Online Ed*Spot

QR Code, Skype, and a Funny

2012-02-08T16:50:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone. I have a few things to share today - hopefully you will enjoy at least one of them!

I found this post from the Spicy Learning Blog intriguing. After creating QR codes for his blog in class, a student went home and created his QR code with Legos - and it works! Give it a try.

The Wichita Eagle today carried an article titled, "One Person Can Inspire". It concerns Heights High students conferencing via Skype with Taylor Mali, "A famous slam poet, teacher and advocate for the teaching profession". One 16-year-old student's response (quoting from the Eagle):
“He inspired me to write,” Garceau said. “Just the things he says, the way he says it. … My heart almost stopped.”

OK, this last one is a wonderful reminder. One of our Butler instructors created an agent to send students a gentle warning if they had not posted to the discussion forum by a given day of the week. Imagine her surprise when she got the email - twice! She said it gave her a good laugh but caused her to go post to the forum. You have to love it!

Read more here: http://www.kansas.com/2012/02/07/2206766/teacher-poet-taylor-mali-speaks.html#storylink=misearch#storylink=cpy

2012-02-06T09:46:00.002-06:00

Pinterest lets you organize and share what you find valuable on the web. In other words, it is a social bookmarking site. I am surprised that we have never written about Pinterest in this blog. Most likely it is because many people use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.
But, Pinterest can be a useful educational tool, especially in online courses. Check out the ideas in these two posts, then share your thoughts via the comments.
Pinterest: Everything You Need To Know Is In This Massive Post and
Pinterest- My New Love for Visual Bookmarking Education and Teaching Web Content

Free text messages to students

2012-02-03T16:39:00.002-06:00

It is believed that traditional students often prefer to communicate through text messages rather than ‘old-fashioned’ email. With that in mind, I am piloting Class Parrot. Originally developed for K-12, this tool allows text messages to be sent to registered students’ cell phones through its website. The service is free for a limited number of messages. However, instructor users get 500 initial messages and 200 free per month. There is a monthly or yearly fee for an instructor or school who uses the program. Instructors use just the website, and students do not share the cell phone number at all. I plan to use it to use it to reinforce weekly reminders (and they can be scheduled ahead of time, too).

Pics4Learning

2012-02-02T14:21:00.008-06:00

Do you need some fresh pictures for your presentations, or do your students need a resource for free, copyright-friendly images?

The Pics4Learning site offers such images for use in education. So you and your students don't have to worry about copyright issues.

2012-01-31T09:53:00.003-06:00

I get a weekly email from Rapid E-Learning. You might consider subscribing. It is always filled with great tips for online presenations. I thought I would share these great links with you this week

Free Online Image Editors for Rapid E-Learning

Aviary
Aviary has a few image editing tools and offers a pretty complete solution for most of what you need to do. They also have a very active user community which is a plus and lots of tutorials.

Aviary Feather is a basic image editing tool. You can crop, adjust the image, add some text, and apply filters.
Aviary Phoenix is a more robust application and close to something like Photoshop with the layering and more complex editing capabilities.
Aviary Raven is a vector editor similar to the free Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator.

Pixlr
Pixlr has all of the standard features you’d need. I like some of the pencil drawing effects and it can output to Flickr and Picasa. I find it really easy to use and one of my favorites of the online tools. They also offer Pixlr Express, a streamlined editing tool.

Splashup
Splashup is an image editing tool and photo manager. I like that I can bring in images from sites like Flickr and Picasa, which I already use. It has all of the core features you’d expect in an image editing application. They also offer Splashup Light for download.

Tour of features

Sumo Paint
Sumo Paint is a very capable tool and comes with all of the core editing features. They also offer a Pro upgrade that gives you a desktop version with additional features.

Simpler Tools

The following tools are honorable mentions. They do a decent job with simple edits but don’t have all of the features of the applications above.

Photoshop.com offers simple image editing, but not the layering that you get with its desktop cousins.
Dr.Pic seems to have all of the basic features. I like the framing feature. My guess is the Polaroid frame would work well with some elearning screens.

As you can see, there are plenty of options for free graphics editing. And you have a good choice between desktop applications like I mentioned in the previous post, or go with an online solution.

Download your free 46-page ebook: The Insider's Guide to Becoming a Rapid E-Learning Pro

Will you Be Prepared for these Students?

2012-01-26T13:57:00.000-06:00

Knock, Knock...Who's there?

2012-01-25T12:20:00.005-06:00

We at Butler Online are wanting to feel the love... Do you read our blog regularly? We're about to announce some new great learning opportunities for spring, and we want to make sure you're watching this blog for details.

So...the first TWO Butler Instructors (full-time or adjunct) to comment on this post will receive a super-cool prize! Even if you're not one of the first 2 responders, give us a shout out! Tell us what you think of our blog! What are you interested in learning more about? Help us - help you!

We, at Butler Online, love our faculty. If there's anything we can do to help, please let us know!

Menu Creator

2012-01-23T16:00:00.004-06:00

Do you ever get tired of clicking several times to find and open a file on your computer or a shared drive? I do! That is why I was so thrilled to find this cascading menu creator. It allows you to create a menu of files (of your choice) that is accessible with a right click anywhere on the desktop. This graphic gives you an idea of what it looks like in action:

Just download and install Right Click Cascading Menu Creator. Be sure to choose the Freeware Files Mirror (US) link on this page.

Open the Right Click Cascading Menu Creator program.
In the pop-up window that opens, click "Yes" to run the program.
When the program opens click "File" > "New" > "Cascading Menu"

or click the Blue @ icon -
Enter a name for your menu and click "Add Menu".

Click the round green + icon to add a file to your new menu.

Click the green plus symbol to add a folder to your new menu.

There is no save button. To check your menu, simply navigate to the desktop and right click. Your new menu should be listed in the pop-up menu that opens.

You can "Edit" and/or "Delete" menus within the program.

The Next Big Disruption

2012-01-19T13:51:00.001-06:00

Today Apple announced that it plans to reinvent the textbook. E-books have been slow to catch on...but now that Apple is in the market, who knows what might happen. Read the article below and watch the video embedded in the article. It looks like Apple may be on to something we have all be waiting for...the interactive textbook.

The Apple Textbook

Thanks to Debbie O'Bryan for the heads up on this article.

Android Scientific Calculator

2012-01-17T08:16:00.001-06:00

Do your students need a scientific calculator - or do you? With the popularity of cell phones among our students, I thought the Real Calc Android Scientific Calculator app might be of interest. This post on the I Love Free Software site discusses the app and provides the link for downloading.

