Enhancing Teaching & Learning @ BGSU

New INTERACTive Version

2006-11-07T12:26:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that this blog has been on hiatus for the past couple of months as we redesign a new version focusing on a more interactive format. The new site may look different, but it is still centered on learning, teaching and technology tips for faculty and graduate students (and anyone else with an interest in education today.) Visit INTERACT AT THE CENTER, take a look around, and leave your comments to continue the conversation!

Welcome!

2006-09-01T13:01:00.000-05:00

The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology at Bowling Green State University (Ohio) would like to welcome you to our blog! We hope that this will become a valuable resource for anyone interested in improving student learning.

(NOTE: Originally created in Aug 2005, but listed in future to stay at the beginning of this blog... sneaky, eh? ;-)

Since August 2005

Free Books on Google

2006-08-31T09:55:00.000-05:00

If your eyes aren't already glazed over enough from reading text on a computer all day long, you can now add some evening reading to your list with free public-domain books from Google. More information can be found in this CNET News article.

These PDF books can be downloaded and even printed (unlike their other Google Books), depending on the country you're currently in (a factor of the public-domain issue). Obviously, these downloaded books should be for personal use only.

Readers can find the books by choosing the "Full view books" option on the Google Book Search home page before they activate their search. Once they have chosen a book from the results page, a download button is clearly visible on the top-right corner of the page.

Using Google Book Search, you can find The Free Library and many other extraordinary old books, such as:
* Ferriar's The Bibliomania
* A futurist from 1881's 1931: A Glance at the Twentieth Century
* Aesop's Fables
* Shakespeare's Hamlet
* Abbott's Flatland
* Hugo's Marion De Lorme
* Dunant's Eine Erinnerung an Solferino
* BolÃvar's Proclamas
* Dante's Inferno

So is this a good thing or not... or neither - just another step in information technology's evolution?

Nine is not Enough! (planets, that is)

2006-08-22T22:42:00.000-05:00

From NSTA:

Astronomers Debate Definition of Planets; Vote Next Week May Raise Number of Planets From 9 to 12

After two years of work a panel convened by the International Astronomical Union has reached a decision about the definition of "planets" and smaller "solar system bodies" such as comets and asteroids. If the definition is approved this week the number of planets in the Solar System would rise from 9 to 12, with more to come. Read more in the USA Today article and an article from the Boston Globe.

What we consider the information or facts of today, may change as our ways of understanding and observing change or develop (or evolve). Since the beginning of time, technological advancements are deemed responsible for these changes and there is obviously no end in sight to this onslaught.

As you decide what to teach students, be sure to also venture beyond content, into the realm of learning... THEIR learning, once they're no longer in your course. What skills and abilities do you want them to take with them so they can inquire and learn more on their own? Do they know how to go about doing this? (It's dangerous to assume they do.)

The Center's New Logo

2006-07-18T08:12:00.000-05:00

Presenting The Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology's new logo:

Blogging in Science Classroom

2006-07-17T15:21:00.000-05:00

The National Science Teacher's Association's (NSTA's) Journal of College Science Teaching, Vol. 35 No. 6, p. 18-22 (May/June 2006) features Blogs - by Erica Brownstein and Robert Klein

It provides definitions, examples and diagrams of blogging for educational purposes as well as rules for an effective blog in a science classroom and grading options.

Mul-TV: How much is too much?

2006-07-17T14:15:00.000-05:00

Spoken news briefs, written news briefs, time, weather, box scores, stock quotes, logos and more (oh my)!

How much information can we absorb or consume in one TV sitting? Are our students better at this? Is it something we'll all improve upon with time? Are we going down a "slippery slope"? How much is too much? How effective are we at multitasking?

And the "good news" is that bigger & better screens are on their way into our homes and classrooms!

(from http://www.watchfarscape.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17346)

Defying Distance: Virtual Meeting Spaces, Webinars & Video Chats

2006-07-17T12:55:00.000-05:00

In this age of globalization and rapid change where budget and time constraints consistently affect decision-making, professionals in business, government and education are using virtual meeting spaces at an ever-increasing rate. Although not new to the business world in particular, this technology has advanced to a point where it is an viable alternative to face-to-face (F2F) meetings thanks to burgeoning broadband connections and infrastructures.

Some teaching and learning professional development sites, such as the Ohio Learning Network and Learning Times are currently using virtual spaces to deliver services to members and interested parties, thus extending their reach.

While the Blackboard course management system offers similar features such as Chat and Virtual Classroom, these embedded tools haven't been as predictable with continuity and speed. Blackboard also doesn't easily allow for guests outside of the university to enter and participate in the virtual classroom event.

Here are some options for web-based virtual meeting spaces &/or webinars, most fairly expensive (but like every other technology, will soon be plummeting):

Elluminate - Used by OLN for their TeachU series of online web seminars.

Adobe Breeze - Used by Innovate Online Journal for their webinars. An example of a recorded webinar session is this one: "Uses and Potentials of Wikis in the Classroom"

Microsoft Live Meeting

WebEx

Now for free alternatives: (no... Google does NOT offer a video conferencing option as of today... but it may not be long until Talk does more than instant message!)

Another virtual meeting alternative comes with new Apple computers in iChat or iChatAV. With a built-in camera on all new Apple's, you can video conference realtime with up to 4 locations/people. Here is a link to how it looks and other educational uses for such a product. For those with a slightly older Mac, an iSight camera can be purchased and used along with OS 10.4 (Tiger) to accomplish the same type of communications.

Windows users will soon have an apparently non-video/image based collaboration venue in their upcoming Vista OS. Currently there are 3rd party alternatives available for Windows users wanting video conferencing, such as AOL - AIM and Skype.

One other free, downloadable option for voice or video chats (and short video messages) is SightSpeed. This is discussed in a previous posting on virtual office hours. This is a free Mac and Windows OS alternative.

And a parting thought... It shouldn't be long before we are able to stay home or in our offices and do all our communicating via an internet connection! ;-) "To connect or disconnect?", that is the question!

TeachU: Ohio Learning Network's Online Seminars

2006-07-17T09:43:00.000-05:00

The Ohio Learning Network's TeachU Online Seminars are

"a series of free, hour-long interactive Web presentations on uses of emerging technologies and pedagogies within the contexts of teaching, assessment, and student success. Each seminar is delivered live using online audio and video/image presentation technology, allowing you to interact with the presenter(s) and your colleagues through your web browser.

With seminar-specific variations, the facilitator and presenter will discuss the topic and respond to questions submitted by seminar participants in an online meeting room. Generally, the guest will do an initial presentation, using PowerPoint slides, Web tours, or other online resources, and then engage in dialogue with the facilitator and online participants.

These seminars were created to provide Ohio's educators with accessible, timely, and outstanding learning opportunities at no cost. They have been designed to showcase excellence and existing expertise within Ohio's institutions, while providing practical approaches so participants can implement what they learn. All facilitators are sharing their expertise and resources within the TeachU online Seminar Series to benefit all."

Although there are no offerings this summer, suggestions are being considered for the fall semester. A current listing of the past sessions are available in the Archives area. Past, recorded sessions include:

Games, Multi-Player Environments, Immersive Reality: Virtual Worlds & Avatars: What Do They Mean for Learning?

Competency Expectations: E-Portfolios Lead Us Where We Need To Be

Student Success Skills Integration

Chunking Learning: The Why and How of Successful Modularization

Podcasting

Using Concept Mapping and Problem-Based Learning to Encourage Meaningful Learning

Ohio OSPILOT Update (with an emphasis on e-portfolios)

If you've never tried an online interactive webinar, the TeachU sessions provide a great starting point to experience the medium first hand. After creating a free account with Learning Times, you will be able to easily access the online gathering through a link provided to you upon registering. The application used for the webinars is called Elluminate.

More details on the TeachU technical requirements and steps can be viewed here.

Learning Community Applications Available

2006-07-12T07:52:00.000-05:00

The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology welcomes BGSU faculty and graduate students to explore our learning community opportunities for the 2006-2007 academic year.

Here is our current offering as of July 4th (click on each to see a description &/or download the application):

Developing a Professional Identity through Mentoring and Eportfolios

Grant Writing

Initiatives for the Future (IF) at Firelands

New Faculty

Publication

Reflective Teaching

Research in Science and Mathematics Education

Research and Teaching

Transition to Digital

Check back by the end of July for our full offering of learning communities for the upcoming year. If you have any questions, please contact the Center at ctlt@bgsu.edu

Bringing the Classroom to the Student

2006-06-29T07:51:00.000-05:00

The PEBBLES Project (Providing Education By Bringing Learning Environments to Students) allows students requiring long-term hospital care to continue to engage in classroom learning. This article in eSchoolNews online explains:
The robot in the classroom, which displays a live picture of Achim, provides what its inventors call "telepresence": It gives the boy an actual presence in the classroom, recognized by teachers and classmates. It can move from class to class on its four-wheeled base, and it could even stop at the lockers for a between-periods chat.
"The robot literally is embraced by students in the classroom as though [it] is the medically fragile student," said Andrew Summa, national director of the robot project, which is in use at six other hospitals around the country. Achim's teacher, Bob Langerfield, said his other students have become used to the robot and were treating it as if it were Achim after just a few days.

Although this project is focused currently on K-12 students, it shouldn't be long until there is a push at the post secondary level. How would the presence of "virtual students" affect your course goals & objectives, if at all?

For another perspective on virtual learning, Can e-learning replace classroom learning? (2004), Zhang, Zhao, Zhou and Nunamaker suggest the following regarding e-learning specifically:

Nevertheless, we believe that e-learning is a promising alternative to traditional classroom learning, which is especially beneficial to remote and lifelong learning and training. In many cases, e-learning can significantly complement classroom learning. E-learning will keep growing as an indispensable part of academic and professional education. We should continue to explore how to create more appealing and effective online learning environments. One way to do this is to integrate appropriate pedagogical methods, to enhance system interactivity and personalization, and to better engage learners.

As research in the myriad of other educational technologies continues to grow, we'll need to pay very close attention to the benefits and costs for both students and teachers.

Those that are concerned about emerging technologies such as the internet, course management systems (Blackboard, etc.), podcasting/ videocasting and gaming changing the way learning takes place, hold on for the ride... technologies will continue to offer previously unimaginable options and alternatives to both students and teachers (and researchers), but the facilitation of learning will remain both an art and a science. Pedagogy should be the focus no matter what technologies are used, from chalk to PEBBLES.

Faculty Flexibility: Virtual Office Hours

2006-06-27T08:01:00.000-05:00

As you evaluate and revise your syllabi for the fall, something to consider might be 'virtual office hours' using different tech tools available to most students and faculty.

One example is from Alex Halavais, now an Assistant Professor of Interactive Communication at Quinnipiac University (formerly of SUNY-Buffalo). Here are his 'virtual office hours' for the Spring 2006 semester:

I am keeping virtual office hours Spring semester.
• Via Skype (halavais): Thursdays, from 1pm to 2pm EST.
• UBLearns chat for COM497: Thursdays, from 2pm to 4pm EST.
• You can often reach me via AIM (DrHalavais), or Skype, Google, etc. (halavais). Happy to set up an appointment to chat via IM or phone.

One other option is SightSpeed that allows for video or voice PC to PC 'calls' as well as video messages and blog videos (up to 30 sec.)... all for free. You'll need your own camera &/or microphone to make it all work, but it's a nice option for those 'F2F' (face to face) connections from afar. This works on both Macs and Windows machines.

The 3 Rs for Effective Teaching: Risk, Reflection and Renewal

2006-06-26T12:54:00.000-05:00

(This was originally published in the Center's weekly Teaching Tips, Spring 2006. View other tips at our Teaching Tips Archives)

As educators, a fundamental role that we must take on is that of learner. We must constantly strive to learn what works best for our students, what doesn't and where to learn more because, as you know, all aspects of teaching and learning are constantly changing - the tools, the students, the knowledge base or content, and even ourselves. Accomplishing this goal of perpetual improvement toward effective teaching requires the consideration of a different set of "3 Rs" - risk, reflection and renewal.

RISK

David Kreiner’s essay, “Taking Risks as a Teacher” describes a variety of risks one can take as an educator, including: not lecturing, trusting students, being funny, class activities, using technology, and not having fun. For some, these may not seem like risks, but for anyone not used to doing it or not “a natural” at it, they can be great risks.

In addition to the list provided by Kreiner, perhaps one more risk can be added: “The Risk of Opening our Classroom.” Whether done in an informal manner (i.e., peer coaching, mentorship) or something more formal like a planned peer observation session, a great deal can be learned if coupled with introspective thinking and reflection.

For those of you who may be wary of another person observing your teaching or syllabus, consider this: Larry Keig and Michael D. Waggoner comment that

“having classes observed and materials assessed by colleagues for the purpose of instructional improvement no more should be considered a threat to academic freedom than would having colleagues critique a proposed manuscript for publication.”

Characteristics of an Effective Observer
Below is a list of characteristics provided by department faculty members at UNC-Chapel Hill who were asked to describe the qualities of an effective observer.

