I recently read the article “Randy Bass and Bret Eynon: Still Moving From Teaching to Learning” in the Chronicle’s Wired Campus Blog. In this interesting article the authors reference Michael Wesch’s new essay at the Academic Commons that proposes that the new academic curriculum rethink “subjects” and consider “subjectivities”. This quote from the blog was particularly interesting - “It implies that our earnest but often fragmented efforts at thinking about our curricula are not sufficiently broad to live up to our aspirations about the way the pieces should all fit together. It also implies that technologies built around isolated “courses” may ultimately be of limited value in a learning paradigm.”
Working at a liberal arts college that is currently going through a transformation through strategic planning and a new administration, this concept struck me as particularly relevant to our university’s current climate. As an instructional technologist not only do I want to consider how I can encourage faculty to consider literacy in a more broad sense to include media/visual literacy but also to consider how this concept of broadening “subjects” is at the heart of a liberal arts education. While it may be feasible to convince some faculty to consider expanding the idea of literacy and the ability of digital media to enhance problem solving, critical thinking, and making meaning, but to be truly effective, a change at the college curriculum level is needed. Anyone who works at a university realizes this is a daunting task. We’ve all heard that “changing a curriculum is harder than moving a graveyard”(Rudolph, 1977).
Another challenge is to consider that some faculty dismiss this information and argue that the system from which they learned worked and is therefore still relevant. If we intend to create exception learning environments, enhance faculty and student engagement, create life long learners, and foster community both at and beyond the campus community, how can we not reconsider our methods?
I’m in my second month of using an iPhone. I had reservations about getting an iPhone due to cost (both of the phone and the data plan) but I have no regrets.
To get started with my iPhone I’ve added several productivity, social networking, and media apps. The first thing I really needed was a good task management app. I chose Toodledo because it was the best full featured app that works with Google calendar. I had been using Remember the Milk with Google calendar but I found that Toodledo has more features.
I also added Evernote. I’m still working on how I will use this app to corral information from many different sources. I like the interface and the fact that there are web and client versions of the software all which sync. I only wish that the software had a way to capture a drawn note such as YouNote. I’m still searching for an app that will allow my to draw on the screen.
I added the Google app but I’ve been disappointed that there is no method for entering appointments on the calendar there. I ended up synchronizing the iPhone calendar app with my Google calendar. I have also installed the Google Earth app.
For social networking I added the Facebook app and the Twitterific app. I hear the Tweetie app is also very good.
Other useful apps I’ve installed are Pandora, Urbanspoon, NYTimes, and Stanza. I’m still searching for an app to extend the camera and photo functionality. I did find the Griffin Clarifi case and I’m considering purchasing it to improve clarity, especially for recognition with Evernote.
…and why it’s better than a PC. One word: design. Up until last summer, the only computer I had ever used was a PC. Sure, I had used a Mac briefly a handful of times. But the only computer I had used on a regular basis was a PC and that’s what I’ve been supporting as an instructional technologist for ten years. On a daily basis, I don’t have a problem with PCs or Windows. I’m so used to their design I don’t think much about it. That is, until I use my Mac. It becomes immediately obvious why people say Macs are easier to use. The user interface is much more simple than Windows computers and there is a greater level of abstraction in the user interface regarding configuration and inner workings. I think in general, users prefer this level of interaction with their computer. A good example of Mac OS simplicity compared to Windows is that when you install a computer program in Windows, you could end up with three shortcuts to the program - one on the desktop, one in quick launch and one in the Start Menu. Do you really need three shortcuts!? Please!
I’m now surprised when I hear other technology folks put down Macs by saying they are more expensive and don’t have the market share that PCs do. I guess you get what you pay for.
Adobe is now offering a free online version of its software Photoshop called Photoshop Express. This version has basic editing and effects features. The site requires that you create an account and upload your photos (2 GB of space available).
Basic editing features - Crop, Red Eye, Rotate, Saturation, White Balance, Highlight, Sharpen, and Soft Focus.
Effects available - Hue, Black and White, Tint, Sketch, and Distort.
One cool feature is the history for your edits. You can go back to the original picture by removing the check marks next to your edit options.
I was so pleased to hear NPR’s Morning Edition spot this morning with Miles Hoffman about how YouTube has become a valuable resource for old footage of classical greats performing such as Rubinstein, Heifetz, Piatigorsky, and Callas. I checked YouTube some time ago but didn’t find enough there to promote it to faculty. I see now that many new videos have been posted within the past year. Check out the one with Rubinstein, Heifetz, and Piatigorsky playing Mendelssohn with Rubinstein turning his own pages. Amazing!
Thanks to my colleague, Jeff, for sharing this interesting video. Not sure if art historians would love it or hate it. I think it’s pretty amazing and there must be some educational value in analyzing portraits/art for this kind of project.
Today a colleague shared information on a free online tool for screencasting called screencast-o-matic. I haven’t used it yet but he claims it works pretty well. It will come in handy as I look to upgrade support resources on my website. I’ll still buy Camtasia so that I can support a faculty member using it and take advantage of enhanced features. But this little tool will help me get started before the fiscal year.
In case you missed it, last weekend the Chronicle posted the responses to their question of how to deal with transferring large files. Horde.org, PaKnPost, Xythos (now owned by Blackboard as I mentioned before), and Proginet’s CyberFusion Integrationwere in the list. One user responded with the addition of drop.io.
I’m still catching up with ELI presentations and hoping to make some comments on the conference later this week.
I read an interesting article yesterday in the Chronicle’s Wired Campus Blog about using Twitter in the classroom. Professor David Parry said that using Twitter helped the students feel more like a community and he said that “It was the single thing that changed the classroom dynamics more than anything I’ve ever done teaching”.
I can certainly see how Twitter could be used as a backchannel and have similar benefits to audience response systems. But these technologies are mostly helpful for courses with large enrollments where connections and discussions are difficult to achieve - if not impossible. For those teaching smaller courses, this kind of in-class interaction may be counterproductive, especially in upper level courses. As an instructional technologist promoting new technologies to faculty at a small liberal arts college (with lots of senior faculty!), I consistently have the challenge of convincing faculty to use any new technology. Many already consider laptops in the classroom a distraction. However, some faculty might be willing to subscribe to a student’s Twitter if they are already very connected to that student. I never convinced many faculty to instant message but that’s because they didn’t want to seem available to students 24/7. Since Twittering is not chat, it may be a more attractive communication tool.
I’m really interested in Twitter’s possibilties. I think for the right professor and the right course, it could really enhance interaction and take the course to a new level. It may also be attractive to faculty who are already connected to their students and communicating regularly. Time to start Twittering myself for further evaluation!
I guess it’s no surprise that Blackboard has acquired yet another company, Xythos. As CMS/LMS options shrink, universities and schools using Blackboard will continue to look at alternatives to keep their options open and hope for more competition in the market. This competition is desperately needed to push Blackboard into refining and improving its product. Since the days of CourseInfo, not much has changed with Blackboard. Let’s hope the mergers and acquisitions are steps for this company to make significant improvements and take this product to the next level.