CIT Blog » Tools http://cit.duke.edu/blog What's new and interesting in instructional technology Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:51:21 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 en hourly 1 Take out those cell phones in class http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/11/05/take-out-those-cell-phones-in-class/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/11/05/take-out-those-cell-phones-in-class/#comments Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:52:45 +0000 Andrea Novicki http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=7951 mobiledevicesMost 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:

polleverywhereCell 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.

studentnotesLeverage 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.

]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/11/05/take-out-those-cell-phones-in-class/feed/ 0 The next wave of e-readers http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/29/the-next-wave-of-ereaders/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/29/the-next-wave-of-ereaders/#comments Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:16:41 +0000 Randy Riddle http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=6361 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 ReaderSony 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.

Amazon KindleThe 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.

irex

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.

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.

]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/29/the-next-wave-of-ereaders/feed/ 2 Explore cell phones in teaching http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/28/explore-cell-phones-in-teaching/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/28/explore-cell-phones-in-teaching/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 12:52:37 +0000 Andrea Novicki http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=5891 mobiledevicesMeet 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:

]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/28/explore-cell-phones-in-teaching/feed/ 0 EtherPad: real-time collaborative writing http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/25/etherpad-real-time-collaborative-writing/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/25/etherpad-real-time-collaborative-writing/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 13:37:43 +0000 Shawn Miller http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=5761 etherpad
A Mashable blog post listing “15 Essential Web Tools for Students” includes several tools that faculty may also find useful. We’ve written about Evernote, Delicious, Zotero and even Google Docs before (and they’re all a part of our Web2.0 Toolkit). One newer web app mentioned in the post is worth noting: EtherPad.
At first glance, EtherPad is not too unlike Google Docs – it’s also an online word processing tool of sorts. However, even though Google Docs allows collaboration with others (by sharing and editing the document), it only allows one user to edit the document at a time. EtherPad allows collaborative editing by several users in real-time.

EtherPad is still relatively new, meaning the editing features aren’t exactly robust – but when you’re doing collaborative writing, getting ideas down quickly is more important that the final formatting and markup. Word, HTML and text files can all be imported into a “pad” or you can just start from scratch. Pads can be exported in various formats (text, PDF, Word, etc), and there’s even a nifty “time slider” feature that can “play back” all the edits via a timeline.
No doubt, those teaching writing courses, or other courses that need to be able to capture rapid text-based collaboration, have been waiting or a tool like this. Here’s the catch:
  • Pads are free and public by default. You can invite anyone else by emailing them a URL (they don’t even need an EtherPad account). The downside here is that the Pad is public and anyone could potentially view it.
  • Free, public pads are limited to 16 users. That’s 16 users at the same time. Here in the library, we recently used Etherpad as a way to collaboratively construct notes during a guest speaker’s session – the only problem being that more than 16 people wanted to add something and basically had to wait until someone one of the other 16 users would “leave” the pad
  • Want privacy and the option for more users? EtherPad has a “pro” version available.
NOTE: If you’d like to try EtherPad, you can try it by editing the document in the screenshot (the text of this blog post).
]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/25/etherpad-real-time-collaborative-writing/feed/ 3 I’m a Mac – but I don’t get it: learning Mac OS X http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/25/im-a-mac-but-i-dont-get-it-learning-mac-os-x/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/25/im-a-mac-but-i-dont-get-it-learning-mac-os-x/#comments Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:47:35 +0000 Shawn Miller http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=5631 macpost

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.
]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/25/im-a-mac-but-i-dont-get-it-learning-mac-os-x/feed/ 0 Using video to comment on student writing http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/10/using-video-to-comment-on-student-writing/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/10/using-video-to-comment-on-student-writing/#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:44:01 +0000 Andrea Novicki http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=4271 juliedocumentJulie 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.

]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/10/using-video-to-comment-on-student-writing/feed/ 0 Technology workshops for everyone http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/04/technology-workshops-for-everyone/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/04/technology-workshops-for-everyone/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 19:19:09 +0000 Andrea Novicki http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=4331 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.

]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/09/04/technology-workshops-for-everyone/feed/ 0 Education calling – teaching with cell phones http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/08/24/education-calling-teaching-with-cell-phones/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/08/24/education-calling-teaching-with-cell-phones/#comments Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:49:58 +0000 Andrea Novicki http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=4201 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.

]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/08/24/education-calling-teaching-with-cell-phones/feed/ 0 Library Guide for your course http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/08/20/library-guide-for-your-course/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/08/20/library-guide-for-your-course/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 17:43:42 +0000 Andrea Novicki http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=3971 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.

]]> http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/08/20/library-guide-for-your-course/feed/ 0 Blackboard upgraded http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/07/29/blackboard-upgraded/ http://cit.duke.edu/blog/2009/07/29/blackboard-upgraded/#comments Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:02:59 +0000 Andrea Novicki http://cit.duke.edu/blog/?p=4001 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.

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