“These characteristics consistently appear in the literature on peer observation, and successful programs emphasize the necessity of keeping them constantly in mind when visiting classes. The basic task of a peer observer is to ascertain if the method being used seems to be effective, not whether it conforms to notions of teaching derived solely from personal experience. There are many ways to be effective.”

1. Has sensitivity; empathizes with the person being observed
2. Sees improvement as the primary objective of the evaluation process
3. Is an experienced teacher
4. Is a good listener
5. Gives specific, constructive feedback and advice
6. Has integrity; takes the process seriously; prepares for the observations
7. Sees different styles of teaching as valid and acceptable
8. Is not doctrinaire about teaching methods

It’s interesting to note that extensive discipline-specific content knowledge is not mentioned. Depending on the type of feedback one may want, this could be a critical characteristic, but it’s not necessarily essential when identifying and suggesting effective teaching strategies.

REFLECTION

In addition to the importance of allowing our students time to reflect on their learning, it's just as important that we take time to reflect on our learning and teaching. Moreover, finding methods to determine or assess your effectiveness is essential to accurately guide your decision-making toward increased student learning. Below are two links that describe ways to be a more reflective teacher and take steps to improve student learning based those reflections. As Tice mentions, it is a cyclical process toward continued improvement.

The Getting of Wisdom: What Critically Reflective Teaching is and Why It's Important By Stephen Brookfield (From the book: Becoming a Critically Reflective Teacher)
This is the first chapter of Brookfield's book, providing an overview and basis for critical reflection as a teacher. It's fairly long, but will offer some good starting points as well as let you decide if the other chapters deserve review.

Reflective Teaching: Exploring Our Own Classroom Practice by Julie Tice, Teacher, Trainer, Writer, British Council Lisbon

- Think, talk, read, act
- Reflective teaching is a cyclical process, because once you start to implement changes, then the reflective and evaluative cycle begins again.
- Questions to ask:
• What are you doing?
• Why are you doing it?
• How effective is it?
• How are the students responding?
• How can you do it better?

RENEWAL

As we move further into spring, the season of re-growth and renewal, take some time to reflect back on your semester or year to consider what types of changes you’d like to implement for next year and beyond. Do you want to try a new teaching strategy? What about developing a research plan centered on your teaching effectiveness? Are there others in your department who want to meet regularly to talk about teaching strategies, effectiveness and student engagement? Do you want to start a teaching portfolio for reflection? Is it time to make the time to focus more on your teaching? Any of these changes allow opportunities for you to become renewed, invigorated and rejuvenated as you enter the summer or fall semesters.

Here are some other ideas for ways to renew yourself as an educator:

Ten Ideas to Encourage Renewal
(Courtesy of Lee I. McCann and Baron, professors in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)

1. Collaborate – team teach a course or design a research project
2. Experience life as a student – enroll in a course
3. Enhance your office – invest in a new chair, put new artwork on the walls, or turn your desk a new direction
4. Get more involved in your community – campus or otherwise
5. Take time to reflect – attend a teaching conference, read teaching journals or books, or keep a teaching journal
6. Try a new approach – include something fun for you and your students in each class period, change your assignments, or change your mode of delivery
7. Create a network of people with similar teaching or research interests, or with whom you enjoy spending time
8. Get to know new faculty – in and outside your department
9. Invite guest lecturers to your class, or volunteer to do the same for a colleague
10. Temporarily exchange positions with someone on another campus

Summer Workshops

2006-06-20T06:46:00.000-05:00

Below is a listing of technology tools workshops that the Center will be offering this summer. Contact the Center at 419.372.6898 or email ctlt@bgsu.edu to register for the workshops.

Create Audio Files
June 13, June 21, June 29 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (9:30 - 10:15 a.m. Audacity; 10:45 - 11:30 a.m. Garage Band)
July 12, July 18, July 27 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Learn about Podcasting
June 13, June 21, June 29 at 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
July 12, July 18, July 27 at 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Start with iMovie HD
July 5 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Advance to Final Cut Pro
July 5 at 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Start with iDVD
July 13 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Master DVD Authoring
July 13 at 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Enhance Video with Photoshop
July 6 at 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Learn Livetype Techniques
July 6 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

"SNAP Survey Software"
These workshops are currently full. Please contact the center, ctlt@bgsu.edu, if you would like these workshops offered at a future date.

For the clickable descriptions, visit our workshop page.

And, as always,

Any of the following "tools" workshops may be scheduled if four or five individuals would like to complete them. Please check with your colleagues and contact the Center at 419.372.6898 or at ctlt@bgsu.edu to schedule these workshops.
Introduction to Podcasting
Advanced Podcasting
Film and Slide Scanning
Digital Photography Basics
Digital Photography Advanced
Digital Photo Manipulation
Introduction to PDF
Creating Fill-in Forms with Acrobat
Text Scanning & Omnipage
Creating Video with Imovie
Developing DVD's with iDVD
iPhoto and Picassa - Photo Libraries
Faculty Gadgets and Gizmos
Using RSS
iTunes Basics
Data Storage and Backup
Video Camera Basics

ScrapBlog: Another Option for Digital Storytelling

2006-06-09T07:31:00.000-05:00

ScrapBlog is an online application that allows you to create an online digital scrapbook that can be shared through RSS updates or emailed to anyone. Like "traditional blogs", it also allows for comments to be made.

Here are some other examples:
Island Life
3D graphics
Puerto Vallarta
Family Scrapbook

Just a note... it seems as if it would be best to name your ScrapBlog carefully, perhaps by your name and then subject (like JonesArizonaLandscapes or SmithPortfolio) in order to keep all of them organized rather than in one large mass of pages. Also, the registration states: "Your free membership is limited to creating 1 Scrapblog and to uploading a maximum of 20MB of photos each month."

Although most examples shown on the site look like traditional scrapbooks (personal photos of friends and family), this could be easily integrated into any classroom lesson that utilizes photo identification, portfolio or gallery of work, or even just to record techniques for a specific skill or process. Here are just a few examples:

• slideshow of insects of a certain classification (with taxonomy listed or not)
• slideshow of a recent trip to ___ (students view pictures with descriptions given or spoken)
• student portfolios of the semester/years art projects (with or without commentary)
• slideshow showing the detailed steps of how to ____ (fill in with a necessary skill that could be viewed online to help students, NOT something that they would have to watch WHILE doing the task -- something for review)
• portfolio with reflection on a subject or course (other students use comment feature to give feedback)
• weekly photos and reflections on given topic that can be RSS-ed (automatically updated) and viewed by the teacher and other students

What else could it be used for?

Tips for Getting Students to Read - Part II

2006-06-06T12:18:00.000-05:00

Question: Do your students read or ignore the picture captions and margin comments when they are assigned sections/chapters of the text?

Before we get to the tip, here are some stats to ponder and keep in mind as you plan for next semester's courses...

From the Kaiser Foundation:

The Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that:

"Three-quarters (74%) of college students use the Internet four or more hours per week, while about one-fifth (19%) uses it 12 or more hours per week. This is somewhat higher than the amount of time most students devote to studying: Nearly two-thirds (62%) reported studying for classes no more than 7 hours per week, while only 14% reported studying 12 or more hours per week."

According to Grunwald Associates 2003 report entitled: "Connected to the future: A report on children’s Internet use from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting":

And these surveys were from 2002 or earlier!

A thought...

When spending many hours doing one thing in particular (accessing/using the internet), one tends to get used to the format, norms, customs, layout and design of said activity. In essence, the "NetGen" (or internet generation) has been essentially trained to ignore the margins, small banners and peripheral text since on many webpages those represent advertising or information perceived to be unimportant.

Remind students that web page structure and layouts are often the opposite that of textbooks -- the diagrams, pictures, margin notes and peripheral text often add greatly to the overall understanding of the concept(s) being discussed in the main copy.

An excellent way to demonstrate this to them in a concrete fashion is to have students "read a page" in class and take a short quiz on it (for credit or not), focusing your question on the caption, picture/diagram or sidebar text only. (Note: be sure to find a page where the main copy doesn't relate exactly to the diagram/picture and caption shown... let them see that the two provide different types of information and can lead to different levels of understanding).

Enjoy their responses...

Podcasting in the Classroom

2006-06-05T12:56:00.000-05:00

With all the latest information on podcasting, it can be difficult to find places to begin to learn more, let alone just the basics. Here are a few resources that may help you get started learning more about educational podcasting and it's applications:

• A quick reference article, "7 Things You Should Know About Podcasting." This article is a good introduction to podcasting in education.

• An EDUCAUSE Review Article, "There's Something in the Air: Podcasting in Education."

• For a list of sources about podcasting, EDUCAUSE's Resource Center on Podcasting is a great "one-stop-shop".

• Duke University Libraries has an excellent collection of URLs. From this Web page you can link to public radio and government podcasts and podcast directories. Check out the "Universities and Tutorial." Under the Universities section you can visit podcasting sites for Duke, Stanford, UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Purdue -- these universities have led the podcasting in higher education charge. In the Tutorial section is a single link to the University of Wisconsin - Madison, with information on podcasting: what it is, how to use it in teaching and learning, samples, and how to create and deliver podcasts.

• Below is a matrix of educational uses for podcasting. It shows specific types of podcasts that can be created by either students or teachers (or a combination), relating these to both time and student engagement considerations.

• Additional resources can be found at our Podcast Resource page on our CTLT site.

For more information about the Center's workshops on podcasting and digital audio recording, visit our workshop page. Currently we're offering the following sessions for summer:

Create Audio Files

June 13, June 21, June 29 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
July 12, July 18, July 27 at 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Learn about Podcasting

June 13, June 21, June 29 at 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
July 12, July 18, July 27 at 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

To register for one of these sessions, you can email us at ctlt@bgsu.edu or go to our registration page to do so.

Newsworthy: Are bloggers journalists?

2006-05-30T10:47:00.000-05:00

From Charles Cooper at CNET News comes some commentary regarding a ruling by California Appeals Court on the Apple vs. independent web publishers.

Here are some highlights:

The emergence of technology that allowed personal publishing on the Internet also triggered a tiring debate over who should be considered a journalist.

Apple claimed the public has no right to know a company's trade secrets. But the appellate court said any claim of legal protection for commercial secrets was trumped by the greater good served by the free and open disclosure of ideas and information.

"As recent history illustrates, business entities may adopt secret practices that threaten not only their own survival and the investments of their shareholders but the welfare of a whole industry, sector or community. Labeling such matters 'confidential' and 'proprietary' cannot drain them of compelling public interest," the court said.

Will this be the beginning of a new reality developing... bloggers and web creators considered journalists (at least in some ways)... what about bloggers as academic researchers?

How far will it go or should it go? How will our ideas on this change (or continue to change)?

Challenge to Educators

2006-05-17T09:57:00.000-05:00

In the BG News Opinion article by Ryan Johnson, educators are prompted (no pun intended) to "drop memorization from tests."

"From the mouths of babes..."

This just shows the value of listening to students... especially those who are craving challenge to better prepare them for their future, rather than for our past.

FULL TEXT:

Pop quiz. What's the capital of Bolivia?

While waiting for tardy clubs to show up to an orientation for Spring Fling last week, my roommate wondered aloud the same question.

He was sure I would know the answer. I spent a semester in Bolivia's neighbor, Chile, and my concentration in my international studies major is Latin America.

I didn't know it off the top of my head. Thirty years ago, I would have seemed unprepared and unknowledgeable. A fraud for saying I know about South America.

Instead, I took out my Blackberry, went on Google, and came back with the answer 20 seconds later. (It's a trick question. Bolivia has two capitals, La Paz and Sucre.)

It's a different world now. Memorization is a thing of the past. We have companies like Google, whose self-proclaimed mission is to "organize all of the world's information."

Our heads can't compete. Even the best geographer in the world is no match for the CIA World Factbook online. Wikipedia now has more than 1 million articles. Bloglines indexes over 1 billion blog entries.

No longer is it useful to be able to rattle off all 50 states in 30 seconds, except for maybe at parties. An 8-year-old who spends a week memorizing the Gettysburg address is probably less than 25 feet from the nearest computer when he recites it, if he doesn't already have a Sony PSP in his pocket. And I'd like to see ESPN's The Schwab, their trivia expert, compete against my mother - who knows little about sports - with the Elias Sports Bureau in front of her.

What does this mean for the professors who still think rote memorization is useful? The ones who make their tests so that students have to camp out in the library with flash cards?

It means they're wasting students' time. What they should be doing is focusing on what is going to be really important this century: Synthesizing and analyzing information. We're in an open-book world, and what's important now is how ideas and facts connect to each other.

This shouldn't be seen as letting students get away with not learning what they used to have to memorize. Instead, it means professors should list it, teach students how to find it and then move on.

Classes would actually get more advanced. "What's the capital of Bolivia?" would become "How has having two capitals influenced Bolivia's political development?"

This doesn't mean the end of all tests. Absolutely not. Tests will always be a staple of college life and an essential one at that. Tests let professors hold students accountable and serve the valuable purpose of distinguishing which students are best at the subject.

