Use an iPod in the Classroom - Spring 2010
November 17, 2009
Apply now for our iPod and iPod Touch Initiative!
Apple’s iPod is far and away the most popular portable media device. The iPod can store and display audio, video, still images and text. From an education standpoint the iPod is a portable multimedia center that has the potential to extend learning in many different ways. Read more
Uploading Quizzes and Surveys to Blackboard
November 12, 2009
The Basic Process:
1. Create the quiz or survey using Microsoft Excel
2. Save the file as a text document (with a .txt extension)
3. Upload the text file in the same dialog box you use to create test questions within Blackboard.
Here is a site that documents the process extensively.
Click to download a sample excel file to use as a template
How to embed almost anything in your website
November 5, 2009
This may be the most useful link I’ve stumbled upon all semester. A writer from Digital Inspiration gives you step-by-step directions on how to embed HD Youtube videos, MP3s, Flickr slideshows, Google Maps, your LinkedIn profile, Word documents, chat, charts and graphs, and more within your site.
How to embed almost anything in your website
Handling Information Overload
October 15, 2009
Inbox Zero
Five Simple Rules for Keeping an Empty Inbox
Treat Your Inbox as a To-Do List
sentenc.es
Google Maps/Earth Workshop Resources
September 30, 2009
jake kulstad
jkulstad@richmond.edu - x8258
Examples from my website.
Goals
Learn key features of Google Maps and Google Earth
Create Custom Maps and Tours
Explore online tools to find data and tools
Share custom Maps and Tours with others
Understanding the basic features of KML
Google Maps
“My Maps” (log-in or create an account)
save/send/organize
GPS Visualizer tool http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/
-create KML overlay using coordinates from Google
KML factbook http://www.kmlfactbook.org/
-Good for displaying country-level data
-Adjust “Full Chart Value” to “data max”
example data query
save KML
display in Maps or Earth
Lighthouse Geospatial Data Gateway http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/
National Landcover dataset
Google Earth
-Controls
-Layers
-Geographic Web
-Roads
-Street Views
-Panoramio
-YouTube
-3D Buildings
-Terrain
Placemarks and lines
Tours
Taking a tour
Grand Canyon Example: http://www.gearthblog.com/kmfiles/GrandCanyonTour.kmz
http://www.googlelittrips.org/
http://citytours.googlelabs.com/
http://www.googletouring.com/
http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/planet-earth/google-tour/google-tour.html
http://googlesightseeing.com/
Recording a tour
———————
Links:
http://sites.google.com/a/kimbridges.net/google-earth-workshop/
http://geoday.nl.googlepages.com/index
http://serc.carleton.edu/sp/library/google_earth/how.html
http://www.googlelittrips.org/
100 tools: http://mashable.com/2009/01/08/google-maps-mashups-tools/
NOAA Maps: http://demo.geogarage.com/noaa/
Wifi hotspots near UR: http://hotspotr.com
USA Photomaps http://www.jdmcox.com/
more data / pictures/options, but is a little hard to use
Handling Information Overload Workshop
September 21, 2009
Read the Harvard Business Review’s Death by Information Overload
Less is More!
Avoid the Wikipedia Effect.
- iGoogle
- Delicious
- LastPass
- Organizational Schemes
- Email
- Inbox Zero
- auto-redirecting messages to folders
- creating an e-mail DMZ
- 5 rules to empty your inbox
- emptying inbox flags and rules
- treat your inbox as a to-do list
- the “Trusted Trio” for emptying your inbox
- ToodleDo
- Data Backup and Synchronization
- get a good, cheap, highly-rated external hard drive (Newegg provides useful data)
- practice using your drive with some test data (a copy of unimportant files)
- delete test data from your computer and find out how you are going to get it back, seriously
- Once you are satisfied that you understand the nuances of the routine and scheduling, back everything up
- finally, ask yourself what would happen if your computer and the backup were compromised simultaneously
- Useful Websites:
Becoming
September 20, 2009
The language of education is most eloquent when it addresses not only what an idea used to be but what it might become.
Google Spreadsheets and Running
September 18, 2009
Skype is good for 2, but what if you need 3 or 10?
September 15, 2009
For those who are unfamiliar with Skype, it is a wonderful, free synchronous communications application that many faculty have found quite useful when they need to chat with colleagues across a distance OR hold a video-teleconference to discuss research and/or scholarship. In addition to chatting and teleconferencing, Skype also allows you to make phones calls from your computer to other computers for free… and if you want to call a domestic landline (or an international phone number), rates are as low as 2.1 cents per minute! I could go on and on about how great Skype is, however I want to make this post about:
That’s right! Tinychat, a great, new web app I recently stumbled upon, takes video-teleconferencing to the next level. Whereas Skype is great for conversations with just ONE person, Tinychat allows for multiple interactive conversations - all constrained within your web browser. No need to install any additional software (however you should be using the latest version of Flash). It also fully integrates with Twitter and Facebook, letting your students, colleagues and friends know where you are and if you’re visually accessible.
How could you use this? Well, if you teach an online class, imagine holding virtual office hours with multiple students at a time. Or, there may come a day where you can’t make it to class because of travel or family issues, and you’d like to hold a virtual meeting with your students online. Lastly, this application could be used to hold class sessions for students who may be (fingers crossed) stricken with an illness, but still need review a course lecture.
There are a variety of ways tinychat.com can be applicable, however, please take note, users of tinychat.com not regulated by any educational institution. There may be a variety of topics and conferences that are made publicly available to you upon your initial entrance to the site. Also, Tinychat.com makes its money via advertisements so you may see banners appear that try to sell you everything from travel services to cupcake pans.
At any rate, give it a try and let us know if you see benefit from its use!
LOG INTO OUR CHAT ROOM: http://tinychat.com/ctltrichmond
Digital Storytelling as a new media narrative!
August 25, 2009
Interested in Digital Storytelling at the University of Richmond? Then have a gander at the UR’s Digital Story Blog, for information on workshops and technology resources.
Here’s a great example of a student’s digital story that was produced in Elizabeth Gruner’s Writing Creative Non-fiction course:
If you’d like to schedule a digital storytelling training session for your course - please email kwarren@richmond.edu
Thanks!
