IRT: News & Events: TechUpdates: October 30, 2006

The Faculty Technology Showcase is scheduled for Tuesday, November 7, 2006. This will feature faculty members and administrators who are using technology in unique ways to enhance teaching or training initiatives. It will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Living Arts Lounge (next to Mandell Theater, 33rd and Chestnut Streets).

During the lunch hour, John DiNardo and Jan Biros will discuss "Higher Education Trends and Other Emerging Topics."

Other topics and presenters (and the technologies featured) will include:

"English Alive: Centralized Content and Individualized Communications in the First-Year Writing Curriculum" by Valarie Arms and Scott Warnock (Communities and Discussions in Vista

"New Technologies in Language Teaching and Learning" by Barbara Hoekje and Mara Blake-Ward (digital voice recorders and annotated PPT)

"Setting the Stage: Leveraging Technology to Inform and Administer Placement Tests for Incoming Drexel Freshmen" by Toni Torres and Andrew Warden (Camtasia Studio, RMCP, and Vista)

"The Use of Technology to Enhance Classroom Feedback and Participation: Clickers and Live Classroom" by Merrill Leichty and David Tristano (clicker technology - two varieties)

"Enriching Your Instruction: Using Impatica for Online Library Instruction and Incorporating Rich Media Resources" by Kathleen Turner and Tim Siftar (Impatica and Rich Media)

"Enhancing Welcome Aboard, Drexel's New Employee Orientation Program Through Better Use of Technology" by Tom Sontag and Kathleen Jones (Camtasia in training environments)

To reserve your seat for the Technology Showcase, send email to the Online Learning Team at webct@drexel.edu.

2. Vista: A New Owner and Working on a New Product

As you may be aware, Blackboard Inc. bought WebCT last spring. Their intent is to develop a future product combining the best of both the WebCT Vista and the Blackboard course management systems. Drexel has been asked to participate on the advisory committee for that endeavor. As developments with the new product progress, we will monitor and provide input to the work.

In the interim, IRT will no longer use WebCT in our references to Drexel's course management tool. We will call it "Vista" in our communications ... until there is a new product with a new name.

3. Wait a Minute: Don't Install IE7 or Firefox 2 Just Yet!

In the past week new versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox have been released. Drexel users should not yet upgrade to IE7 or Firefox 2 because these versions not been proven fully compatible with all Drexel University enterprise applications.

On Wednesday, November 1, Microsoft will begin "pushing" the new Internet Explorer version 7 upgrades to all users via its Windows Automatic Update service. To prevent the automatic update, Microsoft provides a tool to block it:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=4516a6f7-5d44-482b-9dbd-869b4a90159c&DisplayLang=en

The Blocker toolkit only blocks the automatic update, and will not prevent users from upgrading later, once we have confirmed that IE7 is compatible with the university's enterprise systems.

So far, DrexelOne and Vista have been found to be compatible with both new browsers. If you receive a compatibility warning when using one of these browsers, you may safely continue. If you use other systems (Banner, Nolij, Oracle, Hyperion, Yardi, webfinancials, etc. ...), you should not upgrade until further notice from IRT and/or your system administrator.

If you have already upgraded and find any incompatibilities, please uninstall the browser update. For technical support, contact your system administrator or the IRT Help Desk (215-895-2698 or consult@drexel.edu).

4. New Law School Premieres VoIP at Drexel

The new, soon-to-be-completed law school building offers Drexel a technological advance into the world of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). This service facilitates telephone calls using a network connection instead of a regular phone line.

By piloting VoIP in one new building, IRT has enabled the university to embrace this new technology in a controlled fashion. For an overview of the advantages and limitations of VoIP, see http://www.fcc.gov/voip/.

5. What's in a Name?

Plus c'a change, plus c'est la meme chose. (The more things change, the more they stay the same.)

The old photo class list application (http://www.drexel.edu/classlist) for some years has called itself the "Course Management Service," a name that made sense years ago when it was the primary online tool for instructors to communicate with their students.