Instead, it means more open-book tests and take-home tests. Why not let students take tests with the Internet in front of them? When we get into the job market, how often will we have assignments when we can't use all available resources? When we produce reports, clients aren't going to care if they came from memory or from an online procedures manual.

Granted, this doesn't mean that everything should be done at home or with open books. One of my professors had everyone take a quiz before each class about the chapters we were supposed to read. Most of the questions were simply facts from the chapter, just to make sure that we read it. He would then use our knowledge about the chapter to have a more advanced class discussion.

Similarly, courses in subjects such as math and engineering may have some use for memorization. But why shouldn't an English class allow you to use writer's handbooks during in-class essays?

In 20 years, there will be much more on the Internet - including every book ever written, every speech that was written down and every newspaper article. We will also have advanced handheld computers more powerful than supercomputers today.

Shouldn't our education reflect that whenever we need information on anything, it's right there?

Professors, please try to make your tests reflect our reality.

Internet Filtering & Protecting Students/Children

2006-05-12T08:50:00.000-05:00

"Filter a website and you protect a student for a day. Educate
students about online safety in a real world environment and you protect your child for a lifetime."

~Christopher Harris
His Blog

AudioBlogger Test Post

2006-05-09T14:33:00.000-05:00

How cool is this -- no more typing needed (other than this part & the title)!

Digital History Resources

2006-05-09T08:38:00.000-05:00

Yet another website on U.S. history, but what a gold mine it is! Digital History is supported by the Department of History and the College of Education at the University of Houston as well as several other partners. The main selections include:

Online textbook (American History)
Primary Sources (documents) - searchable
Ethnic Voices
For Teachers (resources/lessons)
Active Learning
Multimedia
Interactive Timeline
Visual History
Virtual Exhibitions
Special Topics
History Reference Room

From their "Credits" page:

This Web site was designed and developed to support the teaching of American History in K-12 schools and colleges and is supported by the Department of History and the College of Education at the University of Houston.

The materials on this Web site include a U.S. history textbook; over 400 annotated documents from the Gilder Lehrman Collection on deposit at the Pierpont Morgan Library, supplemented by primary sources on slavery, Mexican American, Asian American, and Native American history, and U.S. political, social, and legal history; succinct essays on the history of film, ethnicity, private life, and technology; multimedia exhibitions; and reference resources that include a database of annotated links, classroom handouts, chronologies, glossaries, an audio archive including speeches and book talks by historians, and a visual archive with hundreds of historical maps and images. The site's Ask the HyperHistorian feature allows users to pose questions to professional historians.

Our website offers a variety of ways for students and teachers to actually do history. We have created 72 inquiry-based interactive modules that we call eXplorations. These modules provide extensive primary sources on such topics as Mexican, Tejano, and Texian perspectives on the battle of the Alamo; Franklin D. Roosevelt's decision to relocate Japanese Americans during World War II and the Lyndon B. Johnson's decision to escalate American involvement in the Vietnam War in 1964 and 1965; and children's perspectives on slavery, westward migration, and World War II.

We also allow students and teachers to create multimedia American history exhibitions. These exhibitions can include historical images from our extensive database, which currently contains over 600 photographs, art works, and digitized letters. Users can easily incorporate their own text in their exhibitions. These presentations can be e-mailed, downloaded, or saved on our servers.

Digital History offers many other ways to engage students in the study of history, from fact checks (multiple choice quizzes on every era of American history), to 19th century high school entrance examinations, a time machine, an interactive timeline that links to primary source documents, and a flash overview of American history.

For teachers, we have created 24 learning modules, each of which includes a succinct historical overview; recommended documents, films, and historic images; and teaching resources including lesson plans,fact checks, and activities.

The site also contains resource guides for 44 historical eras and topics. Each includes a historical overview, links to the relevant Digital History textbook chapters, bibliographies, classroom handouts, charts, chronologies, film guides,
historic newspaper articles, primary source documents, lesson plans, historic maps, music, cartoons, quizzes, and images.

Library of Congress Webcast Resources

2006-05-09T07:29:00.000-05:00

The Library of Congress Webcast Resources site
is a wonderful resource for educators at any level that would like to add video resources to enhance a lesson or as an extension activity for students in many areas, including:

Biography, History
Culture, Performing Arts
Education
Government
Poetry, Literature
Religion
Science, Technology

iTunesU - University Podcasting Examples

2006-05-02T08:23:00.000-05:00

Stanford (First and most comprehensive)

Berkeley

Case Western (new & growing soon)

Radford (coming soon)

More to come in the fall... supposedly a LOT more!

It will be interesting to see how each university chooses to use and promote the use of their podcast portal site. As some of our other posts suggest, there are numerous uses of podcasting beyond a recorded lecture. It will be fun to watch the evolution of this process as it grows and teachers (many at student request) begin to value and use podcasts requiring higher levels of student engagement.

FREE (But Priceless) Tools for Teachers

2006-05-02T08:05:00.000-05:00

As MasterCard(R) puts it so well, some things money just can't buy -- or shouldn't have to! When it comes to educational tools, we're just beginning to see companies, groups, organizations and individuals offer valuable resources at no financial cost. Call it open source, Web 2.0 or just plain old altruism, hopefully the "generosity" will continue bringing valuable tools to those that can put it to incredible educational use.

Here are some wonderful FREE tools for teachers to use in pursuit of educational excellence (NOTE: all are cross-platform... Mac/PC... unless otherwise stated):

ASSESSMENT
• Rubistar - Search for, create your own rubrics and save them online or download a copy
• PBL Checklists - Problem Based Learning checklists that can be used for many types of projects, but especially suited for PBL
• Zoomerang - One of many "free or fee" online survey creation and deployment tools; up to 100 responses and data stored for 10 days -- results can be copied/pasted into Word or Excel

IMAGES/VISUALS
• Picassa (WinXP only) - Similar to Apple's iPhoto, it's a wonderful tool to sort, touch-up and manage digital images
• Google Earth (now for both PC & Mac) - "Google Map on steroids"... Wonderful images from satellite pictures; often used on TV news stations
• Cmap Tools - Concept Mapping - on your own computer or via vast shared Cmap network
• Flickr - Create an image storage site or digital story on a given topic

SOUND/PODCASTING
• Audacity - Sound recording and editing
• PodOmatic - Online podcast creation or uploading and management/RSS
• Vodcaster - For publishing/RSS audio and video podcasts

Please let us know if there are some we missed -- we'll continue to add to this post...

Wikis in Your Classroom

2006-05-01T11:48:00.000-05:00

Wikis may sound like a silly term, but they can be quite helpful. Orignially named for the wiki-wiki busses in Hawaii (meaning quick), they offer a quick and versitile solution for collaborative works.

If you often have students work in groups to create a project or written product together, a wiki provides both a way to track progress and provide commentary (as needed) along the way.

PB Wiki is a site worth checking out if you'd like to try creating a wiki for your course. It's called PB Wiki to symbolize that it's as easy to create as a peanut-butter sandwich. (I know first hand since I've done both recently). Once created, you can take the tour of the capabilites and learn more about how to format entries (if needed) in the sandbox.

AudioBlogger - Phone in Your Blog Posts!

2006-04-28T13:44:00.000-05:00

For those of you on the go, just like our students, give Audio Blogger a try. It seemlessly integrates with Blogger posts and more information can be found here.

Regarding the future of this technology, someone asked them, "Are you guys going to have speech to text?" they replied:

We are very excited about speech to text and are currently developing solutions to enable this capability. Also are in the works are indexing, categories, and meta-search.

This is a "non-iTunes" alternative to podcasting for anyone that would like more flexibility with their posts -- text, images, voice, & video (soon?)

NOTE: See post on May 9th, 2006 for our first test audioblog post -- nothing exciting, but it's a start!

"Observing the Earth" with the European Space Agency

2006-03-22T16:17:00.000-05:00

The European Space Agency has produced a website that is worth your time and attention: Observing the Earth. This site puts all of the data, pictures, and related resources of the ESA at your fingertips. There is a strong educational slant to the site, with a focus on ecological and economic issues that relate to space. This page and the ESA homepage itself have links to many enlightening and educational articles, as well. If you are intrigued by our final frontier, technology, international issues, and the environment, you may have just found your new homepage.

The Films of The National Archives

2006-03-22T16:16:00.000-05:00

Google has recently begun compliling the films of the US National Archives onto their their own site, found right here. At this website, Google has posted veritable historical films to chronologue the history of the United States by way of this collection of moving historical images. The films are organized into categories such as "NASA History" or "Department of the Interior." While this site is still in its infancy, stay tuned to this resource for its growth and expansion. Keep it in mind the next time you want to find a historical film to use in your class or just for your own educational and entertainment purposes.

The National Archives Films by Google

2006-03-22T16:13:00.000-05:00

CATs - Classroom Assessment Techniques

2006-03-20T11:54:00.000-05:00

In their book Classroom Assessment Techniques (1993), Thomas Angelo & Patricia Cross listed and described 50 assessments that can be used to assess student learning. These are meant to be formative assessments (meaning not graded) and they are almost always anonymous. The purpose being for the instructor to obtain feedback about a lesson, concept or even the direction of the course. Students can also benefit from using CATs during the process of self reflection and metacognition -- thinking about what they've learned and possibly even how they learned it. So, although these strategies may not solve all of your assessment quandaries, they will provide some well needed insights into your course content, design, instruction as well as into student retention, understanding and engagement.

[NOTE: descriptions below & steps are from the University of Hawaii-Honolulu's Faculty Development site, but many other sites also use similar information, all based on the Angelo & Cross book.]

Background Knowledge Probe

At the first class meeting, many college teachers ask students for general information on their level of preparation, often requesting that students list courses they have already taken in the relevant field. This technique is designed to collect much more specific, and more useful, feedback on students' prior learning. Background Knowledge Probes are short, simple questionnaires prepared by instructors for use at the beginning of a course, at the start of a new unit or lesson, or prior to introducing an important new topic. A given Background Knowledge Probe may require students to write short answers, to circle the correct response to multiple-choice questions, or both.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

Minute Paper

No other technique has been used more often or by more college teachers than the Minute Paper. This technique -- also known as the One-Minute Paper and the Half-Sheet Response -- provides a quick and extremely simple way to collect written feedback on student learning. To use the Minute Paper, an instructor stops class two or three minutes early and asks students to respond briefly to some variation on the following two questions: "What was the most important thing you learned during this class?" and "What important question remains unanswered?" Students they write their responses on index cards or half-sheets of scrap paper and hand them in.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

Muddiest Point

The Muddiest Point is just about the simplest technique one can use. It is also remarkable efficient, since it provides a high information return for a very low investment of time and energy. The technique consists of asking students to jot down a quick response to one question: "What was the muddiest point in ........?" The focus of the Muddiest Point assessment might be a lecture, a discussion, a homework assignment, a play, or a film.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

One-Sentence Summary

This simple technique challenges students to answer the questions "Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?" (represented by the letters WDWWWWHW) about a given topic, and then to synthesize those answers into a simple informative, grammatical, and long summary sentence.

Step-by-Step Procedure:

What's the Principle?

After students figure out what type of problem they are dealing with, they often must then decide what principle or principles to apply in order to solve the problem. This technique focuses on this step in problem solving. It provides students with a few problems and asks them to state the principle that best applies to each problem.

Here are more links to additional websites that focus on many of the CATs:
Southern Illinois University
Indiana University
Teaching Goals Inventory (TGI) Online - A wonderful tool to help you identify essential course goals and plan your classroom assessment techniques (CATs) around them.

Bloggers of Yesterday & Today

2006-03-08T23:37:00.000-05:00

I overheard some talk recently about which historical figures would have been bloggers if they were alive today. Thinking about it now, it brought back images from the movie Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventures (see this site for more information about this late 80's "blockbuster").

Some suggestions are more obvious, like Thomas Paine and the dissemination of his Common Sense pamphlet prose, while others are more debatable such as John Adams or Benjamin Franklin who helped mold a nation. Others still are in contention... those who caused others to stop and think about the world in which they lived (or will live) like Karl Marx and George Orwell.

Ideally that's what blogging can be about... a means to share thoughts, theories, ideas or even to stir up discourse, debate and controversy with one's perceptions of what is or isn't reality (or the effects and consequences of that reality).

Some would argue that this is how one learns: by being challenged and prompted to formulate and defend a response. Many teachers propose this type of learning in the form of a written paper, but blogging can add more dimensions by: 1) allowing for more than just the original formulation of the idea with multiple entries, 2) adding hyperlinks to the entry as a quick reference or supporting documentation, and 3) allowing for others to respond, question and challenge a entry in the form of comments or by setting up a "group blog" with multiple contributors. Ideally, through blogging the blogger (i.e.-learner) gets multiple chances to think, formulate, respond and refine based on the valuable input from others.

So back to our famous bloggers. Who do you think, if still alive, would be (or would NOT be) a blogger today? Add your comments or suggestions below in the comments section.

On a similar note... What about "Professors Who Blog"? See what they are "talking" about at this site.

