So where do we stand?   As of today, we are still working with Adobe to set up our Connect implementation.   We expect to be online very soon and at that time, the TTL team will be conducting more formal outreach to the campus to announce the transition.   For our current Wimba users, however, we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to download and save any Wimba recordings that you have saved in Wimba before Blackboard takes our Wimba server offline at the end of our contract (June 30, 2013).   For that reason, we are including instructions below so that you can download any recordings that you would like saved in mp4 video format.

From myWPI:

1. Access the course/organization site where your recordings presently live.
2. Navigate to Course/Organization Tools > Wimba Classroom.
3. Under the List of Rooms and Archives, you will see a Download mp4 button for any recordings (archives) that exist.
   
4. Clicking this button will send the recording into a queue to be processed for download on the server.   You will receive a message indicating that the process may take several minutes.   Note that the server can only process two recordings at a time, so it could several hours for your media to generate.
   
5. To check whether your download is ready, simply check back later following steps 1-4.   Instead of receiving the message that your download is being processed, your browser will launch its download manager.
6. Save the file to your computer.

Saving a Higher Quality Archive Format from myWPI

1. Access the course/organization site where your recordings presently live.
2. Navigate to Course/Organization Tools > Wimba Classroom.
3. Under the List of Rooms and Archives, click the pencil icon for Settings.
4. Scroll down to Section 4: Portable Media Settings and expand the section.
5. Under Encoding Quality, select the option for High Quality.  (Default is Standard.)
6. Repeat the steps from the first section to queue processing for the higher-quality media file.

Downloading from the Admin Portal:

1. Log in to the portal at http://wpiclassroom.wimba.com/admin
2. Navigate to Archives and locate the desired recording in the Archive Management list.
3. Click the link for the archive to bring you to the Modify Archive page.
4. Navigate to Media Settings and click Download mp4.
   
5. Clicking this button will send the recording into a queue to be processed for download on the server.   You will receive a message indicating that the process may take several minutes.   Note that the server can only process two recordings at a time, so it could several hours for your media to generate.
   
6. To check whether your download is ready, simply check back later following steps 1-5.   Instead of receiving the message that your download is being processed, your browser will launch its download manager.   Save the file to your computer.

Saving a Higher Quality Archive Format from the Admin Portal

1. Follow steps 1-4 from the section above.   Prior to clicking Download mp4 within the Archive Media Settings page, scroll down to the Portable Media Section on the page and select the option for High Quality.
   
2. Click the Download mp4 button when you are down customizing your mp4 settings.

That’s it!   Please make sure you download any recordings that you would like prior to June 30, 2013.   At that time, Blackboard will be taking our server offline and recordings will no longer be accessible.   The ATC will be in touch before then to announce the availability of Adobe Connect.   Please don’t hesitate to reach out to atc-ttl@wpi.edu if you have questions or need assistance!

Speaking of acquisitions…  in late fall, Echo360 also acquired LectureTools.  LectureTools allows instructors to synchronously share their lectures with students along with the ability to ask polling questions or conduct text-based (from the student) Q&A.   While viewing the synchronous material, students can take their own private notes within the application that are saved to their computer/device.  At the end of the lecture, the captured material – along with all the interactivity - is available for playback via the link in myWPI or RSS feed (depending on how faculty choose to publish their recordings).   Any personal notes that students have taken on the material are synced up to display with the content during playback.

WPI faculty have rolled out some of Echo’s new synchronous features and we will be exploring ways in which we might be able to take advantage of some of the LectureTools and ThinkBinder features in the future.   Our biggest concern right now with synchronous teaching and learning tools is wireless bandwidth, especially within larger classrooms where the wireless access points (WAPs) can only handle a certain number of wireless device connections.  (Think cell phones, tablets, laptops – students often have many wireless devices connected at once!)   Also note that this is not a WPI-specific problem as we are using the latest-and-greatest wireless technologies – other universities also have this challenge!

If you are interested in exploring how you might use Echo360 lecture capturing, LectureTools, or ThinkBinder in your own teaching, learning and/or research, please reach out to us and let us know at atc-ttl@wpi.edu!  We’re always happy to explore new, exciting, and engaging teaching and learning technologies!

With the first set of Google’s shiny new specs being sent out to the handful of lucky applicants, it’s only a matter of time before students and instructors end up with a pair over their eyes in a class.  And while it’s tempting to label the lenses as just another distraction akin to smartphones, there might be some real use out there for these things, as well as some real risks.  Let’s brainstorm!