Sci2ools - Free Online Productivity Tools - Sciweavers

2012-01-06T12:59:00.003-06:00

The Sci2ools site houses a number of useful free tools, as noted in the graphic of their site toolbar below. The i2Symbol tool features 35 categories of symbols besides those from other languages.

Included are 3 categories of math symbols such as:
≦≧≭∦∛∔⋊⋈ - Don't ask me what any of these mean!
Music symbols include: ♩♪♫♬♭♮♯
You can even get the HTML code for the symbols if you wish.

You can convert text to an image or extract text from an image, convert a web page to an image or pdf, merge pdf files, extract pdf files, etc., etc.
This site is well worth a quick - ⍥Ի η⍥☂ ṡ⍥ ҩυїḉк - look.
Sci2ools - Free Online Productivity Tools - Sciweavers

Museum of Obsolete Objects

2012-01-05T09:10:00.005-06:00

Isn't it overwhelming to think about all of the technology that has become obsolete? I still have a collection of vinyl records--and when my teenage daughter saw them she asked me what they were! Can you believe that?!

If you want to find out more about other technology that has become obsolete, visit the Museum of Obsolete Objects.

If Mary and Joseph had Facebook

2011-12-24T01:12:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/25 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

5 Things Students Want their Teachers to Know about Online Learning

2011-12-23T13:09:00.000-06:00

I found the blog post, 5 Things Students Want their Teachers to Know about Online Learning, by Lisa Nielsen in her blog, The Innovative Educator, to be a worthy reminder. According the students and teachers at the iNacol Virtual Schools Symposium:

Socialization is important
Students want to see their teacher and
to see each other.
They want you to get to know them and
want you to keep the course relevant.

Although none of this is terribly new, several ideas and useful sites to accomplish all of this are included. Check this out as you refresh your courses for the spring semester.

2011 Sharing Trends

2011-12-21T12:13:00.002-06:00

This info-graphic about sharing trends for 2011 contains some incredible information. Take a look at the decline in Internet Explorer users and the increase in Google Chrome, for instance.

View the entire info-graphic

Vivideo Video Editor - free

2011-12-19T13:19:00.009-06:00

If you need to edit some Christmas-party videos, you might want something a little more powerful than Windows Movie Maker. Get Wondershare's Vivideo Video Editor for free when you enter the code:
Monday, Dec. 19th - too hard to say goodbye
Tuesday, Dec. 20th - if i were a boy
Click "Get It Free", and supply your name and e-mail address. (Be sure to click Get Keycode after that.) The program is available for Windows and Mac! (Originally posted on CNet Marketplace).
Features include the ability to easily add captions, filters, transitions and optimize for playback on your portable devices like iPhone, iPad, PSP, iPod, Wii, Zune, etc. You can also capture a graphic of any scene in your video. Merry Christmas!

Note: Evidently the pass code changes daily.You must rescue Santa to get the current code but the software might be worth it.

Butler Online's Gift to You!

2011-12-16T08:50:00.011-06:00

This calendar was originally posted on Dec. 1!! Since the calendar is not searchable, our team will repost all of the content to this blog, but for now, help us countdown to the big holiday with a new technology idea each day!

We have created a Technology Advent Calendar to share new ideas and information in a fun way. You will be able to open one new technology idea each day until Christmas. We hope you enjoy and find the Advent Calendar useful.

ScanMarker

2011-12-15T13:11:00.005-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/24 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

This little tool allows one to scan hardcopy text and immediately paste it into Word, Excel or any other application. View it in use here. The portable, hand-held scanning device also functions as a personal reading guide, enhancing text comprehension, pronunciation, and reading autonomy for students and adults with reading difficulties. Scanmarker comes with a wide variety of functions such as: Data Entry (Scan & Paste), Multiple Language Translation, Text-To-Speech, Dictionary, Thesaurus, Image Reader, etc.

Note: Thanks to Mark Jarvis for letting us know about Scanmarker. According to Mark, "It's about $80, but I think it could change the way we read, study, and research".

34 FREE Productivity Tools

2011-12-15T13:03:00.003-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/23 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Whether you have been naughty or nice, we still want to give you this list of 34 Free Productivity Tools. Some we have mentioned before and some are new to us. This is a great compilation of very useful tools to make your life easier without spending any money. We hope you find something useful here. You just might want to bookmark this site.

Project Gutenberg Free eBooks

2011-12-15T11:52:00.004-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/22 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Project Gutenberg offers over 36,000 free ebooks to download to your PC, Kindle, Android, iOS or other portable device. Choose between ePub, Kindle, HTML and simple text formats.These ebooks are digitized version of previously published books whose copyright has expired in the United States.

Downloads are free and no registration is required although you can make a donation to help fund the project You can search titles by a simple book search or browse bookshelves by topic, top downloads, or recently added. This is a great resource.

5 Free Graph Making Sites

2011-12-15T11:49:00.006-06:00

(This was originally posted by Beth Cunningham on 12/21 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Just the other day someone was asking about a site to create and/or have students create graphs. This post at I Love Free Software summarizes 5 graph making sites and the tools available at each.

These websites will help you with various chart tools such as chart making, online graphing, and more. You can create Pie Charts, Bar Charts, Line Charts or Area Charts, etc.

Performance Tools

2011-12-15T11:44:00.005-06:00

(This was originally posted by Tara Canfield on 12/20 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Would you like a list of over 2000 tools for learning? Created by the Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies, this directory has tools listed for everything from group interaction to podcasting!

What an excellent resource for online instructors!

Video Resources

2011-12-15T11:34:00.003-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/19 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Visitors to Documentary Tube can select from twenty-two categories of documentaries including art, health, science, travel, history, and several others. The menu includes a cover picture as well as a brief blurb describing the content of the movie. Each week, the website features the top 100 documentaries being viewed. Some are basically entertaining while others present emotionally-charged issues. There is also a search feature.World News Presents: This Day in History is presented by ABC News and, as the title suggests, provides a short video about what happened on a given day in history. For instance, on December 10 the video is "Civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. accepts the Nobel Peace Prize".

Students' Expectations

2011-12-15T11:16:00.006-06:00

(This was originally posted by Tara Canfield on 12/18 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Have you ever wondered what your students' expectations are for you as their instructor? Sometimes we concentrate so much on what WE need from them, but wouldn't it help us be better instructors if we focused on our actions as well?? To learn more about this subject, read the article by Sabrina Ely at eLearn Magazine.

Make a Gingerbread House!

2011-12-15T11:10:00.008-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/17 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

OK, OK, I know some of you will have no interest in this but if you need something creative, simple, and relaxing try your hand at creating your own gingerbread house. You can add candy, frosting, eyes!, etc. You cannot enter text but you can "write" with the frosting. There is no save function but you could Jing your project.

This is a fun site your children or grandchildren will enjoy. I know mine will spend time here!