And lastly, for more information about blogs and how they can be used in your classroom, Educause has a wonderful 2-page PDF summary, 7 Things You Should Know About Blogs .

Famous Words, Powerful Message

2006-03-08T21:40:00.000-05:00

Only the educated are free. ~ Epictetus (55 AD - 135 AD)

It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. ~ Albert Einstein (1879 - 1955)

Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten. ~ B. F. Skinner (1904 - 1990)

Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance. ~ Will Durant (1885 - 1981)

Quotations can support someone's position or ignite a heated debate, but either way, they can be a quick and powerful tool in the educational process. Above are just a small sampling of quotes on education. For other famous quotes on a plethora of other topics, there are numerous websites to investigate and utilize; here are just some:
Quotations Page
Brainy Quote
John Bartlett’s tenth edition of 1919 contains over 11,000 searchable quotations

Life Before Computers

2006-03-07T09:15:00.000-05:00

As computers and technology become increasingly essential in our daily lives as educators, here is some thoughts to consider as we look back to days gone by...

Life Before Computers

From: Computer Humor
(Author Unknown)

There was life before the computer
An application was for employment
A program was a TV show
A cursor used profanity
A keyboard was a piano!

Memory was something that you lost with age
A CD was a bank account!
And if you had a broken disk,
It would hurt when you found out!

Compress was something you did to garbage
Not something you did to a file
And if you unzipped anything in public
You'd be in jail for awhile!

Log on was adding wood to a fire
Hard drive was a long trip on the road
A mouse pad was where a mouse lived
And a backup happened to your commode!

Cut--you did with a pocket knife
Paste you did with glue
A web was a spider's home
And a virus was the flu!

I guess I'll stick to my pad and paper
And the memory in my head
I hear nobody's been killed in a computer crash
But when it happens they wish they were dead!

Podcasting Possibilities

2006-03-03T16:42:00.000-05:00

Imagine… here is your learning for the day: JFK & MLK speeches, Ask an Astronomer, NPR: The Story of the Day, Discovery Channel: Nefertiti Resurrected, the President’s Weekly Radio Address, What’s Up in Taiwan, Personal Trainer in Your Pocket, Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders, ChinesePod, Digital Photography Tips and the Dalai Lama series from Stanford.

This is not the latest lineup on a make-believe cable TV station. Better yet, these are podcasts that can all loaded onto your computer or portable digital audio (MP3) device – accessible to you throughout your day – in your car, while waiting in line, walking across campus or during a leisurely lunch. These are just a small sampling of the podcasts available that could easily become a valuable part of a variety of courses around campus – notwithstanding any other digital audio content that is created specifically for a course by the instructor or students.

For the spring semester, the Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology has developed a mission of sorts that focuses on "Communication for Learners”. Another way to look at this theme is to realize that all learning is attained through communication of some fashion or another. From metacognitive or internal communication to more common external didactic or dynamic communication methods, teachers and students continually interact to share, create and even question knowledge. Podcasting is a tool that can assist educators in the communication of learning through the acquisition and sharing of information, experiences, and emotion. The use of podcasting in the educational world is fairly new, but it’s quickly becoming an effective and efficient way of communicating for learning.

So what exactly is podcasting? Simply stated, it’s a mobile digital audio file. More accurately and completely, there’s a bit more. It also:
- is subscribed to (via RSS – really simple syndication) so that you get new “episodes” or programs automatically as they become available
- is part of a series or theme (like episodes or programs)
- can contain still or moving images (i.e.- pictures and video) along with it

In other words, all podcasts are either audio or video files, but not all audio or video files are podcasts. The key difference between a podcast and any digital audio file is that, once subscribed to, a podcast comes to you automatically (even while you sleep!) while an audio file stays put, waiting for you to come and get it.

Podcasting has been called:
- Audio blogging
- Digital soapbox
- TiVo for the radio (& now TV with video podcasts)
- Amateur radio with reach
- Radio to go
- Audio newspaper

A podcast differs from a “regular” audio file because it can be subscribed to with something called RSS (several acronyms for this, really simple syndication being most popular). This process is often compared to subscribing to a magazine – when the new issue is complete and published, it will arrive in the mail, no additional work required from you other than the initial subscription. Podcasts will be “delivered automatically” to your computer when they become available and from here, can be transferred to your portable MP3 player (iPod, iRiver, etc.) if you have one or it can be listened to directly from your computer’s speakers.

As with any new technology that begins to find its way into the educational arena, the most important question is not “How much is it? or “Where can I make one?” Instead, the question should center on the student: How can it help improve student learning? How can it help me be a better (read: more effective) teacher? And most importantly, how will it allow me to finally do what I couldn’t do up until now? In other words, it shouldn’t be about the “Oooh, cool!” effect to hook students – that fades surprisingly fast and only scratches the surface. The focus should be on crafting a learning environment where students can communicate, create and connect more as a function of their own growth, in turn, allowing the educator to grow as well.

One of the most common uses for podcasts in education is to extend the learning experience by supplementing course content, skills, and attitudes. Currently, educators are already extending student learning beyond the classroom by assigning readings, homework problems, projects, discussion board posts, papers, and more. Podcasts don’t replace these methods necessarily; they supplement them in ways not possible before. Podcasting allows for extended learning to take place – extended time, place, emotion, prodding and ultimately or ideally, connection.

Probably the most attractive thing to both student and teacher regarding podcasts (or digital audio) is portability and reach. These recordings can be listened to while doing numerous other tasks: driving, walking/running, cross-stitch, working out, cleaning, cooking, etc. Similarly, the student and teacher have an extended connection to each other, now able to connect using the voice, adding another level or dimension to the message being conveyed. Perhaps a better term for podcasts, one that is not misleadingly brand-related, would be “portable casts”.

One BGSU faculty member exclaimed how blissful it would be to discover that a student was listening to his lecture while running on the treadmill at the Rec Center. Just imagine – two students jogging while simultaneously debating the meaning of life based on a recent Philosophy 101 podcast they listened to during their first mile.

Another benefit of using podcasts/digital audio recordings for educational purposes is that the act of speaking engages more areas of the brain than just listening or reading. For student learning, this is essential to consider – it’s often a primary reason why “real” presentations (as opposed to reading aloud) are a common assessment of student learning. When a speaker is reading a script aloud (that they have created), so that it can be recorded (and later transformed into a podcast), the visual cortex of the brain is engaged, as are the auditory and verbal/language areas. This creates several active areas of the brain, all searching for and making connections. Generally speaking, the more active and engaged a brain is during the learning process, the more likely meaningful and lasting connections are to occur.

As a teacher, think about your own content and pedagogical development; we know our content exceptionally well, in part, because we discuss, share and debate it through verbal communication with colleagues, students and even family or friends. Another example of this is Dale’s “Cone of Experience” where reading or listening to something, most can only remember 10-20%. But when we have to teach another, we will retain up to 70% of what we’re teaching the first time (obviously increasing with multiple experiences). And when we have an opportunity to simulate or do the real thing, it’s closer to 90% retention. In other words, the more active one is in the process, the more opportunities there are for learning to take place.

So how can podcasts (or digital audio) be used in your course? Here are some ideas to get you started:

Teacher uses – to “supplement & support”

• interviews (with former students, other faculty, experts, children, etc.)
• lecture recordings (for recall and review purposes)
• speeches/presentations (of experts, famous people, students, foreign language, etc.)
• ads / prep – before class preparation or anticipatory set
• focus / pep-talk – redirect students in their homework readings, practice, reflections
• case studies – easy access to verbal renditions
• teaching philosophy – spoken words convey more meaning than written, emotion with inflection, pauses, and emphasis
• “sound-seeing” tours
• professional development opportunities

Student uses – to “communicate, create & connect”

• Projects / Presentations
• Interviews
• Debates
• Other authentic tasks: book reports, reviews, case studies, journals/reflections, plays, music compositions, art gallery (with video/image players), commercials, sales pitches, “sound-seeing” tours, short stories, etc. – limited only by creativity &/or necessity

In considering using podcasts or digital audio for your courses, it’s essential keep in mind the level of student engagement while also considering the time required for such endeavors. The matrix below shows the different levels of educational use for podcasts/digital audio by comparing the level of student engagement with the amount of effort needed to create or produce the podcast/digital audio.

Another use for podcasting in the education world is for purposes of professional development. The Center is currently working on creating podcasts of our workshops as well as shorter podcasts that can provide faculty quick, but meaningful ways to improve student learning. Watch for updates on our offerings in the near future...

Podcasting is a relatively new phenomenon in the education world, but as a learning tool, one to improve, enhance or broaden the educational experience, podcasting is just moving out of the awkward wobbly stage and starting to get its footing. Before you know it, this promising learning tool, or “prodigy”, will be soaring, launching educators into new strata of extended learning environments. This, along with creative, dedicated, pedagogically-focused faculty, will open the doors to learning opportunities much greater than ever before… at least until the next tool comes along!

NOTE: If you are already using podcasts (RSS-version) in your course and would like to share your experiences with other faculty, please contact the Center at ctlt@bgsu.edu. We would love to hear your stories!

Podcasting Libraries or Directories

iTunes (to download iTunes for Mac or PC – free; from iTunes, you can search podcasts available through iTunes)
Podcast.net
Podcast Alley
Yahoo Podcast Directory

Podcast Creation Options

Podomatic (search, download & create your own)
Odeo (search, download & create podcasts)
Profcast Software (download program to create your own; Mac only - $35)

Resources on Podcasting

7 Things You Should Know about Podcasting from EDUCAUSE
Podcasting in Education: There’s Something in the Air (EDUCAUSE Review Article)
Podcasting News – latest updates in the world of podcasting
Podcasting for Dummies, by Tee Morris & Evo Terra, ©2006
Podcasting: The Do-It-Yourself Guide, byTodd Cochrane, ©2005

Blockbuster Plagiarism???

2006-02-28T08:52:00.000-05:00

This situation is a great reminder that plagiarism is not just about copying words from another, but also ideas. It should make for an interesting debate... one you may want to take up in your courses.

(From Yahoo News - Monday February 27 12:57 PM ET)

'Da Vinci Code' Author Accused in London

"The Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown was accused in Britain's High Court on Monday of taking material for his blockbuster conspiracy thriller from a 1982 book about the Holy Grail. The accusation was made in a breach of copyright lawsuit filed against "The Da Vinci Code" publisher Random House. If the lawsuit succeeds in getting an injunction barring use of the disputed material, the scheduled May 19 release of "The Da Vinci Code" film starring Tom Hanks and Ian McKellan could be threatened.

Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh, authors of "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail," sued Random House, which also published their book. Random House denies the claim. Baigent and Leigh claim Brown appropriated their ideas and themes in writing his book, which has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide since its 2003 publication. Both books hinge on the theory that Jesus married Mary Magdalene and they had a child, and that blood line survives to this day. The earlier book set out the notion that Christ did not die on the cross but lived later in France.

Brown, who was expected to testify next week, told reporters outside court that this idea had no appeal for him. "Suggesting a married Jesus is one thing, but questioning the Resurrection undermines the very heart of Christian belief," said Brown, who described himself as a committed Christian. Jonathan Rayner James, a lawyer for Baigent and Leigh, said the case did not relate to the theft of specific parts of text but to the appropriation of themes and ideas. "Brown copied from 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' and therefore the publication of the resulting novel is an infringement of my clients' copyright," he told the court.

James said his case was not an attempt to "stultify creative endeavor" or claim a monopoly on ideas or historical debate.
But Jonathan Baldwin, representing Random House, said Baigent and Leigh were making "wild allegations." He said they were suggesting that "Mr. Brown has appropriated not only the numerous parts of a jigsaw puzzle but the organizational way (Baigent and Leigh) put it together."

"In brief, the complaint appears to be that 'The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail' discloses the idea that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, that they had children which survived and married into a line of French kings, that the lineage continues today, and that there is a secret society based in France which has the objective of restoring this lineage to the thrones not only of France but to the thrones of other European nations as well, and that ('The Da Vinci Code') uses some of this idea," Baldwin said. He said Brown referred to "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail" in his novel, but the earlier book "did not have anything like the importance to Mr. Brown which the claimants contend it had."

Full article here.
Wikipedia's entry on The Da Vinci Code

Getting Students to Read: Fourteen Tips

2006-02-23T15:26:00.000-05:00

Idea Paper #40 from the Idea Center
Getting Students to Read: Fourteen Tips
by Eric H. Hobson, Georgia Southern University

These Fourteen Tips are specific solutions that teachers can employ when trying to get their students to do their reading assignments. Address each of these in turn and you will boost your students' reading habits and course performance. To read this excellent article in its entirety,
click here.

1. Not every course is served by requiring a textbook.

2. "Less is more" applies to course reading.

