FITS / FDC Workshop (April 7, 2007): “Exploring the New Social Software in Teaching and Learning”
Contributed by Sherry J. Mou, Faculty Coordinator, Faculty Instructional Technology Support (FITS), Associate Professor, Department of Modern Languages (Chinese) & Asian Studies

More than twenty colleagues from over a dozen different departments andprograms joined Bryan Alexander, the Director of Research at NITLE and the keynote speaker, at last Saturday’s FITS/FDC Workshop.  In the two talks Bryan gave, he took us to surf the Web and to stick our heads into virtual spaces that many of our students have long claimed residency.  Although wikines, blogs, Flickr, RSS feed, and podcasting are becoming familiar terms we hear or read about, many of us did not have a clear idea how they work.  Bryan showed us not only how these “gadgets” function, but how they could be applied pedagogically in our teaching.

Four of our own colleagues—Linda Elman (Modern Languages), Kevin Howley (Communications), Scott Spiegelberg (School of Music), and Ronnie Pejril (School of Music & FITS)—also shared with the audience how they used blogs and multi media in their classes.  Linda prepares podcasting mini-lectures of background materials supplementing regular readings for her seminar, so students can download and listen to them at their leisure before class.  Kevin has planted in the blogs for his three classes many other blog and web sites and resources for students to read, review, reflect, and respond to.  Scott uses blogs to help students revise their musical autobiographies multiple times before they turn in their final copies; in addition, he also invites professional and renowned musicians and other colleagues to chime in and chat with students from time to time.  Ronnie Pejril’s music students learn to use multi media in their blogging and to share their creative works through wikis and blogs.

In the afternoon hands-on session, the participants were able to explore several interesting Web resources Bryan talked about: Flickr (see sidebar for a link to a sample site), del.icio.us (social bookmarking), and podcasting.  The interest was high, but the time was limited.  To make sure that people will get to “play” with those new applications more, FITS is hoping to host one follow-up hands-on event before the summer scatters us to different parts of the world, virtual or real.  Stay tuned for the time and date.

From the moment when Bryan Alexander agreed to come to this workshop back in the fall, I knew this will be a great experience for all those who could come, but ultimately it was your participation that made the event a success.  So thank you again for your interest and participation.

Check out the following blog sites by Kevin Howley and Scott Spiegelberg:

Kevin Howley:
            http://comm233.wordpress.depauw.edu/
            http://tvcrit.wordpress.depauw.edu/
Scott Spiegelberg:
           http://musicalbomb.blogspot.com/
           http://harmoniouspuddles.blogspot.com/
           http://musicalcrematorium.blogspot.com/

Calling All Bloggers
Contributed by Ronnie Pejril, Instructional Technologist/Coordinator of Music Instructional Technology Center (mitc)

I am  pleased to announce that our WordPress blog system is up and running, with over 100 different DePauw community members having accounts on the server. In this article, we will investigate what a blog is, and how a blog can potentially augment your curricula.

“Blog” is short for “Web Log;” in other words, a blog is a web-based journal, where entries are arranged in reverse chronological order (new entries at the top of the page). Entries can include text, images, audio, video or a combination of these. Entries can serve a variety of curricular purposes, from class announcements and assignments, to delivery of student multimedia projects and links to relevant online resources.

Creating journal entries is as simple as filling out an online form. WordPress’ rich-text editor provides a familiar interface for entering text and creating links to web-based resources. The editor’s toolbar offers buttons to place audio or video into your entries.

Faculty can create a series of blog entries and deliver them as a course progresses. When a new semester begins, those entries can be stowed away, redelivered as the course unfolds, and edited as necessary.

Using “RSS” (really simple syndication), students can subscribe to the content of a blog, and have it delivered automatically to a Google homepage, to a mobile phone, or to any other capable software. If the blog contains audio or video content, students can subscribe to that content with “podcatching” software like iTunes or Web sites like podcastready.com and hear/see that content at their convenience. Students with digital media players can use that software to take that content on the road. If you put multimedia into your blog, you are podcasting.

My own class blog for Music 110, Introduction to Music Technology, (http://music110.wordpress.depauw.edu) is a good example of how rich media can be delivered to students to augment my course.

Whether you use DePauw’s blog system as a medium for your students to journal their reflections on class readings, or as a tool for you to share course-related video content, the FITS team is eager to help you get started with this tool. Check us out!

