Last year, Amazon made headlines with their release of the Kindle, a new generation of portable e-reader that uses E ink, a low power display technology that mimics the look of a printed page.  The screen isn’t backlit like a computer display.

Since that time, interest has grown in the Kindle and similar offerings from Sony and we’re seeing a new generation of devices that add functionality, increased screen size, and partnerships with publishers to provide content for the devices.  Some are predicting that the hot electronics item this holiday season will be the e-reader.

Sony is offering three models this year.  The Reader Touch Edition is a thin, touch screen version of the device selling for $299.  An included stylus can be used for highlighting and annotation on the 6″ screen.  The Reader Pocket Edition, priced at $199, has a 5″ display and is a kind of “entry level” model.  Due for release sometime in the next couple of months is the Sony Reader Daily Edition, which includes a 7″ touch screen display and adds wireless capability, mainly aimed at downloading news content.

The most well publicized and largest selling e-reader to date is the Amazon Kindle.  The Kindle is notable for being a wireless device, which operates independently from your computer – you browse for content at Amazon’s e-book store and download material directly using a wireless technology that uses a cell phone network.  If you want to read your own documents – PDF files or Word documents, for example – you email them to a special address and they are converted and downloaded to your Kindle for a small fee.  The cost of wireless access is hidden in the cost of a book or document conversion.

The Kindle is available in two models.  The Kindle DX, selling for $489, features a 9.7″ screen while the latest version of their entry level device with a 6″ screen sells for $299.  The Kindle allows for annotations using a small keypad on the device.

Philips is introducing a new version of their iRex Reader, the DR 800 SG, in October.  Priced at $399 and featuring a 8.1″ screen, it includes a stylus that can be used for adding annotations.  The iRex is wireless using cellular network technology similar to the Kindle.  For content, Philips is partnering with Barnes and Noble for e-book offerings.

Just announced is an offering from Barnes and Noble – the Nook.  This e-reader has some features in common with the Kindle – access to a large library of titles for purchase through their bookstore, availability of subscriptions to newspapers and magazines, and wireless connectivity.  The Nook also includes a touch sensitive color lcd screen along the bottom of the device that can be used for controlling options, selecting books, or entering notes with an online keyboard. One distinctive feature of the device lets you “check out” books to friends using a Nook.

There are two clear models that have emerged for content on e-readers.  Amazon’s using a “closed” system – you can only download books from Amazon’s site and have to do a conversion to get other documents on the reader.  All of the Sony models and the iRex support EPUB, an open format for digital books, so you can download books from independent authors and publishers or public domain material from Google Books.  You can also create your own EPUB formatted documents with several online or desktop tools and EPUB files can also be viewed in e-reader software on other devices – laptops, netbooks, or even the iPhone.

Both Sony and Amazon offer programs for authors to self publish.  Sony has a partnership with Smashwords while Amazon’s service is called the Digital Text Platform.

For faculty that are interested in using electronic books in the classroom, the main issues with ereaders are availability of content applicable to your course and whether your students have an e-reader or other device capable of displaying the file..  Both the Amazon and Sony e-book stores concentrate on current best-sellers and older catalogue titles in the areas of genre fiction, business, popular history and hobbies.  Some textbooks are available for both devices.

The market for e-readers and e-books is small, but growing.  Faculty that use primarily public domain texts or assemble a textbook and readings from documents available on the Web might find the use of PDF and EPUB files useful in courses – both formats can be viewed on a wide range of devices including e-readers, laptops and mobile phones.

Through our exploratory equipment loaner program, the CIT has an original Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle that can be checked out by faculty.

Do you find it is tedious to read a large number of discussion threads, needing multiple clicks to read each one, reply, and read more?  Let us introduce you to an efficient way to save you from clicking, clicking, clicking…

The “Collect” feature within the discussion board places forum posts and replies into a single “flat” page view that only requires a little scrolling to read all.

To use “Collect” to view ALL posts and replies in a forum:

• Choose “Select All” from the drop-down control and then click the “Go” button.
• Click on the “Collect” button.

To use “Collect” to view selected set of threads in a forum:

• Place a check in the box next to each posting or a set of thread (using Expend or Collapse to see or hide all replies)
• Click on the “Collect” button

You can filter, and sort threads by author’s name (choosing to view only one or more author’s posts), date, subject, order, and overall rating.

Watch a video demo recorded by Neal Caidin using Jing

To learn more, see our help page for the Blackboard Discussion Board and visit the Blackboard support website. If you would like more help with Blackboard, request an office visit and we will come to you.

Meet with other  Duke faculty and talk about ideas for using cell phones (or any small, mobile devices) in teaching, both in and outside the classroom.

At a previous meeting, participants discussed using these devices in class to engage students and foster interaction.  Owen Astrachan demonstrated how he used Poll Everywhere with his class of 344 students.  Poll Everywhere allows students to use their own devices as personal response systems, to give answers electronically in class.

Other participants discussed using applications that provide information relevant to the course, like Epocrates for accessing drug information, Labs 360 as a medical laboratory guide, or other applications for medical students.  Other examples might be using the mobile version of the Wall Street Journal in a business class,  flash cards for organic chemistry reactions, or spreadsheet applications for laboratories.

We discussed how instructors could incorporate the social networking and connectedness of applications like Smule’s Ocarina to engage students, and how Twitter could be used to build a community of students in an educational program.

Join us:

• Register for our next discussion at 10 am on October 13.
• E-mail Andrea Novicki to suggest topics.

Every semester more and more students and faculty return from break with  shiny new Macs in place of their old PCs. Switching from a Mac to a PC involves much more than learning a new piece of hardware – there’s an entire new set of workflows, shortcut keys, application tricks and just general quirks to learn and know.