3. Aim reading material at "marginally-skilled" students.

4. Use the syllabus itself as a teaching tool.

5. Explain reading assignments' relevance.

6. Assign readings close to their due dates.

7. Preview the reading yourself beforehand.

8. Use class activities that increase compliance and effectiveness.

9. Use class time to focus on the most important passages from the reading.

10. Question students about specific issues found in the reading.

11. Test over reading material.

12. Teach reading strategies overtly.

13. Use Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs)to assess compliance.

14. Get assistance where/when needed.

Social Bookmarking

2006-02-23T14:38:00.000-05:00

Heard about social bookmarking yet?

Social bookmarking is an increasingly popular way to locate, classify, rank, and share Internet resources through the use of shared lists of user-created Internet bookmark lists, the practice of tagging, and meta-data inferred the use of such tags and their relation to one another.

In such a system, users store lists of personally interesting internet resources, and (usually) make these lists publically accessible. They also classify their resources by the use of informally assigned, user-defined keywords or tags. Most social bookmarking services allow users to search for bookmarks which are associated with given "tags", and rank the resouces by the number of users which have bookmarked them. Many also have implemented algorithms to draw "meta-data" inferences from the tag keywords that are assigned to resources by examining the "clustering" of particular keywords, and the relation of keywords to one another.

Such a system has several advantages over traditional automated resource location and classification software, such as search engine spiders. All tag-based classification of Internet resources (such as web sites) is done by human beings, who understand the content of the resource, as opposed to software which algorithmically attempts to determine the meaning of a resource. Additionally, as people bookmark resources that they find useful, resources that are of more use are bookmarked by more users. Thus, such a system will "rank" a resource based on its perceived utility. This is a more useful metric for end users than other systems which rank resources based on the number of external links pointing to it.

Here are some archtypical and popular examples of this new technology:

Furl
Furl stands for Frame Uniform Resource Locator. This highly-rated site allows you to save, search, and share every web page you've ever wanted to keep.

del.icio.us
Don't let the pun fool you, this is a seriously useful way to archive websites! It employs a non-hierarchical keyword categorization system where users can tag each of their bookmarks with a number of freely chosen keywords. Del.icio.us has a simple HTML interface with human readable URLs, as well as a REST API and RSS feeds for web syndication.

iKeepbookmarks
Similar in function to the other popular social bookmarking sites listed above, iKeepbookmarks prides itself on being easy to use. Even kids can purportedly use it, but you can make good use of it too in a professional or personal sense depending on your needs.

Have you used Technopoli yet?

2006-02-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

Methods of teaching and learning are constantly evolving, and it can be a challenge to keep up with every new advance. Technopoli was created by the Ohio Learning Network to help you find the professional development opportunities you need without wasting precious resources, especially time. This tool instantly connects you to advances and announcements in education and is provided by the Ohio Learning Network at the request of other Ohio educators like you. For your information, "Technopoli" is composed of pieces of three words: TECHNOLOGY OPPORTUNITY LISTINGS. See for yourself how it earns its name at Technopoli.

New Workshops Headed To The CTLT Near You

2006-02-09T16:37:00.000-05:00

CTLT Workshops - Communication for Learners

As teachers, we all have our areas of expertise, and in order for us to engage our students in learning about those areas, we must communicate effectively for our learners. For the Spring Semester 2006, the Center wants you to rethink, retool, and recharge your communication skills. We are offering workshops that will give you opportunities to discuss dynamic instructional communication, communication for assessment and feedback, and teaching techniques and communication tools.

Are you interested in how other faculty members deliver effective presentations? Do you design and use rubrics for student assessment? Will you use podcasting in the future to extend your classroom communication?

Read on for more specific information about this semester's workshop offerings. The Center welcomes your participation-we are dedicated to providing faculty with resources and an environment that facilitates excellence in teaching.

Dynamic Instructional Communication-skills for classroom communication choices, presentations, and discussions

"Delivering Effective Presentations"The best presenters always seek counsel and resources. As presenters we need to first find and focus our messages, but then we need to shape a forceful communication for our learners. Our presentations may take place in a variety of settings on campus, and they can employ a variety of techniques and tools. Colleen Boff, Michael Ellison, Brett Holder, and Gene Poor share their expertise about delivering effective presentations in large lecture halls, mid-sized classrooms, and computer labs.
Monday, February 27, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in 113 Olscamp
Thursday, March 23, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. in 113 Olscamp

"Matching the Media to the Audience and the Message"In all communication we consider the sender, the medium, and the receiver, and in today's classroom the media choices can make our communication faster and richer. With those choices come the responsibilities of analyzing the purpose of our messages and the learners who receive them. Meet with other faculty members in this workshop to discuss the structure, clarity, consistency, medium, and relevancy of your messages to learners.
Wednesday, February 15, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the CTLT (pizza provided)
Monday, March 20, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. in CTLT

"Facilitating Learner Discussions"Planning and executing productive learner discussions can be challenging, but they are definitely worthwhile since they offer learners unmatched experiences in articulating, responding to, and evaluating ideas. Leading discussion, encouraging learner participation, choosing and asking effective questions-all are important components of good discussions. Join this discussion workshop for information about effective facilitating strategies for both classroom and online discussions.
Tuesday, February 21, 9:00 - 10:30 a.m. in the CTLT
Wednesday, March 22, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the CTLT (pizza provided)

Communication for Assessment and Feedback - communication that seeks feedback for learners and teachers

"Metacognitive Assessment Strategies"Finding out what students know (or don't know) is an essential part of the educational process, for both the educator and the learner. Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) provide many opportunities for two-way communication between teacher and student as well as function as an introspective metacognitive tool for each student in your course to examine where they've been and where they're going during their guided "educational journey".
Thursday, February 9, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the CTLT (pizza provided)
Friday, March 24, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the CTLT

"Organizing and Communicating Knowledge Visually"For many years, organizations of all types have used organized visual models to convey a complex message in a concise manner. Graphic organizers, mind maps, organizational charts, flow chart and concept maps are only a sampling of terminology used to describe these valuable tools. Join our discussion of the current research regarding concept mapping as a cognitive tool and investigate how to use concept-mapping software such as Cmap or Inspiration to create maps or graphic organizers that focus on your student learning outcomes.
Friday, February 17, 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. in the CTLT
Tuesday, March 14, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the CTLT (pizza provided)

"Guiding Authentic Learning Experiences"
Have you ever struggled with evaluating a paper, presentation, portfolio or final project and exclaimed that there has to be a better way? Rubrics can serve as a means of communicating expectations of authentic tasks while doubling as a clear guide for the both student and teacher during the actual creation and assessment of the final product. Ease your apprehension toward incorporating authentic projects by joining us in discussing the purpose and basics of rubric design as well as how they can be employed to assess student growth.
Tuesday, February 21, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the CTLT
Tuesday, April 18, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the CTLT (pizza provided)

Teaching Techniques and Communication Tools-pedagogical strategies and technical tools to facilitate communication

"Collaborative Visual Narratives"Images can quickly convey a message with more emotion and context than a few lines of text. Challenge your students with the integration of images to foster collaborative learning, promote visual literacy, and encourage discussion and debate through the application of a universal medium. Join us as we explore available techniques and tools to find, organize, enhance and display images in order to design a meaningful collaborative student learning experience.
Tuesday, March 28, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the CTLT
Monday, April 24, 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. in the CTLT

"Building Shared Reflections"
If you're looking for a new way to get your students thinking, talking, writing, creating and analyzing knowledge, then come explore weblogs (blogs) and wikis! These versatile online tools allow students to reflect on their experiences, thoughts, ideas and conceptualizations with words or images. Both blogs and wikis are fairly new, especially to the education world, but they offer a new dimension to the learning environment and community by extending the classroom experience, social engagements, and critical voice.
Friday, February 24, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the CTLT
Tuesday, April 4, 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. in the CTLT

"Extending the Classroom Experience"
If you could transform the classroom setting so that time and location were not constricting, how would your pedagogical expectations and expressions change? With the advent of networks, both technological and communal, educators now more than ever are able to extend student learning like never before. Be a part of a thought-provoking discourse on the utilization of one of the latest "extension tools", podcasting, to facilitate, enhance and extend student-learning opportunities.
Thursday, March 2, 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. in the CTLT (pizza provided)
Tuesday, April 11, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. in the CTLT

Making Connections

2006-01-30T14:51:00.000-05:00

How do you incorporate student prior knowledge or expertise in your lesson/lecture? (Post your ideas in the comments below)

Helpful Tips for Faculty

2006-01-27T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here are some strategies that may be helpful as you settle into another busy, yet productive semester. These were discussed during the New Faculty Learning Community:

Please feel free to add your own in the comments section below... the more, the better!

Teaching To & Learning From the "Gamer Generation"

2006-01-26T12:36:00.000-05:00

Little did I know that when my brother and I received a ColecoVision game system for Christmas when I was 12 years old, we were unknowingly initiated into the “Gamer Generation”. Growing up playing video games became an enigma that now separates us from our older siblings, parents and many other elders. But unlike most university students, I did not grow up from birth with a mouse in one hand and a cell phone in the other… this puts me in a “tweener” generation that can relate to what teaching and learning used to be like and what may be required now of educators to reach "the gamers".

Today, I rarely find (make) the time to play any video games although I do have an outdated PS1 (original PlayStation) system tucked away somewhere collecting dust. But coming from this experience, and as a former high school teacher, I found myself nodding my head in agreement at much of what Dr. John C. Beck had to say this past Tuesday at the first President’s Lecture Series event. (click here to log into to the DVSS and search for a streaming video of the event)

Here is a summary of his major points made (with some commentaries in parentheses):

John C. Beck (Capturing the Value of the Gamer Generation)

• They think, believe and learn differently
• Growing up on games creates a whole new way of thinking about the world

• Gamers are:

• Boys – spatial; girls – linear (success in schools to girls, boys like games for spatial environment)
- Both want to be heroes (“that’s not fair”; kids starting charities and non-profits)
• They want to be challenged; give tough jobs/tasks

• Games are basically fair (player messes up, they lose, etc.)
• “Strategy guides are good; Level Bosses are not” – that is there implied / undercurrent reality

• Competitive, risky, difficult, social, global, heroic – build this type of world for them to be involved in
• All of this will change… so stay current!
- Blogs – potentially creating a world where secrets are less viable
• (Games have the potential to be a training ground for doing good; more games to promote this are forthcoming)
- Game of smiley faces clicked on while traveling over clouds – the study included approx. 130 people – it improved their self esteem
• How will relationships change in future because of this interaction between machine & human?
- Second Life – virtual world allows you to become who you want to be online
• Used to be able to buy things from others on eBay, not anymore
• “Sweat-shops” in India/China that you can contract out – i.e.-pay - to click on mouse a million times so you can gain points in these virtual worlds (Many virtual gamers are outraged by this, see “fair” item above)
• Neural pathways are created up until the age of about 13 – after that, it’s more difficult to change &/or learn (it can be done, but not as fluid or easily attained)
• Gamer generation CONTROLLED the dot.com ride – they were just living out a live video game! Like Super Mario Bros. where you collect gold pieces and once you get enough you can fly!!! – like a corporate jet!
-When the “ride” was over, they were OK… onto the next adventure…

To access an online audio recording of IT Conversations interview with John Beck, ”When Gamers Enter the Workforce” (~17 min.)

Reflections from the Reflective Teaching Faculty Learning Community

2006-01-19T15:56:00.000-05:00

We had an interesting and thought-provoking discussion today about student reading comprehension, literacy, images and learning styles. Here is just a sampling of the ideas shared and questions raised: (feel free to add a comment – see link below this post)

How do images play into the “literacy realm” or the “traditional literacy realm”? Are they an integrated part or treated as a separate medium?

Students are officially taught reading literacy, but we are never taught how images affect us and analyzing what is important (i.e.- media literacy – see The Center for Media Literacy

Are students more visual now than in years past? When do they adapt to ignoring images in text and why? Do we (educators) do this? Publishers?

Pictures can be considered a multilingual medium… is this the cause or effect of why we are becoming a more visual society (because our society and culture is extending beyond English & “Americanism” toward a true melting pot of cultures).

Do you have anything in your syllabus about the importance of images, graphs, charts, diagrams and their application to the textual knowledge?

Images portray emotions, often invoking a reaction or response. How does this play into the learning experience? (a picture says a 1000 words) What can be stated better with an image instead of words?

How much “peripheral learning” is being missed now since students can simply search for specific phrases or keywords in a web page or digital document rather than accidentally learning something along the way to finding the “hidden” required information within a body of text. (Similar to a long road trip to a destination vs. an airplane ride… how much peripheral learning did we acquire while in the midst of constantly repeating, “Are we there yet?!”)

What about doing something by hand versus using a computer program that does it automatically? (Ex.- only create graphs on computers or make some/one by hand too). Similar to typing 2 + 2 into a calculator and getting 5… “so that must be the right answer because that’s what the calculator says”.

In order to bring images to the forefront of students’ consciousness, consider digital or visual storytelling – similar to picture books – have students create or gather images to incorporate into a lesson or presentation. Sometimes just an image (with no text) can be more powerful than any words can convey, whether a paper copy or digital.

Have students keep a journal of their learning experiences and application attempts. Better yet, keep a journal yourself – listing your observations, insights and reflections about what’s going on in the classroom and in your student’s minds, where you want to go next or try next time teaching this lesson.