Feeling GLIFFY?

2011-12-15T11:08:00.002-06:00

(This was originally posted by Beth Cunningham on 12/16 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Over the weekend, my son created a Venn diagram for school and used the jazzy new SmartArt tools in Word 2010. However, what do you (or your students) use when you need a Venn diagram, Flowchart, SWOT Chart or any other diagram that may fall outside the scope of Microsoft Word? Try Gliffy! Sign up for a 30 day trial and see if it will add value to your class ($5/month if you love it).

Open Culture

2011-12-15T10:47:00.003-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/15 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Do you sometimes wish you could have a guest speaker in your online course? Well, Open Culture just might be the answer. Open Culture boasts content from "290 Cultural Icons: Great Artists, Writers & Thinkers in Their Own Words". Included, for example is a video interview in which Isaac Asminov, shares insights on science, computing, etc.

Also accessible here are "435 Free Movies Online: Great Classics, Indies, Noir, Westerns, etc." Freely viewable are films such as A Farewell to Arms, Great Expectations, Moulin Rouge, etc. You can also downolad free audio books here.

Get Organized

2011-12-15T10:45:00.006-06:00

(This was originally posted by Beth Cunningham on 12/14 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

If you've popped into our Butler Online offices lately (and if you haven't, why not?), you know we're all about QR Codes! We just love 'em! We're even making gift tags containing video greetings with them!

All that scanning creates an organizing dilemma...until now. Download QRganize from the App Store and arrange, revisit or share your scans over the holidays!

Job Search

2011-12-15T09:14:00.005-06:00

(This was originally posted by Tara Canfield on 12/12 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

The Ghost of Christmas Present visited me last night! I told him to "GET LOST--I have had enough of you and your wacky friends!" He wouldn't leave though, and he just kept yelling (drama queen!) something about how I need to get my "head right" and start spreading the word about present day job search tools.

I agree with him though. The job market IS harder to navigate these days, so what are people doing to highlight their skills and stand out from the rest of the crowd. One way is to create a visual resume. A great example of this is Heidi Lilly's visual resume on Slideshare. If you conduct an interviewing module in your class, as I do, then this would make a great project for your students!

QR Code Ideas

2011-12-15T09:10:00.003-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/13 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Undoubtedly you have seen, and possibly used, QR Codes. They are quite popular now. Meg shared a site that explains how to create QR codes labels for your Christmas gifts. Very clever! QR Voice is a site that allows you to type your message and create a QR code that will play an audio of the message to the recipient. J. C. Penney is offering shoppers the opportunity to record and print a QR message to add to their gift.This QR Code wrapping paper suggests gift giving ideas and links you to the site to purchase them. Very commercial but a clever marketing tool.

5 Sites of Recipes

2011-12-15T09:04:00.006-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/11 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

It is time to begin the holiday cooking and baking. And, here just in time, are five sites that offer traditional and not so traditional recipes. Included are Epicurious, Pioneer Woman, She Knows, Martha Stewart, and Taste of Home. And remember, Butler Online loves food!!

You might also want to check out blog hops. "This Christmas, many food blogs are holding a 12 weeks of Christmas cookies blog hop. This means that when you enter one food blog, you can find links to recipes from numerous other food blogs, all about Christmas cookies." ( from the Make Use Of website)

Snowline Game

2011-12-15T09:02:00.003-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/10 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Santa's reindeer had a sneezing fit and all of the Christmas gifts were scattered over the Northern Slopes. Draw "snow lines" in this fun logic game to help Santa recover the presents in time for Christmas. Enjoy!

Add a Little SPICE to Your Holiday!

2011-12-15T08:57:00.005-06:00

(This was originally posted by Beth Cunningham on 12/9 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

There's nutmeg, pumpkin spice, and now...SPICY NODES!

What a great way to add a little *kick* to your classes! Spend a few minutes with Spicy Nodes (www.spicynodes.org) and you're sure to be hooked! They're a great way to visually demonstrate an idea or concept in an interactive and interesting way! Here's a picture of my Node on "The Seven Principles of Undergraduate Education" but it's more fun to go to their site and give it a try.

We promise, you'll love it, and it has less calories than a pumpkin pie!

Microsoft 2010 Ultimate Tips

2011-12-15T08:56:00.003-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/8 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

MAke Use Of has prepared a free guide to help you get the most out of the new features in Office 2010. The guide is a free PDF download and will show you how to:

* Get the most out of 2010s cloud capabilities.

* Turn off the annoying file block feature.

* Speed up document creation in Word with building blocks.

* Present data at a glance with Excels new Sparklines.

* Edit video from within PowerPoint.

* Broadcast a PowerPoint presentation over the web, live.

* Add social functionality to Outlook.

* and much more!

Future of Engineering

2011-12-15T08:53:00.002-06:00

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come visited me last night (these ghosts have no respect for the sleeping!) and told me that I need to pay more attention to the future. He was rambling on and on about death and so forth, but then he mentioned something about the future of engineering and how it is my duty to pass on the word. So, here it goes.

eGFI is a great site that focuses on the field of engineering. This site is primarily devoted to K-12 students, but it explores many topics that would be of interest to college age students. There is a link to the eGFI magazine, and the site has a lot of detailed information about topics such as how to choose a college or how to be a successful engineering student.I want to thank the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come for passing on this valuable resource, but next time I want him to call before popping in!

Christmas Flash Mob

2011-12-15T08:52:00.003-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/5 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

"The Carlson School of Management received a surprise visit from a saxophonist and nearly 300 of his friends from the University of Minnesotas School of Music this November." Enjoy this rendition of Deck the Halls, performed at the University of Minnesota in the Carlson School of Management building on Nov. 7, 2011.

Faculty Focus

2011-12-15T08:50:00.002-06:00

(This was originally posted by Tara Canfield on 12/4 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Faculty Focus recently highlighted a 2011 study on online education, conducted by the Sloan Consortium and the Babson Survey Research Group. The study, Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011, found that more than six million students are now taking online classes. For more detailed findings, you can obtain the full report from The Sloan Consortium.

Online Convert.com

2011-12-15T08:46:00.004-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/3 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Online Convert is a site that does just what its title indicates - converts files to another file type.

We have previously suggested using zamzar.com to convert files but Online Convert is much more user friendly and faster. The file is converted and immediately downloaded to your computer. You can convert documents, audio, video, graphics, etc. When you convert a grapic you have the option to change the size, make it monochrome, negative, etc. An added feature is the site blog that includes topics such as "Extract Still Image from Video" and "Rip Audio from a Video Clip".

This is definitely a site to bookmark (or add to your Symbaloo).

