IRT Technology Update
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
1. Podcamp Philly: A Bloggers' Extravaganza
2. Korman Classroom Revamps
3. New Email/AskDrexel Self-Service Kiosks
4. Office-to-Office Communication
5. Reports from the Spam Wars
6. Drexel's New Voicemail Service
7. Drexel Offers Remote Backups
8. Technology Showcase - Advance Notice
9. A Bb Vista @ Drexel Milestone
News & Notes on Online Learning
10. Walk-in Bb Vista Sessions for Students
11. Training and Information Sessions
12. Bb Vista 4 for Collaboration and Training Too
13. Pop-Ups a Major Factor for Blackboard Vista Users
14. Bb Vista 4 Tips-and-Tricks
1. Podcamp Philly: A Bloggers' Extravaganza
Drexel University hosted Podcamp Philly during the weekend of September 7-9, 2007.
The free weekend conference saw the convergence of more than 200 bloggers, pod-curious and pod-enthusiasts in the Pearlstein and Korman centers on the University City campus. Five concurrent sessions (panels, lectures, seminars, hands-on) were held all day on Saturday and Sunday. Many of the Korman sessions were captured for on-demand playback.
To view any of the captured sessions, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt and select Podcamp Philly 2007 under the News and Events heading.
2. Korman Classroom Revamps
There is a new look to some of Korman's classrooms. The changes include:
- •Each classroom now has a 16:9 90" diagonal HD wide-screen-format SMARTBoard flanked by new wide-format white boards;
- •Classroom projectors have been replaced with new wide screen, HD-capable LCD projectors;
- •New instructor's podiums in each classroom contain a built-in DVD/CD/VHS player and audio system as well as a new instructor's laptop.
In classrooms 103B, 104C and 105D, the entire room orientation has been rotated 90 degrees to bring students closer to the projected content and to facilitate additional group activities.
3. New Email/AskDrexel Self-Service Kiosks
New self-contained, self-service kiosks have been deployed in the Korman Center and in Hagerty Library. Conveniently labeled icons across the top of the screen click to an assortment of services. The following services can be accessed from the kiosks:
- • Web-content contained on Drexel's website (i.e. http://www.drexel.edu and its sub-sites);
- •The Hagerty Library and its local Drexel domain content;
- •AskDrexel, the web-based Frequently Asked Questions system, supporting general university questions as well as questions concerning IT issues and university sponsored applications;
- •DrexelOne, Yahoo mail, Google mail, and Hotmail.
The kiosk's 19" touch screen mounted on a stand can be manipulated by touch, by an attached stylus/pointer and by a keyboard/trackball. Users are invited to provide feedback concerning the kiosks through a survey tool launched by touching the "Feedback" icon in the top-right-hand corner.
4. Office-to-Office Communication
The release of Office 2007 presents new challenges for instructors. The new Office 2007 file format requires a compatibility pack in order to be viewed on machines with Office 2003.
If you are using Office 2003 and attempt to open an Office 2007 file (.docx, .xlsx, .pptx, etc.), you will be prompted to download the compatibility pack from Microsoft's website. You only have to install the compatibility pack once - from that point forward, the 2007 files will open automatically.
For more detail on Office-to-Office compatibility, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/Bbvista/howToOffice2007.html.
If you need help installing the compatibility pack, contact the IRT Help Desk at 215-895-2020. If you need help accessing Office 2007 files in Bb Vista, contact the Online Learning Team at olt@drexel.edu.
5. Reports from the Spam Wars
The ever-increasing spam onslaught has us all frustrated. Despite the multi-pronged defenses IRT has in place, way too much noxious junk is still reaching our inboxes. We receive and apply updates to our spam filters almost daily, but the spam propagators are endlessly inventive in finding new ways to circumvent detection.
IRT is aggressively exploring new tools to combat spam both at the email server level and at the individual level. For details on our current spam-fighting defenses and recommendations for user precautions, keep an eye on our webpage at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/support/spam.html.
Meanwhile, we'll be running a series of anti-spam tips in Tech Update.
Anti-Spam Tip #1: Never click on web links or open attachments associated with spam. Even if you're being given the "option" to remove your address from the list, don't do it unless you're absolutely certain that the originator is reputable and it's not a spoof. Often, this is just a way to verify that your address is active - and thus more valuable to the spammer. It can also be a vehicle for installing malicious software on your computer.
6. Drexel's New Voicemail Service
Just in case you've spent the last several months at the South Pole or some other faraway place ....
Drexel's new CallXpress voicemail system is now up and running on the University City campus. Instructions for use are given at http://www.drexel.edu/voicemail.
If you really are returning from a long time away from campus, see that page for instructions on how to activate your voicemail under the new system.
To check out the features of the new system and how to navigate through them, see the Quick Reference Guide and FAQs on the same page.
For additional support, email telephone-request@drexel.edu or call 215-895-2020.
7. Drexel Offers Remote Backups
Hard drive crash? Stolen laptop? A fire in your lab? You were meaning to get around to backing up those files, but .... Result: Years worth of important data is gone.
Backup and recovery services for desktop and laptop computers may now be purchased through Connected Backup/PC.
Drexel departments charge the backup service for university-owned machines to a university phone number. Contact techrequest@drexel.edu.