An interesting point came up about skimming to find information… How many readers of research go directly from abstract to conclusion vs. reading methodologies and results first? Why is that? (Time is an obvious factor here) Along those same lines, is the image vs. text issue with students simply a factor of time and efficiency? At what cost?

“Merely descriptive” research is often looked down upon thanks to the emergence of quantitative analysis a couple decades ago. With numbers to back up conclusions, the value of descriptive analyses has been overlooked, in both the sciences and non-sciences. Is this possibly partly due to our migration away from the narrative voice?

To sum it up, there were many reflections today that come down to the realization that there are multiple ways of knowing – for both student and teacher – and for most of what we teach, there is not only one answer or path to learning, but rather many possible routes toward that ideal common destination… wherever that may be. For your students’ sake, be sure to keep those roads open, easily located, and allow for detours as necessary!

Earth Images/Maps for Your Course?

2006-01-17T13:28:00.000-05:00

Google Earth is a free software download for PCs (WinXP) and now Macs (OS 10.4) that allow you to view actual satellite images of most locations on Earth. From Google: "You point and zoom to anyplace on the planet that you want to explore. Satellite images and local facts zoom into view. Tap into Google search to show local points of interest and facts. Zoom to a specific address to check out an apartment or hotel. View driving directions and even fly along your route."

Check it out at: http://earth.google.com/

CapEd - Capital U.'s Blog about Educational Blogging

2005-12-13T10:08:00.000-05:00

Check out this "blog about blogs" by Capital University. It designed to be an online reference for blog use in education, and is a valuable resource. Add it to your list of sites you periodically review!

http://capedblog.blogspot.com/

THE QUESTION-ONLY SESSION

2005-12-12T10:31:00.000-05:00

(written by: Stacey Mathey Osborn (Children's Literature, English)

As a wrap-up to a lecture or class discussion, try a question-only session. The original idea came from a conference of Lincoln Center Teaching Artists in New York City. These folks are the real deal in teaching; I was blown away by the intensity of the sessions and teaching tools (not to mention the self-knowledge) I carried away from each day's activities.

How to:
Everyone in the class jots down a question on a scrap piece of paper. The questions can take any form (who, what, where, etc), and should be based on the class lecture or discussion. When everyone has written a question down, call for all the questions by going around the room, but DO NOT ANSWER them. Everyone participates (even if they just say "pass). You'll be surprised at what you'll learn about not only your students but about your field of study! And your students will be really surprised at how inquisitive they actually are.

Here are some things to keep in mind.
o Give an example (or two!) of the type of question you mean. Questions should be related to the class lecture or discussion.
o Questions can be something that students are still wondering about, or can be very general questions about the topic under discussion.
o If students are struggling to come up with a question, have them write down one fact that they learned in class that day, and turn that into a question. For example, after a lecture on traditional literature, students may have learned that the "trickster character" in many African countries is named Anansi the Spider. A question that might be developed off that fact is: "How did the spider come to be used as "the trickster" in Africa, but in western culture, it's often a fox?" Or "Who was the first person to tell an Anansi story?" Or "Are there other trickster types besides Anansi in traditional African tales?"
o Students are allowed to say "pass" if they don't want to participate. This also makes it easy for students who don't "get it" the first time you do this.
o DO NOT ANSWER the questions, even if you know the answer! Just let the questions fly! Let the spirit of "lifelong learning" seize the class.
o The first time you do this, be sure to give students at least 3-4 minutes to come up with a question. You may even suggest that they come up with 3-that puts the pressure on, and they're almost sure to come up with at least one question.
o It takes about 8-10 minutes to run the whole "show," from the introduction of the idea, to the writing, to the speaking.
o Encourage students NOT TO PACK UP THEIR THINGS until everyone has spoken their question.
o If a question is really outstanding, at the end of the session, ask the student to give you a copy, or jot it down yourself and answer it at the beginning of the next class. This is a GREAT transition, and also shows the value of the question-only session as a tool for further inquiry.

VARIATIONS:
The pre-emptive strike question-only session

As the name suggests, have students ask questions about a text under discussion before you start the class lecture or discussion.

"Upcoming-assignment" question-only session:

Have a big project or paper coming up? Take the last 10-15 minutes of class and have students brainstorm with a partner, discussing approaches to the project, etc. Each person has to write down 3 questions that the other person asked them. Then, you open up the floor for questions only. That's a really fun one. You'll learn very quickly what they're apprehensive about.

"I didn't know":

This is actually an idea I got from an 8th-grade middle school English teacher. Apparently, one day her students were pestering her with so many questions (for which she had no answers) that finally she yelled out in frustration: "You know, I can't know everything!" She asked all her students to take out a piece of paper and write down 10 things that they just "don't know." She said the results were amazing! The students were all humbled by one another's admissions. I re-conceived the idea for my college-level students who really seem to know just about everything (ahem). So here's how it goes.

Students write an "I didn't know" statement about something that they learned in class that day.

Here are some things to keep in mind...
o I ALWAYS go first AND LAST with this one.I say something that I didn't know before coming to class that day, or something that I learned that was new when I was reviewing my lecture notes. THEN. I try to pay really close attention to the students, and try to learn on the spot from what they're saying, and try to conclude with a brand-new thing that I learned at just that moment. For example, it could even be "I didn't know that Anansi the Spider was so fascinating to y'all!" if many students said that they didn't know about Anansi before coming to class.
o I use the "I didn't know." session only after I've done the question-only session a few times in previous classes. They're a lot more comfortable speaking out about something they didn't know if they know the routine from the question-only session.
o The fun thing about this is I used to think that students already knew everything I was saying before I said it. WRONG! It was very gratifying to hear that even some of the simplest things were new to them.
o It's also nice for them to hear that their peers all learned something, too-that they weren't the only one in the class who "didn't know" a fact.

Free Online Surveys

2005-12-08T11:24:00.000-05:00

Surveys are an excellent way of collecting and analysing information quickly and efficiently. Many electronic surveys found online are even free! You'd be surprised at how useful these tools are once you start using them! After reviewing many of the available ones out there, I've separated the good from the bad for you:

PollCat Surveys Lite - http://www.pollcat.com/

-----------------------------------------------------

PollCat offers branded surveys with a variety of question format
options. A 30-Second Tutorial gets you off to a quick start with your
first PollCat survey. PollCat Lite offers a nice selection of survey
creation and editing tools, and you can choose from many types of answer choices. Deploy PollCat surveys with OneClick Publishing. Add your own Header, Footer, and Page Titles, or use standardized templates. Additional features include: unlimited survey length (questions or pages), unlimited length of data collected,
direct links from your web page to a survey with auto or defined
return, anonymous questionnaires, linkage of extra data to responses
for custom tracking and reporting, response data downloadable in MS
Access, XML, HTML, and Excel formats. PollCat Surveys are
remotely-hosted. Each PollCat poll has a unique URL that you can
e-mail to survey takers, or post as a link on your website.

Survey Monkey - http://www.surveymonkey.com
-------------------------------------------

SurveyMonkey offers an instructional starter survey that brings new
users quickly up to speed. You may customize surveys with your own
logo, personal welcome and thank yous. Offers many types of answer choices. Very simple to customize and deploy. Reporting options include custom filters, data export, as well as several standardized reports. Basic (Free) Service
allows 10 questions per survey, and up to 100 responses. No banner ads
on the surveys.

Zoomerang -- http://www.zoomerang.com
--------------------------------------

A full-featured online survey service. Features: 30 questions per survey, multiple pages allowed,reports limited to 100 responses per survey, data is stored for 10
days. It's easy to select and customize the many templates. There is no banner advertising. Allows use of your own e-mail client and
addresses to send survey notifications or you may select Zoomerang branded e-mail, and use the Address Book provided.
Surveys are taken on the Zoomerang site, and data stored there. View
Results online or via e-mail. Limited analysis capability, however
allows comparison between two survey questions at a time. Extensive
support knowledge base available.

Response-O-Matic – http://www.response-o-matic.com
--------------------------------------------------

Response-O-Matic is a form creation tool that creates individual
surveys. Response-O-Matic provides customized HTML form coding that is
added to your own web page(s). The forms are processed by
Response-O-Matic – you receive response data via email, however there
are no data analysis tools provided. Write your own questions, select
colors, form fields, and allowable responses. Just five simple steps:

-- Use the Form Wizard to create a form template.
-- Save the form template to your hard drive.
-- Modify the form to ask your visitors any questions you want.
-- Upload the completed form to your website.
-- Test the form to make sure it works properly.

Insiteful Surveys – http://www.insitefulsurveys.com
---------------------------------------------------

Insiteful Surveys offer a many advanced survey features like over a dozen free question formats and unlimited survey editing. Also included is a large Question Library, or you're free to design your own questions. There is a limit of 10 questions per survey, and 50 responses per month. Insiteful provides a unique URL for each survey. Responses are stored on Insiteful's servers and can be viewed at any time in text or graphical format.

Want proof of how useful and simple this is? I just created a survey in ten minutes! Take it here!

The Wiki, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

2005-11-29T14:29:00.000-05:00

Chronicles of Narnia series - a wiki (collaborative web pages) describing various aspects of the books and beyond: Narnia Confidential

How could something like this be used in your course(s) to enhance, supplement, or even replace current methods of fostering student-generated responses to readings?

"...there is a blog for every age..."

2005-11-29T13:58:00.000-05:00

Do Many Students Keep Blogs?

Yes! According to a November 2005 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 19% of online teens keep a blog and 38% read them. This represents approximately four million students who blog and is a significantly higher percentage than the adult population (7%). Another Pew study found that 68% of all teenagers have used the Internet at school.

Yet youths aren't the only ones utilizing this method of communication. This uplifting article proves that you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks, such as how to "sit up"' and "post blog." (And any other "dogs" out there that want to learn the "post blog" trick can find links at the bottom of the article that will help you do just that!)

For more information about who is using blogs and what content they can and can't contain, consult these frequently asked questions.

Reserve your Workshop Seat Now!

2005-11-28T11:42:00.000-05:00

There are still seats available for the following workshops to be held at The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology for the weeks of 11/28/05 and 12/5/05.

To register, please contact Kris Sautter at ksautte@bgnet.bgsu.edu or 419-372-0325.

Thank you,
Kris

BASIC Photography
November 30 3:00-3:45
This short but focused workshop will help you become familiar with all the standard features of a typical consumer digital camera that you may currently own or are about to purchase. Topics will include: suggested auto settings, uploading images, and camera selection suggestions.

Making Connections With Concept Maps
Thursday, December 1 12:00-1:30
Concept maps allow students to show deeper understanding of a topic by generating categories, making cross links and organizing it all into a hierarchical structure. Participants will engage in a discussion of the current research regarding concept mapping and learning as well as learn how to use concept mapping software such as Cmap or Inspiration to create maps for your course. The culminating activity will be to develop an activity where students are challenged to create a map in order to demonstrate their understanding of a concept, process or event.

Using Epsilen ePortfolio in Your Courses: The Basics
Monday, December 5 2:00-3:30
Dr. Milt Hakel will present how to integrate BGSU's ePortfolio application, Epsilen, in order to develop increased student interaction, reflection and evaluation within your courses.

Advanced ePortfolio Topics: Using Epsilen in Your Program
Tuesday, December 6 2:00-3:30
Dr. Milt Hakel will present how to use BGSU's ePortfolio application, Epsilen, in relation to your program learning outcomes and assessments.

New Workshops Are Coming Soon to the CTLT!

2005-11-16T11:10:00.000-05:00

The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology is offering a few new workshops in 201 University Hall. Come join us and learn more about podcasting, using Excel for interactive images and an intro to Blogs & Wikis. Please contact Kris Sautter at ksautte@bgnet.bgsu.edu or call 372-6898 to register for the workshops.

Using Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) to Guide Instruction
Wednesday, November 16 1:00-2:30

Many times the only assessing we do of students is in order to assign a grade, but there are other reasons and ways to assess student learning. Classroom assessment techniques offer an instructor some practical, quick and concise ways to gather information about student learning and understanding and help to guide future instruction to foster greater engagement and understanding.

In Angelo & Cross' 1993 book, Classroom Assessment Techniques, they describe 50 different techniques for teacher-centered approaches "designed to help teachers find out what students are learning in the classroom and how well they are learning it." Participants will identify critical course teaching goals that can help them determine appropriate CATs to use with their students and how to integrate these with current instructional practice to guide instruction toward increased student learning.

Creating Interactive Images (using Microsoft Excel)
Monday, November 21 2:00-3:30

Make your diagrams, maps, images and timelines come alive by using MS Excel, transforming them into interactive collaborative pieces. Students and teachers can use Excel to create images that assist in identifying parts, dates, or events while also allowing students to practice online research and citations. Participants will create an interactive file that can be used in their course and also plan a student project that incorporates their creation of one as well. These files can be saved from year to year and made available to future students as study guides, review or samples. We will also discuss how to convert these files into other types of image files so they are also available to anyone without MS Excel.