Web Notes

2011-12-15T08:40:00.004-06:00

(This was originally posted by Tara Canfield on 12/2 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

The Ghost of Christmas Past visited me last night and told me that I need to learn from my past!!! So, for today we are all going to learn from a past blog entry made by Linda Wapelhorst on September 13, 2010.

"I have discovered that the Awesome Highlighter site is not operating right now. I'm not sure if this is permanent but it caused me to search for a replacement. This turned out to be good because I found Web Notes. Web Notes is easier to use and has more options.The demo below shows all that you can do with Web Notes.This would be a great tool to share with your students who are required to write a research paper or for you, as an instructor, to highlight the pertinent information on a web page. You can highlight, add notes and share in a number of ways. Web Notes also provides storage for your annotated pages. These can be private or public. You might find the Web Notes Tutorial valuable."

Themeefly

2011-12-15T08:38:00.002-06:00

(This was originally posted by Linda Wapelhorst on 12/1 in Butler Online's Advent Calendar)

Themeefly is a free web tool that allows you to easily create your own interactive magazine.

You can add text, graphics, video, audio, web links, and social media from Facebook and twitter. You can link to your magazine (or one from the library) or embed the magazine in your ANGEL page or a web site. Easily create a collection of important links, images and notes to use as in-class resources or study guides for students.

Check out this sample QR Code Themeefly.

Email and the angry student

2011-12-07T15:22:00.002-06:00

Angry, frustrated, upset students. We have all had them both in the classroom and online. It is SO tempting for both parties to respond emotionally in this anonymous setting. Here are a few thoughts provided by Victoria S. Brown of Florida Atlantic University in the January 2011 edition of Online Classroom together with the collective personal experiences from our Butler Online staff.

Do not respond immediately. This is the online equivalent of taking a deep breath and thinking before you speak.
Wait at least an hour or two before crafting your response. But by all means, do respond. Write your email, and then pause and reread it carefully, maybe out loud, before sending.
Use a professional tone. While email seems impersonal, the person reading it will react very personally. Be careful that your language is neutral and free of sarcasm, condescension, and other unintentional but negative undertones. While students may get upset no matter what you say, it is better to err on the side of caution.
Address the student by name. Beyond the positive defusing power of using a person’s name, it will help to remind the student that this is not an anonymous situation, that a real person is listening and responding.
Limit your response to only the issues at hand. Be as brief as necessary.
Close “Respectfully, [your name]
Finally, make sure you keep a copy of the original message and your response(s)

Do you have any thoughts or additions? Let us know.

Butler Online's Gift to you!

2011-12-01T14:49:00.003-06:00

Crime Scenes

2011-11-29T09:02:00.004-06:00

Have you ever wondered how crime scene investigations take place? You may have seen the Hollywood process on any of the numerous crime related shows on TV, but what do the REAL authorities do?

One way that the New York City Police Department is recording crime scenes is to take panoramic images of crime scenes, using the Panoscan camera. Some of these images have been posted online with an audio explanation of what has taken place. These images are real and are a tad gruesome, but are still excellent examples for a criminal investigations class.

On a lighter note, this would also be a great camera for vacation! :)

Top 100 Web 2.0 Tools by Edudemic

2011-11-21T10:51:00.001-06:00

Here is the list of the 100 Best Web 2.0 Tools by Edudemic. We have posted several of these in the past...but there are many new ones to explore. Give a few a try...and let us know what you think. We would love to have you review one of these tools and post it to the blog.

The EdTech Toolbox also has a list of Top 100 Tools for Learning. So when you have some free time this week, take a look!

What kind of airplane is that?

2011-11-18T16:17:00.001-06:00

I know this may be totally worthless information...but the very fact that we have it at our fingertips is beyond belief to me!!! So go to:

http://www.wolframalpha.com/

In the search box type in flights overhead (enter). Wait a couple of seconds and scroll down. Every airplane flying within 50 miles of your current location will show up...and tell you what type of plane it is. Crazy huh?

The engineers at Wolfram Alpha are also the geniuses behind Siri (the incredible new technology on the Apple 4S iPhone).

This is truly an amazing time to be alive!!! Enjoy.

Easily Create your own Graphics

2011-11-18T13:39:00.005-06:00

This post is from Elizabeth Luzar, Butler nursing instructor. Thanks for the valuable tips, Elizabeth.

"I follow the Articulate blog --- not so much for Articulate itself, but Tom has some great ideas to make e-learning tutorials better.

One of the big things I have learned from his blog is about graphics. Yesterday I made two graphics (each took about 20 minutes) to illustrate some pharmacokinetics concepts.

I did them in PowerPoint. I made a slide with what I wanted the graphic to look like, grouped it and then saved it as a picture (jpg) that I could import into my ANGEL page".

This is the graphic Elizabeth created:

"The specific blog is:

http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/7-secrets-to-getting-the-graphics-you-need-for-rapid-e-learning/ . Scroll down to Customize Clip Art to Meet your Needs. There are 3 links after his discussion that take you to previous blog entries to show you how to do it".

I decided Elizabeth didn't get to have all the fun so I made the graphic on the left to demonstrate just how some of our students might be feeling about now.

Graphic Short Stories

2011-11-17T11:19:00.004-06:00

The Observer/Cape Graphic Short Story Prize winners for 2011 have not yet been chosen, but the site has previous winners listed. Here you can view the winning graphic short stories from 2007-2011.

Interactive Graphics

2011-11-15T11:45:00.006-06:00

Do you need some cool interactive graphics for your class?

ElearningExamples offers a wide variety of interactive graphics for subjects including health, automotive, golf, tennis, and even NASA.

Rome Reborn

2011-11-14T10:26:00.001-06:00

I am not sure how many of you address ancient Rome in your teaching but I came across the Digital Model of Ancient Rome site and thought it worth sharing.
"Rome Reborn is an international initiative whose goal is the creation of 3D digital models illustrating the urban development of ancient Rome from the first settlement in the late Bronze Age (ca. 1000 B.C.) to the depopulation of the city in the early Middle Ages (ca. A.D. 550)."

Electric Literature

2011-11-14T10:23:00.004-06:00

This site may appeal primarily to creative writing instructors. But anyone who is fascinated with the evolution of technology and its impact on the arts and the creative process in general, will find this intriguing. Traditions (which are once new themselves) are twisted and bent to form something entirely new. Tweeted short stories, animations of a single sentence, and lots more.

A Reader's Guide

2011-11-11T08:41:00.004-06:00

Many of us assign chapters out of the course book and cross our fingers hoping that our students will actually open the book. I have given weekly quizzes over the chapters, and with a traditional f2f class reviewed the material at the start of class hoping that this will encourage them to read the book. This however, has never quite satisfied me. I still get the feeling, in both my online and f2f classes, that they just don't READ!