Apple’s resources

Apple provides several resources for Mac users on their website. So many resources in fact, that it can be difficult to know where to start. Here are a few to get you started:

• PC to Mac: the basics – this video is well worth the 5 minutes it’ll take to watch it. Covers the basics of the dock, switching between applications, managing and finding your files, etc.
• Apple’s Find Out How video series – Find out how to do all those crazy things that Mac users do, like minimizing all the windows on your desktop (just like the screenshot above – a feature called Exposé).
• Apple Pro Tips – when you’ve got the basics down, you’ll find solutions to problems you didn’t know you had by browsing the Apple Pro Tips. Want to convert images without using Photoshop? You can do that. Edit a Word doc without opening MS Office? Sure. How about the ability to print documents just by dragging files onto a printer icon? Yep – they show you how to do that too.

Blogs

Of course, Apple isn’t the only resource available to Mac users. Several blogs feature Mac hints, tips and tricks. Here are a few sites and posts which may prove useful:

• LifeHacker – A guide for switching to a Mac – a short post with some great information on shortcut keys, learning how to force an application to quit, and more.
• 10 Things Every Mac Owner Should Know – some basic Mac administrating information, including a quick answer to the ever-popular “how do I eject this DVD?” question.
• Mac OSX hints – For those a bit more comfortable with the basics, this blog provides a great place to search for advanced help and news on updates to Mac software.

Books

Sometimes you just want a manual. Even though Macs come complete with online support and built-in documentation, it won’t do you much good when the computer won’t turn on.

• David Pogue: Mac OS X Leopard: The Missing Manual – Love him or hate him, New York Times columnist Pogue’s “Missing Manual” books are easily the most accessible books covering all things Mac. Pogue has a way of appealing to the “techy” and “non-techy” at the same time, and generally uncovers useful features or workflows buried deep in an OS.

Earlier in September, several of us met as part of the monthly DDI Twitter program brown bag lunch discussion series.  One of the overall goals of the program is to encourage a few faculty members to actively use Twitter in their courses, but another goal is to have meaningful discussions among interested faculty on academic uses of Twitter.

After introductions, I provided a list of potential uses of Twitter in a course (below).  We discussed everyone’s ideas for using Twitter, which ranged from trying out Twitter in a language class to tweeting as an entire discipline to develop its community. Attendees were concerned about privacy, as far as FERPA and HIPAA, and representing the university as an institution.  Attendees expressed a need for Duke to have an explcit social media policy, without stifling its use. Despite perceived complications, there was a lot of excitement about potential for spontaneous student participation, particularly from those who are more introverted.  I also demonstrated two Twitter clients for following a large volume of tweets, Tweetdeck for the desktop and the web-based Tweetgrid. Two additional discussions sessions have already been scheduled for this fall, so you can register now.

The Department of Chemistry at Duke University invites you, your students and families to the 5th Annual Evening of Chemistry Demonstration Program.

Explore the chemistry of fire on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 (Oct. 1 Rain Date) from 7:15 to 8:30 PM on the front lawn of the French Family Science Center, 124 Science Drive.
Parking is available in the Chemistry Lot off of Circuit Drive.
Contact  Dr. Ken Lyle for more information.
Learn more about how the Department of Chemistry  shares Chemistry with the community

And, if you can’t get enough Chemistry,  Meet the Elements in this video from They Might Be Giants.

Apple has released their new operating system for the Mac, Snow Leopard.

The update isn’t for everyone - it only works on newer Intel-based Macs and, since this is a major rewrite to the operating system, it has had some glitches on some computers and isn’t compatible with some current Mac software.

However, it gives you a glimpse of some new features that will be common on the Mac that will provide some useful options for you and your students.

A new version of Quicktime has a redesigned interface and simplified options for saving videos.  One of the most intriguing new features in Quicktime X is a built-in screen recording utility, allowing you to make a video of your computer screen.  Here’s a YouTube video demonstrating screen recording in Quicktime X.

If you work with the Chinese language, a new feature of Snow Leopard might be useful – input of Chinese characters using the computer’s trackpad.  The YouTube video below shows a demo.

If you’re interested in investigating Snow Leopard, talk with your local technical support staff to see if the upgrade is for you.

Join us in Bostock Library on September 23–24 for “Flattening the Classroom: Building Collaborative Learning Environments,” the 2009 Educause Learning Initiative (ELI) Online Fall Focus Session.

The sessions will explore how to increase student learning by collaboration, an approach to learning that engages students in the active construction of collective knowledge, empowering them to build meaning together, and challenging them to examine issues from multiple perspectives. The various sessions will:

• discuss what it means to effectively collaborate in the classroom,
• describe a framework for the design of meaningful and purposeful activities in the classroom,
• reflect on the potential for social learning to promote critical thinking and spark student discussion,
• explore emerging practices for designing collaborative environments in physical spaces and virtual environments, and
• consider assessment strategies for collaborative activities.

Register to join us for any of these sessions.  We’ll broadcast the web conference in Bostock Library room 039; we’ll listen to the online sessions and then follow up most sessions with discussion among local attendees.

Julie Reynolds, in Duke’s Biology Department, was recently showcased on the Techsmith’s education blog for her innovative use of Jing, a program that captures images and video of your computer screen.

Dr. Reynolds uses Jing to comment on her students’ writing, and to have students comment on each others’ writing projects.  Dr. Reynolds pointed out that when it’s impossible to schedule face-to-face conferences, she can talk about students’ writing rather than simply to write comments in the margins.  Jing allows her to record highlighted passages for students to see while she talks about them. Her students also use Jing to comment on each others papers.

Read a fuller description on Techsmith’s blog.

See examples of Dr. Reynolds’ review and student peer review.