 2.0 (or interactivity and networking on the web) is the Nelinet "sandbox" dedicated to emerging technologies in "information content" and content management.
Check back with us frequently, or set us up as an RSS feed by pressing the button following "Subscribe to" below.
Cheers,
Sean
Today, Clair and I traveled with Sara Marks to the Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering for the fourth annual Nelinet Conference: "Implementing Web 2.0." It's only natural, therefore, that we are taking the opportunity to create this blog.
One place I'd send those of you who are interested in Web 2.0 (or interactivity and networking on the web) is the Nelinet "sandbox" dedicated to emerging technologies in "information content" and content management.
Check back with us frequently, or set us up as an RSS feed by pressing the button following "Subscribe to" below.
Cheers,
Sean
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