Students, faculty and staff order service for individually-owned computers at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/comp_mark/, click on Get Backup and Recovery Software and charge to a credit card.
This is the only Drexel-recommended service at this time. It supports Windows operating systems.
8. Technology Showcase - Advance Notice
This year's Technology Showcase will be held on Friday, November 16, 2007, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Living Arts Lounge (next to Mandell Theater, 33rd and Chestnut Streets).
Save the date! Meanwhile, if you or your colleagues are using technology in innovative and creative ways in teaching and learning, send a short proposal to the Online Learning Team (olt@drexel.edu) to be considered to do a presentation at the event.
9. A Bb Vista @ Drexel Milestone
As of the first day of fall term, Drexel logged more than 1,500 concurrent users of Blackboard Vista. And classes have barely begun!
Bb Vista use is growing steadily. This summer, Bb Vista was upgraded to the new version 4.0 and IRT converted over 800 class sections for Drexel instructors. In the summer term, some 40 percent of the teaching faculty (286 faculty members) made use of Bb Vista in their courses. Of the students enrolled, 52 percent (4300 students) used Bb Vista.
IRT looks forward to helping others use Bb Vista this fall to enrich their courses and make information more accessible to students. See the information in items 10 and 11 below for training opportunities for faculty members and students.
News & Notes on Online Learning
10. Walk-in Bb Vista Sessions for Students
The Online Learning Team is scheduling walk-in sessions during the second and third weeks of term for students to bring in their questions about Blackboard Vista. Students may walk in to room 116 in the Korman Computing Center and get one-on-one help with their issues with OLT members at any time during the one-hour time slots. Bring your laptop for configuration help.
For the schedule, see http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/webct/WalkInSchedule.html.
11. Training and Information Sessions
For Blackboard Vista 4, there are monthly full-day Workshops and three-hour Refresher sessions scheduled in room 116, Korman Computing Center, as follows:
Friday, October 26, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Friday, November 30, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Thursday, December 13, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Tuesday, October 30, 1-4 p.m.
Tuesday, November 27, 9 a.m. - noon
Tuesday, December 11, 1-4 p.m.
Workshops are for users new to Vista 4 or users who have not used Bb Vista in some time. Refreshers are for Bb Vista 3 practitioners who need to learn Bb Vista 4's new features and enhancements.
To reserve a spot in one or more of these sessions, email olt@drexel.edu.
12. Bb Vista 4 for Collaboration and Training Too
Blackboard Vista 4 provides rich opportunities for sharing insights and documents and communicating in exciting ways. Its features can add value to collaborative endeavors outside the classroom.
We have already created some 70 "communities" in Bb Vista 4 with a total enrollment of 6600 individuals.
If you're part of an inter-departmental working group, or perhaps a research collaboration spanning several campuses, Bb Vista's functionality could help. Contact us at olt@drexel.edu or call 215-895-1224 to discuss the possibilities.
13. Pop-Ups a Major Factor for Blackboard Vista Users
Many features in Bb Vista 4 use pop-ups. You must therefore enable pop-ups from http://learning.dcollege.net in order for Bb Vista to function fully.
Since Bb Vista 4 resides on this new server, you need to check the configuration of your browsers as well as any other toolbars such as Google and Yahoo that might have built-in pop-up blockers.
Sometimes pop-up blockers are enabled by default, so check the instructions for the specific browser(s) or toolbar(s) that you use.
14. Bb Vista 4 Tips-and-Tricks
* Use the description field in Threaded Discussion topics. Make it your first post for the topic. When you re-use the section in future terms, your topic description is preserved while the actual posts are expunged.
* Keep your Home Page neat and clean using the folder and learning module tools. This helps you organize your section so your students can spend their time with your content, not trying to find it.
* Define due dates and times for assignments and assessments, as well as for asynchronous discussions. Tell students when they need to post messages. Consider using an original posts vs. response posts strategy. Discussions are an area ripe for rich student-to-student engagement - if they are properly orchestrated by the instructor in the syllabus.
* Use Selective Release - selectively. All items in your section can be selectively released in Bb Vista 4, but you will want to use it only when it meets your academic and pedagogical objectives. In some courses, you may want to have all materials available all the time. If you do use Selective Release, remember that late enrolling students must be added to your selective release list.
* Many students will be arriving on campus this term with MS Windows Vista installed on their new computers. Blackboard has not validated MS Windows Vista for use with Blackboard Vista, but they indicate that testing so far has found the two to be compatible. We therefore anticipate that MS Vista users will have an acceptable experience with Bb Vista, but it is not guaranteed. Stay tuned for updates.
* You can add a synchronous Live Classroom link to your section just as easily as any other tool in Bb Vista 4. You and your students can text chat in real time, and talk to one another as well. Those with Web cams can be seen by their virtual classmates. This feature is user-elected, so those who want to be seen can be seen and those who prefer only text or audio may choose not to be seen. Pajamas, anyone?
To read previous issues of the IRT Technology Update, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/news/technews/
To manage your subscription options to the IRT Technology Update and other Drexel Announcements, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/subscriptions. If you prefer to receive a plain text version, please email your request to mailreq@drexel.edu.
|