But Vista is now, and for many years has been, the Drexel University standard for communication with students, and it is truly "course management" software in the modern sense. Thus, calling the homegrown application a "course management service" has sometimes been a source of confusion.

Instructors who use the application at http://www.drexel.edu/classlist will see that we have now given it back its original name: "Photo Class List".

6. New Content Capture "Cheat Sheet" Available

Interested in capturing your PowerPoint presentation or in creating a demonstration of your favorite computer application?

The RMCP (Rich Media Conversion Project) support group has created a series of "Capture Cheat Sheets" that outline the ways in which screen/audio/video capture can be accomplished from your home, office, or classroom.

The main "process" document - "Options for Capturing Audio, Video and Computer RGB for Live and On-Demand Distribution" - is a table of options. The table contains information on who/what is being captured, what software can be used, whether the method is suitable for Live and/or On-Demand capture, whether it requires IRT assistance, and a thumbnail picture of what the output might look like.

Each option is linked to a "setup diagram" page that describes what hardware (computer, microphone, video camera ...) might be needed, and how it all fits together.

The "Capture Cheat Sheet" document can be found on the RMCP web site at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/rmcweb/. For questions or assistance, email richmedia@drexel.edu.

7. Korman Classroom Upgrades

A new small classroom/seminar room has been added in Korman Computing Center.

Korman room 115 utilizes the space formerly occupied by two administrative offices. This "collaboratory" will hold 10-12 persons comfortably in seminar format and is available for small group work to students as well as faculty and staff. It is at the intersection of the two main public corridors across from the Faculty Development Center. Besides being outfitted for video conferencing, the room contains a ceiling-mounted projector, speakers and microphones, an interactive smart board, dimmable lighting, and a wall-mounted system interface.

Two Korman classrooms have had their multimedia systems updated.

Korman 102A (the fish bowl room at the entry of the BYOL cluster) has added an audio system and back-of-the-room camera, and can interface with IRT's video conferencing and content capturing equipment.
In Korman 116, a new PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera has been installed in the back of the room to enhance its video conferencing capabilities.

To reserve the use of these or other Korman facilities, go to http://www.drexel.edu/irt/facilities/korman/classrooms/.

8. Reminder: Sunday Mornings Are for System Maintenance

IRT continues to reserve Sunday mornings from 6 a.m. to noon, Eastern time, for whatever maintenance (e.g., applying security patches, installing upgrades, etc.) is needed on various computer systems.

This includes any and all central computer systems: Vista, Banner, email systems, ePortfolio systems, the DrexelOne portal, web sites, etc. Not all systems will be down every week during this window, but any of them may be.

What does this mean for end users? For Vista users in particular, instructors and designers should be mindful of this window when scheduling online assessments, assignments, discussions, or chats, and avoid this Sunday morning timeframe. Students need to be pro-active and plan their online learning activities either before or after this timeframe.

9. New Version of eFolio

The upgraded version 1.8.1 of Folio (Drexel's ePortfolio application) is now available. It includes a new look, new templates, and new features. You access it from within DrexelOne (http://one.drexel.edu) under your Resources tab.

If you have content in the previous version of Folio that you want to re-use in the new version, you must extract it manually and upload it to the new version. You will need to re-enter information from data forms that is not in file format. The old version of Folio and its content will be available for transfer until December 31, 2006.

If you need assistance or have questions concerning the transition process, email eportfolio@drexel.edu.

News and Notes for Online Learning

10. SOS - Support on Saturdays - and at Other Times Too

Faculty members, teaching assistants and trainers using Vista or associated technologies will be able to contact the Online Learning Team on Saturdays this quarter. Come to the Faculty Development Center in room 109 of the Korman Computing Center, call 215-895-1224, or email webct@drexel.edu.

The FDC will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. every Saturday, except Thanksgiving weekend. Normal weekday hours for the FDC are 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

The Online Learning Team has also grown, adding new members who expand the skill set that can be called on to assist users in learning newer and emerging technologies.

11. Brown Bag Lunches Scheduled

Two brown bag lunch sessions have been scheduled for the remainder of fall term, to be held in Korman Computing Center room 116 at noon.