Creating Podcasts For Your Course - How to Get Started
Wednesday, November 16 3:00-5:00

If you already know the basics of podcasting and you're ready to get started, then this workshop is for you. From utilizing already created or saved podcasts to creating your own from scratch, we will go through all the steps needed in order to meet your educational outcomes. A reference handout will also be provided to all participants.

Student Voices & Collaborations: Intro to Classroom Blogs & Wikis
Thursday, November 17 2:00-3:00
Tuesday, November 22 10:00-11:30

If you're looking for a new way to get your students thinking, talking, writing, creating and analyzing knowledge, then take a look at weblogs (blogs) and wikis. Both blogs and wikis are free online writing tools, essentially webpages where students can write about a prescribed topic or generate one of their own. Blogs are often described as a personal online diary or journal of experiences, thoughts, images, ideas and conceptualizations to which others can leave comments or add their own "posts". Wikis are similar to blogs, but more collaborative since they allow for more than one person to contribute by making changes or building new pages. Both tools are fairly new, especially to the education world, but they offer a new dimension to the learning environment and community by extending the classroom experience, social engagements, and critical voice.

This workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss current research of potential uses of blogs and wikis in your classes as well as create one of your own through readily available online sources. As part of this workshop, participants will generate more discussion by contributing classroom applications of these tools to the CTLT's weblog, "Enhancing Teaching & Learning at BGSU".

An Example Blog about Educational Blogging

2005-11-14T23:45:00.000-05:00

Go to the site hyperlinked in the title above to find an example blog about, what else, educational blogging! There you'll find tips about how you can incorporate such a useful tool into your curriculum, as well as see how fun and easy it is to do. Is your curiosity piqued yet? If so, you can simply follow this link to find out more!

Rubrics to Evaluate Classroom Blogging

2005-11-14T23:23:00.001-05:00

Here are some useful rubrics for evaluating student blog components of your curriculum:

A quick, one-page PDF version that has ratings of excellent, satisfactory or unsatisfactory.

This is called a Blog Reflection Rubric that addresses several outcomes with each weighted differently.

Here is an example of a holistic rubric, showing all requirements for a given score.

A blog rubric that distinguishes between proficient and developing skills at the university level.

One more example of an analytical rubric for evaluating a blog.

Ever assign a book to read? How about assessing student learning via a "Book Blog"? Here is a rubric to help you evaluate their book blogs.

A colorful holistic rubric (with a typo or two). It's a good example of how to create an easy to read holistic rubric for blogs or other general rubrics.

A simple rubric for scoring student blog posts. Using posts about an assignment on homelessness as an example, this rubric uses 5 categories and a 3 point scale (2=Excellent, 1= Satisfactory, and 0=Unsatisfactory). Scores are multiplied by either two or three to weight them differently for the final tabulation.

This one has some 5 categories scored on a 1-5 scale. Simple, logical and fast.

This one is a 4 point scale for many categories all dealing with blog entries made in response to reading and evaluating a literature article. Some of these might be modified or deleted to make this applicable to other disciplines as well.

This blog rubric addresses the Seven “C’s” of evaluation, on a 10-0 scale to make tabulation and assigning grade %’s easy.

This blog rubric is suited for giving a ‘blog grade’ at the end of a course for a student’s total blog contributions over the course of the term. Especially useful for blogs where students are presented problems and expected to work in groups to solve them by communicating online.

This useful rubric's scale is weighted so that the student’s score tallied out of 100%. This is excellent for blogs where a student has to create their own writing samples in response to questions or prompts.

A handy yet smaller rubric with only 3 categories and a scale of 1-4. Appropriate for journal entries or regular comments about an assigned topic.

A comprehensive blogging rubric with a 4 point scale and 5 categories. Note: Two columns (Beginning Blogger and Developing Blogger) should be switched so that Beginning Blogger and its associated items are worth only one point while Developing Blogger is worth two.

Finally, here is a rubric that can be used for student evaluations for students to post after an assignment or after the end of a course.

Assessing Student Learning Using Rubrics

2005-11-03T11:33:00.000-05:00

Here are some resources on rubrics that were shared during our Threaded Workshop Series on assessment:

Designing Scoring Rubrics for Your Classroom (Craig Mertler, BGSU)

Rubrics are rating scales-as opposed to checklists-that are used with performance assessments. They are formally defined as scoring guides, consisting of specific pre-established performance criteria, used in evaluating student work on performance assessments. Rubrics are typically the specific form of scoring instrument used when evaluating student performances or products resulting from a performance task.

There are two types of rubrics: holistic and analytic. A holistic rubric requires the teacher to score the overall process or product as a whole, without judging the component parts separately (Nitko, 2001). In contrast, with an analytic rubric, the teacher scores separate, individual parts of the product or performance first, then sums the individual scores to obtain a total score (Moskal, 2000; Nitko, 2001).

Authentic Assessment Toolbox (Jon Mueller)

Weighting certain skills or categories within the rubric should also be considered.

Create & Save Your Own Rubrics

RubiStar is a FREE online tool to help the teacher who wants to use rubrics but does not have the time to develop them from scratch. There are about 50 categorized templates to start with when creating a rubric for your own assignment. You select appropriate criteria from pull down menus and descriptions are instantly added into the four rated columns. Each criteria, rating/score and description is editable either online in Rubistar or after downloading it into an Excel file.

These rubrics can be printed, saved as web browser files or downloaded as Excel spreadsheets to be manipulated further, as needed. For example, if you'd like to add a column for "Student Self Evaluation", you could do that in the Excel version by simply adding a new column and typing in a new heading as needed.

Five Points of Connectivity

2005-10-25T12:40:00.000-05:00

Here is a link to the article which defines the 5 points of connectivity as:
Communication
Collaboration
Motivation
Integration
Creativity
It concludes, "The five points of connectivity are key to the successful use of technology in the classroom, including the use of the technologies mentioned in this article: blogging, clickers, courseware, course Web sites, Croquet, del.icio.us, e-portfolios, Flickr, message boards and news groups, podcasting and vodcasting, PowerPoint, Webcasts, and wikis."

20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have

2005-10-25T12:30:00.000-05:00

By Laura Turner -- From THE Journal (Technological Horizons in Education)
Below is the list... check out the full article for links to more resources for each of these topics:
1. Word Processing Skills
2. Spreadsheets Skills
3. Database Skills
4. Electronic Presentation Skills
5. Web Navigation Skills
6. Web Site Design Skills
7. E-Mail Management Skills
8. Digital Cameras
9. Computer Network Knowledge Applicable to your School System
10. File Management & Windows Explorer Skills
11. Downloading Software From the Web (Knowledge including eBooks)
12. Installing Computer Software onto a Computer System
13. WebCT or Blackboard Teaching Skills
14. Videoconferencing skills
15. Computer-Related Storage Devices (Knowledge: disks, CDs, USB drives, zip disks, DVDs, etc.)
16. Scanner Knowledge
17. Knowledge of PDAs
18. Deep Web Knowledge
19. Educational Copyright Knowledge
20. Computer Security Knowledge

What are your thoughts on these? (before you respond, be sure to see the article and the context of each!)

Creating Understanding: Cognition and Concept Maps

2005-10-25T11:05:00.000-05:00

WHAT ARE CONCEPT MAPS?
Concept Maps (cmaps) are organized graphical representations of concepts, symbols and connections put together in such a way as to demonstrate relationships and acquired knowledge. They are different from webbing because they contain "cross-links" that connect two or more seemingly unconnected concepts or ideas together with linking words. Imagine a tree with branches and following along the trunk, out a branch and to the leaf, this is a webbing model. Now imagine that same path but the leaf is touching another leaf - could be one close by or on the other side of the tree. Makes for a strange-looking tree, but as a concept map, demonstrates deeper understanding, cognitive function and even a little creativity.

USES FOR CONCEPT MAPS:
Analogy: Conceptual maps are to pedagogy is as duct tape is to a handy person. In other words, they have many definitions and even more potential uses. Here are just a few uses:
o an instructional tool (visualizations, identifying misconceptions, formative & summative assessments, student groupings / cooperative learning) / project management),
o organizational tool for students (project, paper, reading reflection, study guide, metacognitionŠ),
o organizational tool for faculty (article, grant or research proposal), course/syllabus planner,
o any other way that meets your course outcomes!

If you have used concept maps in your course, let us know! Email Carrie with a brief description so we can supplement our general uses above with specific uses at BGSU.

To Learn More, See These Concept Map Links:

Go to CMAP HOME for a comprehensive set of resources and materials.

An exerpt from a manuscript describing Concept Mapping by the original developer and creator, J.D. Novak.

My favorite cmap on the web: Saint Nicolas!

This site has a nice graphic and gives some basic, clear instructions about creating a concept map.

This is an excellent, clear guide to cmap creation.

This instructional and handy site is about using cmaps in assessment that is heavily referenced by other sites.

This pdf is a study done about student cmapping assessment. Reading it provides you with some of the theory behind cmapping, and tables comparing assessment purposes and assessment frameworks.

Learn About Podcasting And How It Can Enhance Your Curriculum

2005-10-13T13:12:00.000-05:00

The word "Podcasting" comes from the combination of the words "broadcasting" and "iPOD." Podcasting in its strictest sense is distinct from other types of online media delivery because of its subscription model, which uses a feed (such as RSS or Atom) to deliver an enclosed file. Podcasting enables independent producers to create self-published, syndicated "radio shows," and gives broadcast radio programs a new distribution method. Listeners may subscribe to feeds using "podcatching" software which periodically checks for and downloads new content automatically. The word "Podcast" is also (perhaps incorrectly) used to describe the posting of any link to a media-player-compatible audio file (typically MP3) on a website.

Most podcatching software enables the user to copy podcasts to portable music players. Any digital audio player or computer with audio-playing software can play podcasts. Feeds have been used to deliver video files as well as audio. You might be surprised at how much information is available through this medium!

You, too, can incorporate podcasting into your curriculum. Interesting in learning more? Start with the following:

Duke Podcasting Symposium
The Quicktime video files available here can teach you about podcasting and various ways it can be employed, especially the video entitled, "Podcasting in the Classroom." Duke's Digital Initiative is a great all-around technology resource, too.

Fordham University Regional Educational Technology Center
An excellent site run by another podcasting-savvy university. Look here for information tailored to teachers, tips, and audio podcasts detailing various aspects of podcast creation and application.

Creating Enhanced Podcasts
Supplement your knowledge and enhance your podcasts by following the step-by-step instructions found on this site.

A Comprehensive Podcasting and Weblog Site
This website contains product info, ideas, lots of links, and more. Check it out!

Stay tuned to this CTLT blog for future posts and upcoming workshops on podcasting.

Three-Part Journal Entries

2005-10-10T13:50:00.000-05:00

This helpful example of a Three-Part Journal Entry is an excerpt from Sacred Places, a site devoted to inquiries into life and learning. While the subject of this particular Three-Part Journal is a place, any subject that pertains to your coursework could be substituted. This style of writing is particularly useful for turning service learning experiences into substantive learning. Note the significant font changes within the entry: the descriptive section which focuses on objective accuracy is represented by normal font, the interpretive/self- critical part that promotes self awareness is in bold font, and the personal expression section that encourages intellectual analysis (which may link up to concepts and themes discussed in class and/or class readings) is signified by italics.

“The three sections of the journal are description, interpretation and personal expression. In the section labeled “description” you will write what you see, hear, feel, smell and otherwise physically sense about a place. You will find yourself working very hard to find better and more precise and concise words to describe what you come to know through your senses. For example, there are a lot of "big trees." Exactly how big is this tree? What kind of tree is it? What does it look like? What other plants are part of its environment?

The second section of the journal is your interpretation of what you have observed. What judgments are you making of this place? What qualities are you attributing to it? What does this place mean to you? What associations are you making with it? What does it make you think about?

Then finally in the personal expression section you write something — maybe a poem, a letter home, a short story — that comes out of the writing experience you have just gone through in the first two sections. Consider the ideas you have had, select the one(s) most interesting to you and write about it in a meaningful way for yourself. It should be a piece of writing you want someone else to read or that you want to send to someone. You should expect to spend 3 hours a week observing and writing in your journal.”

It is recommended that all journal entries be double-spaced and dated. There is no required length, but anything less than one page each for parts one and two, and two pages for part three may be thin or underdeveloped.

Research On Classroom Blogging & More Potential Classroom Uses

2005-10-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

From Carrie Rathsack (Assistant Director, CTLT):

Since blogging itself is fairly new, classroom blogging/blogs research is scarce. Much of it is "in process" or just beginning. An interesting perspective that I see developing with blogs/wikis (& other emerging technologies) is a turn around from the all-to-infrequent use of student autonomy, opinion, control and communication/collaboration within the lesson itself rather than only betwen peers in the halls, lunch room or after school hours. I think teachers will be amazed at the "new knowledge" generated in these forums and then continue to build upon them. We'll see...
_______________________________________________________

1) A Bibliography of Blog Research -- a fairly extensive list with some active links. This blog (a fairly well known one on ed-tech) has some insights into current research.

