The Presenter Manifesto (best I've seen)

The Presenter Manifesto : 8 Distinctions of a World Class Presenter by @ericfeng & @slidecomet from Slide Comet

How do we promote learning the way Apple promotes inspiration?

Mobilenomics

Mobilenomics - 

Watch this video...

These statistics show that we are way behind the trends. My goal? To get us a few steps closer to closing the gap between education and technologically savvy students. 

You are not alone, we can get there, just come and see me and we will get started.

Lara

Just exactly what are the benefits of Social Media in Higher Ed?

Lara Madden

According to the article "The Benefits of Social Media for Higher Education" by ZOG at Business2Community.com it is all about the marketing, with just this one blurb about students using Twitter to practice Italian Language skills:


In the Classroom. Social media can revolutionize learning and make it more efficient – as long as it isn’t abused. It offers a wealth of worldwide information that professors can use to complement lessons. An excellent example is shown in the case study: “Twitter in an Italian Class.” An Italian teacher at Montclair State University had her students tweet each other – only in Italian – in and out of the classroom, encouraging native speakers to join as well. 90% of the students reported a boost in confidence and motivation.
Read more at http://www.business2community.com/social-media/the-benefits-of-social-media-for-higher-education-0445218#3tDOzXpQScrc6p11.99 

I can think of SO many more ways that faculty can use social media in their classroom and degree programs! Here is my off the top of my head today list:

• Business students should be in LinkedIn posting completed projects, networking and looking for internship opportunities.
• Graduate students should be finding academic groups in their degree fields and either joining or signing up for RSS feeds via Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or Google to keep ahead of the newest trends and research in their field. There are academic groups in every area you can think of!
• Mendeley.com - Free reference manager and PDF organizer. Look for academic and peer reviewed articles in your academic area. For education majors this is amazing.
• Merlot.org - Peer reviewed online teaching and learning materials. Really this is also amazing and you can post your own work.
• Facebook private groups to post video role playing practice for more causal peer review in a place they all know.
• Twitter and Facebook feeds of organizations in your academic or career areas and/or important journals and magazines.
• LinkedIn is my new favorite for all RSS news feeds, you can get quick views of whats popular and also search and select specific topics to read about. 
• All upper division topic courses should be requiring students to use discussion boards or WIKI's to post at least one relevant current topic article for weekly from one of these feeds that is relevant to the course topic. Why? so other students can review it and write a 2-3 sentence review of the article and its relevance, can we say encouraging critical thinking skills and ability to discuss current events?
• Students can use Google Hangouts, Google Drive and Sites to create group assignments and work that can be shared with faculty for review and grading. Why? Because it works.
• Faculty can set up pre-set announcements and/or deadline dates to go out to Facebook groups. And use groups for discussion and/or current events posts that get to students in realtime vs. posting in Blackboard only.
• Faculty can use social media the same way, to set up RSS feeds and like pages and groups to review and share information with students in class. 
• YouTube can be used to view movies and videos of relevance to coursework. 
• Creative Commons and other free resources that offer open use or free source photos and videos that can be used in reports and presentations.
• Open Source or MOOC courses can be used to review materials like math concepts in an economics course.

There are so many more ways to use not only Social Media but MOOC's, Creative Commons, Web 2.0 software and more. 

Students are living in technology, they are accessing more research materials online than ever before, and they communicate using Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Ask them...what are they using and how can you implement ways within their world to communicate your course content?

Be creative...

You can do it....

L

What Colleges Don't Teach...Coding

This one is thought provoking. 

Do we know how it works or do 

we just use and trust it? 

Tips for posting online tests/quizzes for students with DSS accommodations

Do you have a student(s) with a Disability Support Services request for additional testing time and you use tests or quizzes in Blackboard?

These are the steps you can use to open tests/quizzes with additional testing time just for the students who need it.

1. Create a Content Folder called ADA Testing 
2. Select Edit feature called "Adaptive Metadata"
3. Follow instructions to add the student the with DSS accommodation request using their UA Username
4. Copy the prebuilt test in the "Tests, Surveys & Pools" area
1. Edit Test Options
2. Change Time to match accomodation request
3. Submit
5. This allows only the student you have added to the folder to have access to this longer test

Questions? Concerns? Let us know...

Lara

Getting Started in Blackboard

Welcome to my FTC Blog. If you are reading this you probably use UAA Blackboard and are sometimes in need of help finding tips, tricks and tools. 

I am here at FTC to help you with just that and to assist you in learning even MORE tips and tools that will make Blackboard your FRIEND! Yes I said it, because I mean it.

My theory is we have this tool and it has a bunch of great tools deep inside that, if we just look for them and try them out we can create dynamic and robust courses. You can teach online, hybrid or just use Blackboard as a organization, communication and grading tool. If you stick with me you will begin to love it! I promise!!

The plan is to use this blog for monthly updates, but also for important issues or fun new tips that I find as we move along.

So get ready! Cause here we go!!!

Lara Madden