Thursday, November 30 - TurnItIn
Tuesday, December 12 - Live Classroom - Horizon Wimba

All interested faculty and staff members are welcome, but the number of seats is limited. Email webct@drexel.edu to sign up.

12. Training for Online Instruction

The schedule for Vista and related trainings is given below. As always, register early (webct@drexel.edu) since capacity is limited; watch for schedule updates and possible additional sessions at http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/services/workshops/index.html.

* For New Users: Vista Boot Camps
Vista Boot Camps, held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in room 116 of the Korman Computing Center, provide a comprehensive introduction to the most essential Vista tools for novice users. Boot Camps are scheduled quarterly. For Fall term 2006, the Boot Camp will be held on:

Friday, December 15, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Laptops are provided for use in the workshop as well as lunch. Reserve your slot at webct@drexel.edu.

* Vista Modularized Training
In response to participant feedback, the Technology Support Team offers numerous short, highly-focused workshops on Vista tools and features (as well as other emerging technologies). These Modularized Training sessions, in Korman room 116, will be held this term as follows:

Thursday, November 2, 10 a.m.-noon: Communication Tools
Monday, November 6, 2-4 p.m.: Evaluating Students
Tuesday, November 14, 2-4 p.m.: Evaluating Students
Wednesday, November 29, 2-4 p.m.: Media Library and more
Tuesday, Deceember 5, 9-11 a.m.: Media Library and more

For workshop details, see http://www.drexel.edu/IRT/services/workshops. To sign up, email webct@drexel.edu.

* Departmental Vista Training
If you would prefer to have a Vista training session just for your department, let us know. We'll provide the same information at a time and place convenient for your group. We can do it in Korman or in your own lab. Contact us at webct@drexel.edu, and let us know what specific topics you want.

* Camtasia and Impatica Training
Licenses are available for both Impatica and Camtasia, software packages that enable you to record voiceover and other elements for lectures for inclusion in Vista online course sections. When you attend a one-hour session on either application, we make arrangements for you to get the software. There are some limits on the number of licenses for faculty and staff.

Here are the sessions scheduled currently:

Tuesday, November 28, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in Korman 116 - Impatica
Tuesday, November 28, 2:45-3:45 p.m. in Korman 116 - Camtasia

Wednesday, December 13, 1:30-2:30 p.m. in Korman 116 - Impatica
Wednesday, December 13, 2:45-3:45 p.m. in Korman 116 - Camtasia

To sign up, email webct@drexel.edu.

By the way, are we ready to do intermediate-level training for Camtasia? Let us know if you're interested at webct@drexel.edu.

* Dreamweaver Training
Dreamweaver is a highly recommended HTML-authoring tool. The following training sessions are currently scheduled, all in Korman room 116.

Wednesday, November 8, 10 a.m.-noon: Intermediate Dreamweaver
Thursday, November 16, 10 a.m.-noon: Advanced Dreamweaver

Email dreamweaver@drexel.edu to register. Full-time faculty and staff members who complete the training are eligible to receive a copy of the Dreamweaver program.

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13. Qwik Tips for This Month

* Every student who is currently enrolled in a Drexel or DrexelMed course in Banner is also enrolled in Student Resources in Vista. This rich repository of information and resource links is one of the first places you should recommend to students to get them up to speed for online learning.

* Instructors can check student work for originality using TurnItIn, an integral part of Vista.

* Faculty can create a quiz, test, self-test or survey quickly and easily using Respondus from within Vista.

* Students see their own grades in Vista only if the instructor places the My Grades tool on the Course Toolbar.

* To add TAs or co-designers to your own Sections, go to your Grade Book and use the Add Members button on the bottom left. View a brief how-to video at http://www.drexel.edu/irt/services/webct/howto/adding-users.html.

* Students need to spend their time with your course content, not trying to find it. To make your Home Page inviting, informational and clutter-free, consider using Organizer Pages or Learning Modules.

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

Modified: February 25, 2008

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