Opportunities
Contributed by: Lynda S. LaRoche, FITS Specialist / Blackboard Support Coordinator

I find it refreshing to see all the opportunities available to us as a campus. Whether it’s an opportunity to be a presenter at a national conference, an invitation to join our colleagues at other institutions by forming specialized communities of learners, or sharing with one another the wide array of innovative steps in teaching and learning being taken both on campus and off campus – I see opportunities all around us:

• During Spring Break, DePauw hosted the 2007 NITLE Instructional Technology Leaders Conference. This wonderful opportunity allowed instructional technologists to share their experiences with one another and build relationships with colleagues in other liberal arts colleges and universities.
• Beginning in May, DePauw University will continue its outreach to county educators in a series of opportunities offered through the 2007 K-12 Bridge Program. You may remember that in June 2005, DePauw University hosted a K-12 Bridge Symposium on Technology & Information Literacy, a one-day symposium for Putnam County K-12 teachers. Fourteen K-12 teachers participated in this symposium, along with several DePauw faculty members. In addition, two of the K-12 symposium attendees participated in fellowships. FITS will share additional information about the 2007 efforts later this semester.
• The 9th annual FITS Summer Workshop (May 29th - June 1st and June 4th) team is accepting project proposals from faculty members. As in the past, the workshop is designed around the needs of the participants and instructional technologists will be available for one-on-one consultations. To learn more about this opportunity, browse to http://www.depauw.edu/univ/fits/sum07/index.asp .
• Each year faculty members get together to share how they are using DyKnow in their classroom to help them teach and their students learn more effectively by fostering interaction and engagement. If you are a member of the DyKnow User Group, please check your email for an invitation. If you would like more information about how you can start to use DyKnow, please contact Dave Berque (dberque@depauw.edu) or myself (llaroche@depauw.edu) to setup an appointment.

These are only a few of the opportunities available to us or being planned as outreach programs to other constituents. Although time constraints limit all of us, I highly recommend shuffling things around so you can take advantage of any opportunity that may be of interest to you.

News From The Field: Immersive Learning Environments
Contributed by Ronnie Pejril, Instructional Technologist/Coordinator of Music Instructional Technology Center (mitc)

The Educause Learning Initiative sponsored a Focus Session at North Carolina State University, on March 27th and 28th. The theme of the event was Immersive Learning Environments (ILEs): New Paths to Interaction and Engagement.

Examples of ILEs include simulations, virtual worlds and online games. Presentations explored a variety of ways that ILEs helped assist more effective pedagogical practices.

Michael Kelly, a developer from Arizona, gave compelling demonstrations of a GeoWall system’s applications in a geology curriculum. A GeoWall is a system employing a pair of video projectors to create stereoscopic 3D images. Using this system, we explored global geological plate shifts and the evolution of Colorado’s terrain.

Professor Phillip Long of MIT presented how otherwise-inaccessible lab equipment can be made available on a wide scale to students through remote web access. Expensive lab instruments with steep learning curves have been retrofitted with a remote interface that students from multiple institutions can now share.

Professor Gary Bertoline of Purdue showed us the educational uses of haptic devices, which can provide force-feedback. These control devices can simulate physical models. The demonstration included their use in a physics class to aid in learning the behavior of springs, as well as their use in a chemistry class to literally “feel” the inside of a carbon nanotube.

Professor Jeffrey Sarbaum of NC State demonstrated a Flash-based online game designed for his course in microeconomics. Students are faced with a game of aliens attempting to survive on Earth with limited resources. Facing the game’s challenges presents students with the complex relationships involved with consuming those resources.

Sarah Smith Robbins, a PhD student at Ball State University, presented how she is using Second Life, a multiuser virtual environment, to create a virtual classroom in English courses. Through her presentation, we were able to explore the Second Life environment, we made new contacts with our real-life colleagues in the Second Life environment.

Students in a virtual learning space in Second Life

The proceedings of the Focus Session, including photos, blogs, podcasts and other resources, are located at http://www.educause.edu/Proceedings/12440 .

Staff Spotlight: Carol L. Smith,
Associate CIO for Instructional & Learning Services

Carol is a 1985 DePauw graduate who double majored in Computer Science and English Literature. In 2001, she obtained her M.S. in Instructional Systems Technology from Indiana University School of Education in Bloomington, IN. In 1994, Carol returned to DePauw as an Academic Computing Services staff member and has a variety of experiences under her belt. She is a Board Member of Association of Small Computer Users in Education (ASCUE) and is involved with EDUCAUSE, the Midwest Instructional Technology Center and National Institute for Technology and Liberal Education (NITLE), the Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges (CLAC), as well as many other organizations. Along with Carl Singer, Carol was instrumental in developing Faculty Instructional Technology Services (FITS) and continues to provide insight as the leader of Instructional & Learning Services.

Fun fact: Right out of college, Carol worked at a small company in Indianapolis that designs and manufactures radiation monitors for power plants. As a result, she claims that she glows in the dark.