Faculty Focus recently published an article by Tiffany F. Culver, Ph.D, on how to help students read the chapter, organize their thoughts, and better comprehend what they are reading. To accomplish this, Culver developed a Reader's Guide, which is also available in PDF format for printing purposes. Culver's Reader's Guide is pretty extensive, so you could modify the guide to make it more relevant for your own class.

Coach's Eye - new from TechSmith

2011-11-08T13:08:00.003-06:00

The Butler Online staff members are big fans of TechSmith, and although I have not had time to check it out I wanted to put this out there right now. For a limited time, this TechSmith app is available for 99 cents from the iTunes store.
It appears to be designed for coaches, and trainers. More than just recording video, the app boasts the ability to record in slow motion, and annotate with drawings and audio commentary. Beyond coaching, instructors could use it for demonstrations, analysis of speeches and more. Let us know what YOU think.

OK, you do need the latest IOS, - 5, but I am going to try to purchase and download to my Mac if i can't get my phone updated first.

Acrobat Pro 10 can be your hero

2011-11-08T08:39:00.003-06:00

One of the biggest complaints I have heard about PDF files is the inability to edit. Regardless how many times, users are told to save the original Word or Excel file to edit at a later time, that original always seems to get lost.

There have been converters pop up over the years, but I have never heard of any really working to folks' liking. Of course, you can always copy and paste the text for an ungainly unformatted look into a document. Desperate but ugly.

Now, Acrobat Pro 10 has added that ability to convert a PDF to Microsoft Word (.doc and .docx), and it seems to work. At least better than previous external applications (both free and paid). My recent sample attempt did not bring over math symbols, but the overall formatting in the new Word document looked pretty darned good.

With so many programs now able to convert their files to PDF, the purchase of Acrobat has become less attractive in the last few years. This latest feature, however, could be worth taking another look.

50 GB of Cloud Storage - Free!

2011-11-04T10:39:00.002-05:00

Box.net is "giving away 50 GB of free storage to anyone who uses a free Box Personal account on an iOS device. That’s right, it’s 50 GB in the cloud completely free, forever. Your 50 GB of storage isn’t just limited to your mobile device – you get it anywhere you use your Box account, like on your laptop at home or your desktop at the office.

This promotion only runs for 50 days, so get your free space in the cloud by following these steps:

Visit the app store and download the Box app for your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch
Log in to your account or register for a new one directly from the app
Start sharing and collaborating in the cloud" (originally posted on the Inside the Box blog).

This offer began Friday, October 14th, 2011 at 12:01 am Pacific Standard time so the clock is ticking. Go get yours now.

Voices of a Generation: Students Speak Out

2011-11-04T10:18:00.001-05:00

In September 2011, Ann Curry hosted Education Nation's first student panel discussion, "Voices of a Generation". Young people provided insight into what they think needs to be done to ensure that every student receives a world-class education. Click "Voices of a Generation: Students Speak Out" to view the video. Some of the student comments included:

Us youth love all the new technologies that come out. When you acknowledge this and use technology in your teaching it makes learning much more interesting.
We appreciate when you connect with us in our worlds such as the teacher who provided us with extra help using Xbox and Skype
I have to critically think in college, but your tests don't teach me that.
We learn in different ways at different rates.
I can't learn from you if you are not willing to connect with me.
Teaching by the book is not teaching. It's just talking.
Every young person has a dream. Your job is to help bring us closer to our dreams.
We need more than teachers. We need life coaches.

Add a little Spice

2011-11-03T11:36:00.006-05:00

I'm facilitating a workshop about The Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education...perhaps you've heard of it? One of the instructors in there (shout out to Katrina Palan) mentioned Spicy Nodes. With a name like that, how do you not go check it out?

Once in there, I was hooked! It's a free site that lets you create cool visuals to help demonstrate a point, especially if the point doesn't really have a beginning or end, but many facets to one idea. Check mine out and see what you think! It looks best if you make it full screen and play with the zoom/focus a little.

And for the record - you missed out on a good time with this workshop! Ask your course manager about getting in on the next one!

Does Facebook Jeopardize Home Security?

2011-11-02T09:08:00.008-05:00

After you check your grade on your social media sites (see previous post) you might want to explore the statistics presented in this infographic and then evaluate your postings to social media sites. Be cautious about what you tell your friends because you might be providing just the information burglars are searching for.

Social Media Safety Infographic provided by CreditSesame.com an online credit and debt management company.

Clean Up Your Facebook!!!

2011-11-01T09:43:00.007-05:00

Facebook..................Isn't it great?! You can connect with all of your friends and family and let them know what you are doing every minute of the day................but what does Facebook mean to potential employers??

Facebook has become a covert way for employers to see what you are like outside of work. Do you post negative comments about your current employer? If so, STOP!! Do you post pictures of yourself that could be construed as tawdry or vulgar? If so, STOP!! Prospective employers are now using Facebook, so we need to spend time professionally managing our social media image.

One way to do this is to use socioclean, which is a free service that will scan your social media accounts and give you a grade. I had socioclean scan my Facebook, and I received an A. However, the service found two postings made by my friends that could be considered questionable. The site showed me the postings, and I was able to delete them.

My Facebook received an A. What is your grade?

The Open University

2011-10-28T13:19:00.005-05:00

Are you looking for some professional development points, or just a site that offers some great information for your students?

The Open University offers both and much more! What I like about The OU is that the site offers many free articles and videos in the OpenLearn area that you could use for your classes. If you are just interested in videos, then you can also search their YouTube channel. Some of the subjects covered include history, the arts, education, and science and math.

A new look at Project Gutenberg

2011-10-26T15:14:00.004-05:00

Have you seen Project Gutenberg lately? This site is the grandaddy of eBooks; I remember skimming through it when we first got the Internet. Oodles of out of copyright, free books. No images, just unformatted text. Very boring, slow, hard to search.

It has survived and grown with new technologies. And of course added much more, since more and more books are getting out of copyright restrictions.
One notable addition is the listing of books with images, and audio books. They also list the multiple versions and platforms (Epub, HTML, Kindle, PDF) Versions are available for your IOS (iPhone, iPad) device, Android, Nook, Kobo, Kindle and more.

They have even added QR codes - not just for hipness but for a practical reason. Scanning the code with your phone (on your PC) will bring up the website on your device and let you download the file right on your phone or tablet.

Google Presentations

2011-10-25T13:21:00.005-05:00

Google recently rolled out some new features for creating presentations in Google Docs. The new features now allow for faster collaboration and more creative presentations. Google has added 50 new tools including tables, transitions and animations.

