Residency Certification bPortfolio Tutorial – Entire Presentation

This screencast walks Seattle Pacific University Residency Certification students through the necessary steps to create their bPortfolios using WordPress. (66:35)

links for 2009-11-05

• The World's First Social eReading Software | ReadCloud
  Social networking software for ebooks.
  (tags: education web2.0 socialnetworking ebook curriculum social reading literacy k-12)

links for 2009-11-04

• Top 5 Sites For Free Sound Effects Downloads
  May be useful for digital storytelling or digital narrative projects. Students could add sound effects on a separate audio track that would support their narrative. An audio editing program that supports multiple tracks (e.g. Audacity) would need to be used so there could be background noises, such as the sound of traffic while the story is being told.
  (tags: audio free digital_storytelling SPUEDTC6535)

Abe Lincoln 2.0

• What if Abraham Lincoln tweeted?
  Here’s a funny screenshot from a group that continually asks the question: “What would _______ tweet?”
  (tags: Lincoln DOCL2009 twitter)
• TwHistory » Battle of Gettysburg
  Interesting website that asks users to take part in a “reenactment” of the Battle of Gettysburg by following twitter accounts that have been created to play the roles of major historical figures associated with the battle.
  (tags: Lincoln DOCL2009 twitter)
• Lincoln and the Civil War
  Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History presents iTunes U lectures on Abraham Lincoln from various scholars.
  (tags: Lincoln DOCL2009 itunes_u podcast)
• The Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877
  Open course in iTunes U from Yale Professor David Blight. Audio and Video podcasts that explore the causes, course, and consequences of the American Civil War.
  (tags: Lincoln DOCL2009 itunes_u podcast web2.0)

Gradebook Thoughts for an Open Course

I’m co-teaching an educational technology course with Helen Barrett (@eportfolios). Instead of using Blackboard, we’re trying to use all open technologies for the course.  We are using Google Sites for the content and Google Groups for class communication (no Google Wave invite yet).

So far, so good except for a few small snags such as what to do about a gradebook.  I’ve agreed to find a solution for this.  I would like a gradebook that allows students to check scores whenever they want.  Students already have a number of applications they need to create logins for so I would like to avoid one more if possible.

I was hoping to be able to use Google Docs Spreadsheet alone for the gradebook for this course.  My goal was to make it possible to have one spreadsheet where all scores were entered by the instructors, and students could only see their individual scores.  However, it doesn’t look like there is a way to give students access to part of a sheet or even one sheet in a Google Docs Spreadsheet.  I could create a spreadsheet for each student but this would require too many clicks when entering scores.

I did some research on the use of a mail merge command in Google Docs. It looks like I would need access to scripts that aren’t available to all users so this idea is out for now. Therefore, I am planning to use the following plan (which breaks our goal of trying to use only open software in this course) unless someone from my Personal Learning Network (you) can provide another way forward:

1. Create a single Google Spreadsheet to enter student names, email addresses, and scores.
2. Share this spreadsheet with my co-instructor, Helen Barrett.
3. Enter scores as assignments are completed.
4. Each week, export the spreadsheet as a Microsoft Excel document to a folder on my computer.
5. Use Microsoft Word to create a MailMerge and send each student an update on their progress in the course.

Advantages:

• This is technology I am familiar with and know that it will work, possibly saving me time and stress.
• Students will get weekly feedback on their progress.
• Pushing grades to students (emailing) may encourage them to check in on the course as they probably check email more frequently than they access the course.

Disadvantages:

• This solution uses non-open technologies so university students who want to replicate this technique with their K-12 or adult ed students will need to have Microsoft Office. (All SPU students have Office 2007 or 2008 so maybe this isn’t a disadvantage.)
• Students won’t have real-time access to their grades. They will have to refer to my last email to check on their grades.
• I will have to remember to send out a grade update each week, which is unlikely so I will probably need a prompt from students or my co-instructor.
• Although I’m familiar with this process, it may seem complicated to teachers who want to replicate what I’m doing.

Do you have any suggestions for me? The idea solution would:

• Let students access grades whenever they want.
• Let them use existing login information so they don’t have to create an additional account
• Come at no cost to the students, a small annual fee for the instructor would be acceptable.
• Provide common gradebook features such as the ability to have easily enter data and sort, create reports, and make calculated columns.

Planning and Implementing an Affordable and Scalable Content Capture Solution

Presentation by David Wicks and Cris Guenter at the 2009 MERLOT International Conference in San Jose

As blended and distance learning have grown in popularity so has the need for content or lecture capture solutions which allow professors to record and upload direct instructional activities. During these challenging economic times institutions must give special consideration to cost and scalability when selecting a solution.

In this session, participants will examine the Content Capture Comparison Matrix which provides a list of features necessary for scalable content capture. The session will conclude with discussion about implementation strategies such as how to integrate the system with an institutions Course Management System.

content capture solutions slides

Time for ebooks in the classroom?

Six Lessons One Campus Learned About E-Textbooks
Is it time to switch to ebooks? Not quite yet, according to Chronicle writer Jeffrey R. Young after he visited with Northwest Missouri State University faculty and students about their venture into the world of e-textbooks.  NWMSU has been a leader in student communication technologies since the days of OTPDR (That’s one-terminal-per-dorm-room for those of you who have trouble remembering the great acronyms of the past).
Young shares six lessons he learned about the current state of ebooks in the classroom.  Here are my thoughts on each of his points.

1. Judge ebooks by their covers – All ebooks reading software is not created equal.  Sony’s ebook reader is different than Amazon’s Kindle.  There are lots of ebook reader options for laptops.  Publishers have even created proprietary readers that work within an LMS (Blackboard, Moodle, etc.)  The point here is that with this many options, you will need to do your research, and  try before buying where possible.
2. Learning curves ahead – Students have had years of practice learning how to learn from paper-based textbooks. Institutions should offer training as part of any e-textbook initiative.
3. Professors are eager students – This may be puzzling to some but I’ve always been able to find professors eager to experiment with a new technology IF (and this is an important “if”) they can envision how it might be meaningful to teaching/learning.
4. Dead batteries – Hopefully this problem that will go away as better battery technologies are developed. For now, we need to make sure that there enough power outlets in classrooms and learning centers (and hopefully not just on the back wall.)
5. Subjects are not equally e-friendly – Some disciplines may be better suited to e-textbooks than others. I’m not sure that I agree with this statement, especially if we leave out Amazon and Sony, and just talk about the use of a laptop or iPhone (both support color) as the ebook reading device.  Both would allow students to zoom in and query images for more information.  Think about the possibilities with a subject like Geography.  Maps within a paper textbook are static while ebook maps can be dynamic, allowing students to ask how borders or populations have changed over time. The result may be customized maps that help students understand current political issues.
6. Environmental impact matters – Saving trees is an important consideration but a move to e-textbooks could ultimately reduce the cost (and amount of fuel used) to provide textbooks to students in developing countries.  Textbooks are already expensive. Add the cost of shipping overseas and the price may double.  Instead, these students could be outfitted with multi-use resources (laptop or smartphone) to access up-to-date content. Easy access to electricity is a major issue but one that can be eased with longer battery life.

While I don’t believe it is time to make wholesale changes to e-textbooks, it is time to begin experimenting with ebooks in individual courses and programs. What do you think?
(delicious tags: Education technology textbook academic college kindle ebooks)