• First-person lecture-capturing is the first thing that comes to my mind.  An instructor could show students an experience first-hand—imagine watching a pre-lab instructional video from the point of view of an expert, or the feeling of being right in the middle of an intense discussion.  Of course, there’s always the risk of students using Glass to record lectures when they shouldn’t, but at least they’ll have to announce their intentions via voice-command to do so!
• Speaking of labs, why not strap on a  ”Safety Glass” for easy recording?  Students using wearable computers could easily record and share data and reactions.  The best part, however?  Being able to record without pressing a button or holding up a camera!
• For those of us with poor memory, Glass has the potential to bring up notes while maintaining eye contact.  Some may find it distracting to have text hovering at the corner of your vision—other instructors could see some real use in having notes delegated to the corner of their eye rather than having Powerpoint or written notes.
•  Glass can add a new element to distance learning—much like the lecture capture concept above, Glass’s live video chat feature allows an instructor to give a lecture from anywhere.  Need to write out something?  Just grab a piece of paper!

I think it goes without saying that the technology isn’t a boon for every instructor and student, and I shudder to think of the effects of a Glass video on someone with motion sickness.  However, it’s certainly not something to ignore.  What creative things can you imagine doing with a computerized pair of glasses?

Learn about Google Glass here: http://www.google.com/glass/start/

4: a guide listing specific criteria for grading or scoring academic papers, projects, or tests 

To celebrate Pi Day, we’ve rolled out a new Blackboard feature: Inline Assignment Grading!   What does this have to do with Pi?   Absolutely nothing.   But hey, I had to acknowledge the day somehow, right?

Inline Grading is an improvement (we think) to how instructors can view and provide feedback to student submissions that were made through the Assignment Manager tool.   The old way required instructors to download student submissions and feedback was provided in the native application (e.g. Microsoft Word’s commenting features, PDF drawing tools, etc.).   The graded commenting/feedback then had to be uploaded back through the Grade Center so that the student could view it.   The new and improved method allows the instructor (or TA or grader) to provide this feedback directly in the browser window without needing to save a local copy first!

Feedback options include a commenting tool, highlighter, text selection tool, strikeout tool, and… wait for it… a drawing tool!   That’s right, if you have a stylus (digital pen), you can annotate the document and your drawings will be preserved within the document!   Once you have saved your feedback, your options for downloading include the original submission attachment as well as the marked up version, saved in PDF format.   (These are the same options the student has, by the way.)

Do I need to install additional plugins to my browser?  
Nope!  The feature is supported on current (read: non-beta) versions of Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox, and Chrome.

What file types are supported?
Supported submission types are Word (.doc, .docx), PowerPoint (.ppt, .pptx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx), and PDF.   If a student submits an attachment through the Assignment Manager that is not in one of these formats, you will have to download the submission and view it using the native application.

Can I use the mobile browser on my iPad to provide annotated feedback?
As of right now, our testing shows that this isn’t supported yet.   However, we’ve already provided feedback to Blackboard about this so hopefully that feature will be forthcoming!  When it happens, we will be sure to update this post!

I already have assignment manager items posted in my course site.  Will I need to remove them and re-add them in order to take advantage of this feature?
Nope!   Assignment Manager items will automatically be converted so you will see the inline grading features in any new and pre-existing submissions!

The new Inline Assignment Grading feature screenshot

For more information on the new inline grading features, check out the official Blackboard Release Notes!

One option is to set up a “Space”, which is essentially a tiny social organization with very basic features.  Anyone can create a space if they have a Blackboard account—it doesn’t matter if you’re a faculty member, a staff member, or even a student.   You can even create or join groups that contain students and faculty from both WPI and other schools!  All it takes is a bit of exploring—click on your name in the upper-right hand side of any page in Bb, and click on the lumpy molecule icon at the bottom.

If you haven’t joined or created anything, you’ll see an empty screen informing that you haven’t joined any spaces yet.  Let’s create one to fix that!

Here, I’ve clicked the “Create Space” button and clicked on the “More Options” button that appeared.  I’ve begun to fill in information about my solar system-themed space.  It’s worth mentioning the Privacy Options on the right, which show you just who can join your space and how, and the Invite People to Space input, where you can find users and invite them to your space.

If you clicked “Submit,” you’ll be brought right to your space.  From here, there are a few basic things you and members can do.  The main purpose of spaces is to leave comments—it’s very bare-boned, but you can leave comments, reply to them, and delete them (provided that you created the group, of course).

You can also elect to leave the space, or report it.  If it’s your space, you can delete the contents permanently.

After reading all of this, you may be thinking about how you can use this tool.  It doesn’t seem to affect any other areas of Blackboard, and it has very limited functionality—the only visible options are posting comments and changing the Space’s featured picture.  Students may find more use of this feature than instructors do–they can create project groups on their own to discuss assignments.  Unfortunately, without the ability to share files or photos, or post announcements or other items, other options may be more useful.

The most unique usage I can imagine would be to create spaces that are available to all Blackboard users, regardless of which school or Blackboard instance is being run.  Students from across the world could create groups for Physics topics and discussions, for example, or instructors could compare notes on teaching styles.