Prezi Workshop

2011-10-20T14:12:00.007-05:00

Are you looking for a sensational alternative to PowerPoint? If so, Prezi is the answer!!

Prezi allows you to create a presentation with several components on a zoomable canvas. If you would like to learn the basics of Prezi, we will be offering a Prezi workshop, here at the Butler of Andover campus, on Friday, 10/28, from 10-noon.

For a dynamite example of what you can do with Prezi, look at this presentation made by one of my Public Speaking students, Ted Warner. He presented this during his informative speech, and the class was in awe of his talent, and so was I! This presentation has inspired some of my other students to look beyond the world of PowerPoint and stretch their imaginations.

Now THAT is a great thing!

(Please note that this must be viewed in Firefox to work properly)

Copy of Frank Lloyd Wright on Prezi

Promoting Academic Integrity in Online Education

2011-10-18T16:17:00.007-05:00

How do you feel about academic integrity in online education? Have you ever had an online student cheat or had a suspicion that they were cheating?

No matter your feelings about, or your experience with academic integrity, you will surely find this new report from Faculty Focus interesting. In this report you will find information regarding the state of academic integrity in online education and how to prevent cheating. This 20 page report is free to Faculty Focus members and definitely worth reading!

New Look for Google Docs and Sites!

2011-10-14T08:18:00.005-05:00

Google has rolled out a new look for Docs and Sites in order to establish consistency throughout Google products.

I use both Docs and Sites, and the new changes are not difficult to identify or use. If however, you have your students use either one of the sites, keep in mind that some of the verbiage has changed. For example, in Docs the discussion thread used to be called Discussion, whereas now it has changed to Comment Stream. Just make sure you change this terminology in your instructions!

Copying items in ANGEL

2011-10-13T11:02:00.004-05:00

Let's say you are adding new material in ANGEL, and you want to create an item very similar to one you already have. There are several ways to do this. One would be to copy the HTML code of an item and paste it into a new item.
Another way is to duplicate your original.
First, find your original item (to be duplicated) and choose its Utilities link. Now select Copy Item. I overlooked this method for a long time because the subtitle states that you will copy the item to another section (implying that copying it to the same section was not possible). However, take a look at this screen.Make your two choices (Destination Course, Destination Folder) and then finish by clicking Copy.
This creates an exact copy, ready to edit. No (1) after the duplicate. It should appear directly below the original if you copied it to the same course and folder.

Interactive Grammar and Writing Site

2011-10-12T09:34:00.004-05:00

Not particularly fancy, this is a site rich with basic grammar and writing information laced with self-quizzes. The site was developed with a grant by a community college in Hartford, Connecticut. Why not take advantage of the great work someone else has developed? At first glance, I believed it could be a valuable resource for Fundamentals of English. However, on closer examination, I found that these folks have developed a good section on paragraph, essay and research papers, that could provide a boost for Comp students as well.
Not just English teachers, but any instructor who requires clear focused writing would find this a site worthwhile.

Fair use

2011-10-07T08:40:00.003-05:00

This blog post of NPR's Hearing Voices highlights several articles and workshops on Fair Use including one by Google/Youtube.
If you have worked with music, design or any kind of media professionally, you probably know that the master protector of their own work is Disney Studios. It is risky to use the simplest use of black circles to represent mouse ears without triggering the Disney watchdogs. With that in mind, you should take a few minutes to watch the tongue-in-cheek video compiled of microclips of Disney movies describing Fair Use.

SpeakIt by Google

2011-10-04T13:57:00.006-05:00

I like to follow Google's latest developments, and recently I found out about Google's new speech-to-text feature.

This newest feature is so easy to use and I think it would be extra helpful to foreign students who need to better understand the English language. All you have to do is highlight the text that you need read to you, click on the icon for the feature, and it will start reading the text to you. It works great on most Websites, and the text is read to you by a computerized voice.

SpeakIt is the name of this feature, and can be downloaded for free from the Google Chrome web store.

Fakebook

2011-09-29T09:06:00.003-05:00

First of all I have to give Mark Jarvis credit for finding this cool tool!
I have wanted to share this since I first heard about it. Even though I haven't had a chance to use it with my class (and Art Appreciation would be a really good opportunity), I encourage you to go out and check it out for yourself.

As the name implies, Fakebook is a 'fake' Facebook. Users (students and instructors alike) can go in and create profiles of people, events and organizations, along with images, posts, links, profiles, friends and other Facebook-type tools. The website includes a 90-second or so tutorial, and an archive so that you can browse.

It's not as superficial as it might sound. Any profile would take some research, demanding both critical and creative thinking skills.

As a new and free site (except, of course, for the Premium option) Fakebook is a little rough and the examples in the archive are not well developed, but I think it holds great promise as an engaging tool for higher ed students. With the possible exception of math, most subject areas could integrate a project using Fakebook, with significant engagement with course objectives.

If you do take a look, let us know what you think!

Doodling!

2011-09-28T10:13:00.005-05:00

Do your students doodle during class? Visit The Doodle Revolution Website and find out why doodling actually helps us to think better and retain more information.

Social Media Study

2011-09-21T13:45:00.005-05:00

Faculty Focus recently published a study about how higher education faculty are using social media in their classrooms. If you use Facebook or Twitter, this study will surprise you. You can sign up for the Faculty Focus newsletter for free, and then download the document for free.

Notes in the Cloud

2011-09-20T08:41:00.004-05:00

Do you lecture and encourage your students to take notes? Penzu might be the tool for your class! It's promoted as a secure, cloud-based, online journaling tool but since many of our students are toting around a laptop/netbook anyway, I think it'd be great for students to use for taking class notes too! The basic version is free, it date stamps each entry, and you can organize and delete your notes at will. Suggest this the next time your student says that the notes she took in your class are on her (lost) flash drive! Check it out at www.penzu.com and let us know what you think!

Bill Cosby

2011-09-16T10:59:00.006-05:00

Isn't it sometimes hard to build rapport with your face to face students? Isn't it even harder to build rapport with online students?

I can still remember one of my favorite professors in grad school (I'm not too old but old enough to start forgetting!). He knew all of our names and he always told stories from his past positions. This was a business class, so his stories were relevant to the material and we could see how the concepts we were studying were actually being used in the real world. I was working at IBM at the time, and his stories about an outdated, ineffective culture mesmerized me, as I could relate.

Are you building rapport with your students? Are you using your instructor notes to relate stories about your own experiences with the subject matter? Garr Reynolds asserts that storytelling is one of the best ways to relate to an audience, and he says that Bill Cosby (a.k.a. Cliff Huxtable) is one of the best at this.

Watch Bill Cosby in action and see if you agree. You may not be as funny as Mr. Cosby, but even a short story, maybe presented in a podcast, would make your instructor notes more interesting!