2) Some Edublogging Research --- Finally!

3) Moving to the Public: Weblogs in the Writing Classroom Charles Lowe, Purdue University, and Terra Williams, Arizona State University found right here

There are many things regarding POSSIBLE benefits/uses:

4) Pedagogical implications of classroom blogging. (Trammell, Kaye D.)
(A pay-for article, but free with trial membership ;-) )

5) Librarian's Perspective on Blog Uses (by Laurel A. Clyde)
lots of other references) read it here

6) Classroom Use of Weblogs Raises Concerns

7) Visual Blogs Using Flickr in Math Classes learn about Flickr here

8) Blogging Basics : Creating Student Journals on the Web (from another well known edtech blog)

9) NECC: Lessons learned from classroom blogging.
Check out this site

10) Reflecting on the Blog (some insights)

Professor Tom Klein on Incorporating Blogs with Coursework

2005-09-30T10:15:00.000-05:00

From Tom Klein,
Unlike the Prof.Camicao blog assignment, I give students the option of creating up to three blogs for 3 of the 6 major assignments in my Great Ideas, AS 250H, class. The six assignments ask students to write 6 "creatiques," one for each of the 6 major ideas organizing the course (monotheism, rationalism, science, democracy, the arts & humanities, and postmodernism. The "creatiques" are combination critique, summary, synthesis and creative leap, moving more toward a sustained problematizing than a neat thesis, exploration and conclusive wrap-up. They are encouraged to use multiple genres (art, poetry, letters, essays, music, editorials, etc) and to address multiple audiences (beyond me).
I do this because I believe, with Howard Gardner, that exposition and argument are NOT the only or primary ways of organizing thought, that all 8 ways of knowing (or is it now 9??) should be available to students. All of this kind of thinking suits the blog wonderfully, inasmuch as it's naturally multi-genred and moves audience far beyond teacher and school. At first, the students seemed rather stunned by the assignment, and the blog option. Now that they've seen what these can become, I think more will honor the option for future creatiques.
Great Ideas Course (AS 250H) Blog URL's
jamiehoover
tamijo
judaislam
opendiary D590808

BGSU Faculty: Start Your Classes Blogging Today!

2005-09-30T09:55:00.000-05:00

Professors and Graduate Assistants! Have you considered integrating a webblog into your curriculum? Consider the following free blog creation sites when deciding where to begin:

blogger.com
Recently purchased by Google, this is one of the original blog creation sites. Tried and true, it is easy to use and was utilized to make the very blog you are reading right now.

blog-city.com
Offers a robust support network with a dedicated support site and team. Along with the abundance of free features, premium upgrades are also available.

livejournal.com
If you are considering having your students write routine journal entries, this site is an excellent alternative to burdensome email submissions or the old-fashioned pen and paper. It features include an open-source code, available text messaging, and voice posts, to name a few.

myblogsite.com
This site allows you to post and archive anything from articles to pictures to music. Its ability to create very large photo albums would be very useful for any course involving lots of pictures or images.

xanga.com
Xanga is a community of online diaries and journals. You can use up to 200MB of photo storage for Classic (free) users. There is also a paid service to allow for added features and storage (up to 2GB).

Do you have questions about blogging? The BGSU CTLT is working on a blogging seminar, so stay tuned for the date. And you’re always welcome to stop by or email us.

A Blog on Weblogs in Higher Education

2005-09-27T14:07:00.000-05:00

Is this a case of metablogging??? There's LOTS here, including many other referencial links and categories pertaining to:
Commonplace Book
Democracy Publication
Food Blogs
Libraries
Page Design
Pedagogy
Portfolios
Software
Weblog Audio
Weblog Genres
Wikis

Another Blogging Professor's Experience

2005-09-27T11:32:00.000-05:00

"Professor Camicao" from ? has some additional insights regarding blogging at the university level. Here is some of what P.C. has to say:

"In my third course blog, however, I am doing something more ambitious. My students (there are about 15) are expected to journal on their own blogs about course material. Once they set up their blogs in blogger (it went more smoothly than I expected), I got their adresses and made a course blogroll. I require the students to read each other's blogs and comment. I comment each week on their blog entries as well.

I'm not entirely sure how the students feel about this. I plan on surveying them later, once they are through with the experience, but judging from the vibe in the class, and their blogs, it seems to be going well. No overt grouchiness and foot dragging. Some have begun to take "ownership" of their blogs by changing templates and uploading pertinent pictures. On my end, I find that this assignment has enabled me to communicate alot more with my students outside of class through my comments on their blogs. And I like the idea that students can read my comments on other student blogs; my dialogue with an individual student is thus multi-directional. Sometimes I cross-reference my comments by providing active links in a comment to other student blogs on the same subject.

I'm not sure that all or even most students are fully aware of the benefits of this interactivity, of the ways in which this kind of dialoguing can help them with other, non-virtual assignments. But it's still early, and I am still getting them used to the capabilities of this technology and assignment category. It will be interesting to see what happens 5 weeks down the road when I start surveying them on their feelings about blogging."

All the post can be found here as well as several other links to "course bloggers". Check it out!

New "Just In Time" Workshops! (30-45 min.)

2005-09-26T12:19:00.000-05:00

For faculty whose busy schedules prohibit long workshops, the following "Just In Time" workshops have been scheduled at The Center for Teaching, Learning and Technology. Please contact Kris Sautter at or call 2-6898 to register for the workshops you are interested in.

Creating a Video Piece Using iMOVIE (Mac based software)
Wednesday, September 28 3:00-3:45
From 1-minute thought-provoking pieces to longer productions, iMovie can help turn any faculty member or teaching GA into a blossoming film producer, director and editor. This short workshop will introduce you to this digital video editing tool and it's basic functions needed to create an effective piece that can be used right away in your course.

FILM & SLIDE SCANNING
Thursday, September 29 10:30-11:15
Images in the classroom can be a powerful addition to aid learning. Tools are currently available to convert film or multiple slides into digital images through scanning. This allows for easy backup, presentation, and archive/storage. Once converted to digital images, they can be burned onto a CD or DVD, posted on the internet, or inserted into PowerPoint/Keynote presentations or iPhoto/Picassa slide shows.

Digital Photography
The cost, quality, and ease of digital photography now make it a valid alternative to traditional film cameras. Images can then be quickly added to classroom websites, blogs, handouts, presentations to enhance the communication medium.

BASIC
Friday, September 30 9:30-10:00
Wednesday, October 5 3:00-3:30
This short but focused workshop will help you become familiar with all the standard features of a typical consumer digital camera that you may currently own or are about to purchase. Topics will include: suggested auto settings, uploading images, and camera selection suggestions.

ADVANCED
Monday, October 3 9:30-10:00
Wednesday, October 12 3:00-3:30
In this workshop, participants will delve into important manual settings for specific effects, white balancing, image management and more.

DIGITAL PHOTO MANIPULATION
Friday, September 30 2:00-2:45
Using Photoshop to enhance the image, participants will manipulate images using: image file types, color correction, levels, cropping and rotating techniques.

IMPLEMENTING THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES: Technology as Lever

2005-09-21T13:42:00.000-05:00

IMPLEMENTING THE SEVEN PRINCIPLES: Technology as Lever
by Arthur W. Chickering and Stephen C. Ehrmann
This essay describes some of the most cost-effective and appropriate ways to use computers, video, and telecommunications technologies to advance the “Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education" which are:

1. Good Practice Encourages Contacts Between Students and Faculty
2. Good Practice Develops Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students
3. Good Practice Uses Active Learning Techniques
4. Good Practice Gives Prompt Feedback
5. Good Practice Emphasizes Time on Task
6. Good Practice Communicates High Expectations
7. Good Practice Respects Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

It's a recommended read for anyone looking for ways to integrate technology in order to enhance or improve student learning. If you have other classroom integration ideas, let us know! We'd love to include your ideas! (Email CTLT)

More Blogs at BGSU! (from Andrew Mara)

2005-09-16T10:39:00.000-05:00

(From Dr. Andrew Mara, English)
I have used blogs over the past two semesters. While I have been personally blogging as a way to blend my professional and my public personas, it wasn't until I taught a Graduate class in the writing process of online documents that I required my students to do so. See it here!

The class website for online documents links to all of the student blogs for navigation and socialization purposes. Having a public blog forced students to see the dry "academic" practice of online writing as a public, and not private act. I required them to take the free "blogger.com" interface and tweak it with style changes and extra links. The students were also required to post comments on other people's blogs. It was probably the most successful part of the entire class.

One of my students decided to catalogue her summer cross-country trip in a "travelblog".

I am currently requiring my undergraduate students in the same "Online Docs" course to keep a blog, and I am adding a new twist--they are going to be editing a Tech-themed "City Blog" (see "Duke City Fix" to see an example of a city blog), and my Technical Writing class will be writing for that particular blog.

Howard Gardner Speaks on Multiple Intelligences

2005-09-07T15:13:00.000-05:00

Friday, September 9th, 2:30pm - Kobacker Hall, Moore Musical Arts Center
American psychologist and educator, Dr. Howard Gardner, will serve as the guest speaker at the College of Musical Arts' All College Convocation. Currently the Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, Gardner is most highly recognized for his contribution in the area of intellectual development with his Theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI). He has written many books on developmental psychology, highlighting his work in the development of creativity in children and adults, and is also well regarded in relation to his work with artistic development. Gardner will visit BGSU from September 7 - 9, 2005, under the auspices of the Dorothy and DuWayne Hansen Visiting Artist Series. The event is sponsored by the College of Musical Arts and the College of Education and Human Development.
More Links:
Howard Gardner's page

Project Zero & Presentations

Penn State's HG page

InFed.org's HG page

Blogging Use: From Kris Blair, English

2005-09-06T12:10:00.000-05:00

(from Kris Blair...)

My work with blogs began in Spring 2004. I began a course blog for a graduate seminar in our doctoral program titled The Rhetoric of Written Discourse, available at http://english724.candconline.org

The only directives I gave (students) were that they make an entry once a week of no more than 250 words and read and perhaps post to someone else's blog entry. Perhaps because it was a grad. seminar, the blog ended up being a phenomenal success, as students went above and beyond the initial requirement. Some students used it for prelim studying purposes, some to dialogue and interrogate the work we were reading, and others for more traditional dialogue among peers. I've since used blogs in two other seminars, The Teaching of Writing (Fall 04) at http://english620.candconline.org and Computer-Mediated Writing Theory (Spring 05) at http://english728.candconline.org

Although these blogs were successful, I have since discovered that students may not feel as positive about the blogging experience for some of the same reasons that other digital tools become problematic for (extra work, lack of response, gendered or raced behavior patterns that exclude and silence).

As a result, this semester, in my graduate seminar on Research Methodology, I have a more focused purpose for blogs, which my students are now just beginning to create using blogger. In this case, the students will keep a research progress report journal that they must update periodically during the term, with their group members actually providing more focused feedback, ensuring some interaction that some really felt they needed for the blog to have exigence.

Overall, blogs have really redefined graduate education, providing another form of professional development. As a group, several groups of students, colleagues, and I have presented our work with blogs at national meetings such as the Conference on College Composition and Communication and the Computers and Writing Conference, and we have just submitted a web-based article (a version of it is at http://personal.bgsu.edu/~rcolby/blog1 ) to the online journal Kairos.

Threaded Series Workshops - Assessment

2005-09-06T11:31:00.000-05:00

What Do Students REALLY Know?

(Classroom Assessment Techniques)

Join us in learning practical ways to assess what your students know, both before and after you teach each lesson.
Topics include:
Portfolios & ePortfolios
Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) – high & low/no tech options
Formative, Embedded & Summative Assessments
Rubrics – analytical, holistic & primary/multiple trait
Concept Maps & Graphic Organizers as Assessment Tools
Classroom/Student Response Systems (“clickers”)

Move beyond traditional tests, quizzes, papers and presentations to discover new methods for uncovering student understanding (or lack thereof)! Throughout this interactive and collaborative series, you will explore classroom assessments (both “hi-tech” and “low or no-tech” alternatives) that can be utilized immediately in any setting to highlight levels of student understanding and to guide your instruction.

The 5 session series is offered on Tuesdays (2-3:30pm) on 9/20, 10/4, 10/18, 11/1, 11/15 and Wednesdays (9-10:30) on 9/21, 10/5, 10/19, 11/2, 11/16

Contact Kris Sautter for more information or to register.

Why Blog?

2005-08-30T14:45:00.000-05:00

Many people consider blogs to be an "online journal or diary", but there are many other ways that blogs can be incorporated into learning outcomes, at all levels and in most learning environments. The link above provides a good introduction to blog usage in higher ed as well as several other links to more pedagogical examples. An introduction to RSS feeds is also provided as well as a few additional links on how to use RSS.

WANTED: Faculty Bloggers @ BGSU!

2005-08-30T13:45:00.000-05:00

If you are a faculty member here at BGSU and currently use blogs in your teaching, send me an email briefly describing the details (course, usage, pros, cons, etc.). In a future posting, I will report some of these uses from this campus.