Most students have cell phones, and more than half of all US undergraduates own an internet-capable handheld device and more plan to purchase one in the next 12 months (ECAR Research Study 2009). Why not use them?

How?  Here are three ideas:

Cell phones and internet-capable phones can be used as polling devices, like clickers, to engage students during class. Poll Everywhere will supply an easy to use interface for small classes for free, or large classes for a fee.

Students could access information during class, to contribute to discussions or to inform critical thinking. How? Students could query Google or Google Scholar, access the library or librarian, use news sources, or specific applications for your topic.

Leverage student interest in texting to learn about their thinking during class, by setting up a backchannel, like Hotseat at Purdue University. A teaching assistant or other instructor can monitor the backchannel, and alert you to questions, problems, and student interest at appropriate points in the class.

Come to a discussion of using mobile devices for education, both in and out of class, on the second Tuesday of each month.

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.

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.

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.

Want to learn more about Photoshop, Excel, Duke’s wiki or how to use your Flip videocamera?  Duke’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) is ready for you.  See their full list of workshops.   Workshops are open to staff, students and faculty, register to save a space for yourself.

If you’d rather learn at lunch time, attend a presentation in the LearnIT@Lunch Seminar Series.  Everyone is welcome,  and you don’t have to register.

Now that many students carry a single device that can make phone calls, take pictures, record audio and video, store data, music, and movies, and interact with the Internet, how can we use this in teaching?  This fall, meet with other faculty to discuss and test ideas and software for using cell phones or other small devices in teaching.  We’ll meet once a month, for demonstrations and discussions.  Come and share your ideas and learn.

On Tuesday, September 8th at 10 am, we’ll discuss topics and ideas for this semester.  In addition, Owen Astrachan will talk about his plans for using Poll Everywhere, a simple polling system that uses student cell phones as “clickers” to gather student responses.  We’ll try it out.  Sign up to join us!

Read more from the Duke Digital Initiative.

Get more ideas and share the future of education.

Guest post by Emily Daly, Instruction and Outreach Librarian

If you use Blackboard at Duke, you may have noticed an addition to your course site’s menu this past spring. The new Library Guides button automatically directs you and your students to a page of research tips and resources developed, in many cases, by a librarian who specializes in a subject area related to your course.

See a general research guide or a page that doesn’t accurately reflect the goals of your course? Feel free to contact your subject specialist, who will replace the Library Guides link with a more appropriate page or work with you to design a guide specific to your objectives and assignments like the one below, which was created for a Writing 20 course:

Librarians are also available to lead course-specific instruction sessions for your students as they begin research papers or projects – again, contact your subject specialist for more information and to schedule a session in Perkins/Bostock, Lilly or even your classroom.

Still have questions about this CIT/Libraries collaboration? Feel free to email Emily Daly, or check out Blackboard support for more info.

Blackboard was upgraded over the summer; the new version of Blackboard is similar to the previous version. Those who use the gradebook (renamed the Grade Center) and the Discussion Board will notice the biggest changes.

This upgrade is to ensure that Blackboard, Inc. will continue to provide support for our system.

There are many ways to get help.

• Blackboard help pages now include short video tutorials.
• Call the help desk 919-684-2200.
• Contact CIT to arrange for training for a group of instructors.
• Contact CIT to request a personal office visit.
• Read more about the changes to the Grade Center, emailing announcements, and what students think of the new version.
• Attend a workshop (schedule coming soon). Check our calendar for details.