Xtranormal Update

2011-09-13T13:52:00.004-05:00

This past summer I posted information about Xtranormal, a too cool tool for creating your own movies.

I have wanted to do more with Xtranormal, but to get more characters and sets I would have to buy them--which I really don't want to do! Recently however, Xtranormal has started offering 5000 points to educators who want to use Xtranormal in their classrooms. I applied for this, and they approved my application yesterday, so I am now the proud owner of 5000 additional points.

I conducted some research at the Xtranormal site, and found that for 287 points, I can purchase two new characters and one set from The Suitz Collection. As you can see, there is so much I can now do with Xtranormal.

To apply for your educational status and bonus points click here.

2011-09-12T16:05:00.009-05:00

Trying to show a little creativity and connect with your students? Using your webcam (or come into our office to borrow one of ours!), take a picture of yourself and check out these fun digital effects. Your face can be a piece of art being moved upstairs (great for explaining that your class site is still "under construction"), on the cover of a magazine, or even in a mug shot! There are also cool filters you can apply to your photo like charcoal drawing or oil painting. Here are a couple I tried!
There are over 200 choices, so have fun @ http://www.photo505.com/ - Thanks Linda for the great site!

2011-09-07T08:54:00.002-05:00

Another inspirational talk from Garr Reynolds at the TEDxTokyo conference!

Timing discussion posts

2011-09-06T09:24:00.002-05:00

Do you have your students wait 24 hours between discussion posts? Do they know if it has been 24 hours?
You the instructor can mouse over the date of a post and see the time, and yes, a student can do the same thing, (actually not just their own, but anyone else as well)
I checked this out in student view and I don't know why it wouldn't work, as long as Java is installed. Thanks to Tiffany Welk, for asking.

More Fun with Signs

2011-09-02T09:55:00.000-05:00

So I was reading the blog (as I do every morning) and watched the video about Banishing Boring PowerPoints. I checked out the suggested links...and found even more fun stuff! I especially liked the images with the iPad, iPod and phone as seen below. It was great fun! Try adding some of your own personality to your announcements with something like this! But be careful, the hours might fly by!

YouTube Time Machine

2011-09-02T06:57:00.003-05:00

Did you know that YouTube has a feature called YouTube Time Machine. YouTube Time Machine allows you to search for videos from a given year. You can also narrow your search by genre. This might help you locate useful videos for your class like the one below.

You can click to go directly to the video on YouTube where the embed code can be accessed.

Livebinders Update

2011-09-01T05:20:00.003-05:00

I hope you attended Summer EDventures and enjoyed learning about Livebinders. Since then we have discovered some new tools available on Livebinders. These include the ability to embed objects and use html code to make the pages in your binders appear just the way you wish. Check out this Livebinders tutorial to learn how to use these additional tools.

Banish Boring PowerPoints!

2011-08-31T13:55:00.003-05:00

Dr. Jim Anderson shows in this short presentation how to upgrade your PowerPoint slides from boring to dazzling!

PowerPoint into iSpring

2011-08-31T12:32:00.001-05:00

We recently updated the LOR to make the iSpring instructions reflect the newest version of iSpring. While we did it, I also wanted to take a moment to make sure everyone knows the value of iSpring. So, for those of you that are unsure, this is for you!

In looking over many great online class syllabi, I noticed many instructors linking valuable information, terminology, or reference material in a PowerPoint slideshow for their students to watch. However, unless you specifically include PowerPoint as a required software for your class, you may want to consider converting your PowerPoints to iSpring. iSpring is free, UDL compliant, and viewable by anyone. And (here's the great part), you can import it as a SCORM, which means you can tie it to your gradebook and give points for watching it! Wahoo! You can require they pause on each slide X seconds, and do so on a certain number of slides. Then, once they meet your requirements, bam, they get X points in your gradebook! Visit the Online Instructors LOR for instructions (we've made it its own section because there's so much great juicy information), or of course, feel free to call your course manager.

Viewbix for YouTube Videos

2011-08-30T08:05:00.003-05:00

Viewbix is a free site that allows you to make your YouTube videos interactive. It will also eliminate the associated videos. We all know these can be less than desirable.
Check out the video below. It contains a button that links to the Viewbix site, details about Viewbix, and 2 maps. These are just a few of the apps you can add to a YouTube video on Viewbix.
The site is very simple and user friendly. Give us a call if you have any questions.

Think You're An Auditory Or Visual Learner? Scientists Say It's Unlikely

2011-08-29T09:43:00.002-05:00

An interesting common sense perspective on the importance of addressing learning styles. Fundamentally our brains are more alike than different, the article states. While they dispute the need to tailor material to individual learning strengths, the psychologists affirm that having variety (visual, auditory, hands on) is good for everyone's learning.
Of course, if there are distinct disabilities, physical or learning, that is a different situation. Nonetheless, I have privately held that at some point students should work on strengthening their weaknesses, rather than simply focusing on their strengths.

State of Digital Education

2011-08-26T09:00:00.001-05:00

This infographic provides some fascinating statistics, both present and future. The entire infographic is too large to include here but click it to view all of the information.

WizMouse

2011-08-25T12:21:00.000-05:00

WizMouse makes your mouse wheel work wherever your mouse is pointed. This little utility enables your mouse wheel to work on the window currently under the mouse pointer, even if it is not the currently active window. This means you do not need to click on a window before being able to scroll it with the mouse wheel.
WizMouse even scrolls applications that don't support the mousewheel. Essentially, when you spin the wheel down, WizMouse clicks the down arrow on the scroll bar for you.
WizMouse is very simple to install and use. Although it offers some basic options, the default settings work great for me.

TED

2011-08-24T10:44:00.005-05:00

TED is a great non-profit site that offers videos of short speeches by people considered experts in their field.

TED stands for Technology, Entertainment and Design, but there are many other fields represented. I investigated the site and found some very interesting talks about astronomy, music, medicine, and listening. The biography of each speaker is also available, which lends even more credibility to TED. A RSS feed is an option, so you could add that to your RSS feeds on the homepage of your ANGEL course.

Watch this speech from the most recent TED conference.

Fences to Organize your Desktop

2011-08-23T13:24:00.001-05:00

Ok, anyone who has seen my monitor know I have the messiest desktop on campus. I save lots of stuff on the desktop and forget to organize it. I found what is now my favorite tool to corral all of these desktop files and icons. It is Fences. This little utility corrals your desktop icons into customizable groups. My desktop is now neat and orderly and yours can be too.

Prezi Tips

2011-08-18T16:14:00.000-05:00

Tips and hints: 7 resources to jumpstart your Prezi presentations is a great source for those of you who were so impressed with Mark Jarvis' Prezi presentation at Summer EDventures that you can't wait to create one of your own. Jeremy Kaiser has posted 7 links here to Prezi tutorials and aids:

Official Prezi Manual: This is the Prezi manual in PDF form.
Prezi for Dummies: Several great cheat sheets with Prezi shortcuts.
Job Aid – Prezi: Picture tutorial on the basics of how to use Prezi.
10 Tips to Help Master Prezi: Great list of tips to make your Prezi rockin’.
Prezi Quickstart Guide: This PDF is a 2 page cheat sheet, great for giving to those who still like to have instructions on paper.
Basic Prezi Tutorial: Another nice looking tutorial with picture guide.
See What I Mean?: A good blog post with ideas on how to create good Prezi presentations along with a great list of examples.

Stop-Motion Video with Jelly Cam

2011-08-16T10:38:00.010-05:00

This is a video I created to give students an overview of the assignments they will complete in Comp II throughout the semester. It also shows them the books required for the course.
I used a free software called Jelly Cam. It was a lot of fun to create but did take some planning. Once you get the hang of it creation is quick and easy. I learned how to use Jelly Cam in the Summer EDventures last week.

Sign up for the Jelly Cam workshop to learn how to create your own.
Or, check out the instructions on Make Use Of.
Posted by Linda for Lindsey Ayres. Thanks for sharing, Lindsey!

Brain surgery made fun!

2011-08-09T16:26:00.003-05:00

Check this site out. I am not sure if this is the ultimate in online educational activities, or a low in professional development for health care.
Granted, there are other activities, such as simple machines, and designing a cell phone, so it is probably very good at promoting science and critical thinking. However, there is a definite disconnect between the kid-friendly interface and the topics of stem cell heart repair and hip replacement surgery.

vusafe

2011-07-28T10:25:00.004-05:00

Do you utilize YouTube videos in your class?

If so, have you ever been aggravated by the related videos, comments, and ads? Some of this material is just not appropriate, even in the college classroom!

Vusafe is a service that offers you the ability to compile your own library of educational videos and organize them by keywords and so forth. Vusafe will eliminate all of the related videos and other potentially offensive material. Then, you can direct your students to your library to watch the assigned videos.

For now, vusafe is a complimentary service to K-12 educational institutions.

Big Wheel Keep on Turnin

2011-07-18T13:05:00.005-05:00

Linda came across this cool new chat tool, and since I’m the new girl in the group and I don’t want my first blog post to be a dud, I swiped it! Thanks Linda!
The tool is called “talkwheel” and it’s a new way to chat. It’s created around the concept that since we are most comfortable talking around a table (see http://corp.talkwheel.com/#whytextfor a great Seinfeld reference on the benefits of a round vs linear layout), we should be chatting online in a like manner. It’s free, easy to set up, and allows you to create your own private conversations. So you could create a discussion thread with your students, get them talking, and see increased participation because of the non-linear format. Follow this link to see a video with more information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWsZdNCSZUk Have fun!

Another Infographic Site

2011-07-17T13:46:00.001-05:00

As a follow-up to the previous blog entry - you might find useful infographics at http://visual.ly . This site is also searchable so it is easier to find what you need.

50 Informative and Well Designed Infographics

2011-07-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

Infographics a visual displays of information, data, etc. You have often heard, "A picture is worth a thousand words". Some infographics explain more than one could in 1000 words. Check out 50 Informative and Well Designed Infographics to see just what I mean. Several of these could be used in various courses.

Click on the text link to open an infographic in the original window. Most are even down-loadable. This means you can insert them in an ANGEL page.

Google Docs Videos

2011-07-13T10:27:00.005-05:00

Google recently announced that you can now add captioning to your Google Docs videos and embed the video in your Google Site.

I usually store my videos and add captioning via YouTube, which Google also happens to own, so I was wondering what the advantage could be to using Google Docs for this process. To test this out, I tried uploading a video to my Google Site from my Google Docs repository.

First, I added my video to my Google Docs account, and found that the captioning feature is actually easier to use than the YouTube captioning feature. I then uploaded my video to one of my google Sites, and it worked great! The product is pictured above.

The biggest advantage I see to storing your videos at Google Docs, rather than YouTube, is that Google Docs is not searchable like YouTube. Another advantage is that you can store the captioning text file AND the video right there, whereas with YouTube you can only store videos.

Piazza

2011-07-07T13:42:00.004-05:00

It is a service that offers speedy response time and social networking. The founder shed the shackles of an arranged marriage to become an entrepreneur. What is the name of this service you ask? Piazza! Who is the founder you ask? Pooja Nath!

A recent article from The New York Times discusses the interesting background of Pooja Nath and her path to forming Piazza. At Piazza students can post questions and receive answers from both peers and instructors, and at this time the service is free.

Kudos to Meg McGranaghan for finding this article!

Oh, and Don't Forget

2011-07-07T12:23:00.000-05:00

I have to tell you about a free Web service I really like. It's called Oh, Don't Forget, and it sends scheduled text-message reminders to your cell phone.
All you do is enter your phone number, message, and the day/time you want it delivered. Just today I sent Meg a message (No, I won't tell you what I said!) and it took me 10 seconds to set up the reminder. Brilliant.

Fostering critical thinking in discussions

2011-07-05T11:44:00.003-05:00

Recently I discovered some back issues of Online Classroom and stumbled on some fresh perspectives on fostering critical thinking in discussions. The article by William Pelz in the August 2003 issue focuses on student-led discussions but the ideas transfer well to the general format. If you have been a bit frustrated by the level of engagement of discussion posts, here are some points to consider. His suggestions for a meaningful discussion question include:

Be open-ended
Relate to key issues or ideas in the course material
Require that the student relate the ideas to other concepts in the course, or to his or her own experience. Examples, or comparison/contrast are two common critical thinking strategies. It helps, too, I think, to provide an example of the kind of response you are looking for.

What about the rubric? How do you evaluate those subjective responses? Pelz suggests that you look at issues such as:

relevance and focus on the course material
ability to provoke thought in other students
originality
timeliness (if you expect responses from other students, do those students have time to do so?)

I am pretty sure that these are not new issues, just framed here in a somewhat organized manner. Let us hear your own insights on the best ways to engage students in these interactions.

Pelz, William. "Student-centered Pedagogy: Student-led Discussion enhances Critical Thinking." Online Classroom. Aug 2003: 4,6. Print.

Web 2.0 Blog

2011-07-01T08:51:00.004-05:00

Would you like more information about Web 2.0 applications?

Meg McGranaghan found this informative blog with lots of helpful information about Web 2.0 and what we need to do as educators to better relate to and motivate our students in the 21st century. Thanks for the tip Meg!