What’s your take on this new feature?  Have you started using it already?  Let us know!

Back in 2009,  Jefferey Young wrote an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on Jose Antonio Bowen’s use of technology, or lack thereof, in his classroom(s) at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX).  Dubbed “naked teaching,” Bowen stripped all teaching technologies outside of his physical class meetings, instead choosing to use the scheduled time for more discussion-oriented teaching and learning activities.   (Jes also wrote a blog post about it, which you can read here.)  Just about three years later, Bowen published a book on his model, entitled Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology Out of Your College Classroom Will Improve Student Learning.   He also recently came to Worcester to deliver a workshop on the methods described in his book for the Consortium.   Jes and I had the pleasure of attending, along with a few WPI faculty as well.

I have to admit, about halfway through Bowen’s book, I was skeptical of his definition of a “college classroom.”   With educational technologies these days, I personally feel that the “classroom” doesn’t just mean the physical space anymore.   Rather, the classroom extends beyond the physical time/space reserved in student registration systems into the virtual realm with the use of Learning Management Systems, asynchronous and synchronous communication/collaboration technologies, and social networking tools.    However, at this point, the definition of “classroom” is probably just semantics.   What Bowen is ultimately advocating for is that you engage students during the regularly scheduled face-to-face class meeting (notice I’m not using “classroom”???) in stimulating discussions.   He is not advocating that you remove technology from the course altogether, but rather, remove them from the face-to-face contact.   Outside of that face-to-face contact, Bowen feels it is important to communicate and engage with the students on their level, using the tools that they are used to using…

…and that means Twitter, and Facebook, YouTube, etc.   (Of course, email as well.)

Scared yet?   You needn’t worry about your personal life (and the personal lives of your students) invading your “classroom.”   I was.   Bowen spoke very well to these fears in his book (and also his workshop).  Rather than blend your personal and academic lives, Bowen suggests that you create private groups/accounts for class use.   This way, you can connect with your students, and vice-versa, but there’s no friending/following required.   You know your message is being received because you know your students are on these other “digital channels,” as Bowen calls them.   For those students that are not, he recommends that you put a copy of the message content into the LMS site for the course as well.

Why might I do this, you ask?   You can save valuable contact (again, I’m not using “classroom!”) time by making available brief announcements, summaries/conclusions, supplemental material, instant recall (“comment back with examples”), etc. using these means.   Why can’t this be accomplished with just a simple email?   It can, but Bowen suggests that you reserve email for more “thoughtful” teaching activities.   With email, you have an opportunity to be reflective, and to share and discuss real-world examples.   In a traditional lecture-based course, this can be hard to accomplish because of the breadth of course content that needs to be covered.  So, why not pull some of that outside of regular contact hours?   (I promise, this will be the last time that I remind you that I’m not using the word “classroom”!)

Jose Bowen

Bowen also acknowledges the wealth of material that exists out there on the web (think Khan Academy, EdX, Open Courseware, Merlot, YouTube, iTunes U, etc.).   Knowledge is no longer scarce, so how do we capitalize on that?   If you can find relevant, open content for your course, Bowen encourages you to capitalize on it.   Students are used to Googling/Wikipedia-ing (when will that become a verb?), so if someone else has already done a great job of explaining the concepts, why not encourage your students to access this material outside of contact time instead of reteaching it?   Contact time could then be spent doing problem-based learning, peer instruction, interactive discussion, or <<insert other engaging, active learning activity here>>.

If you are not able to find relevant material, consider creating some yourself!   WPI has a site license for Echo360′s Personal Capture software, which you can install on your home/office computer for the purpose of recording audio/video lecture files.   However, just because we refer to it as “lecture capturing,” doesn’t just mean that it can only be used to record a traditional lecture!   In fact, several WPI faculty have experimented with this type of “flipped” model, recording mini-lectures (or modules) for students to watch prior to attending the face-to-face meeting!   Please reach out to the TTL team to learn more!   For a great two-part article on understanding the flipped model, see this Faculty Focus link.  I’ll note here that Bowen argues in his book against the “traditional” lecture capture model for this purpose, but I disagree as I think said traditional technology can be used effectively to generate flipped content.   Rather, it’s the “traditional” face-to-face lecture style that cannot simply be passively recorded and posted online for students.

So where do we go from here?   Start small, is Bowen’s advice.  I agree!   For the electronic and collaborative communications with your students, encourage them to help initiate and drive the asynchronous dialogue.   If you explore using existing, open content as a substitute for face-to-face lectures, try 1-2 modules first and see how it goes.   Or, if you plan to try record your own flipped lectures, work with the TTL team to think about your approach to 1-2 recordings as a pilot before you convert your entire course.   As always, evaluate and redesign/redeploy as necessary, and gradually increase these methods as you become more comfortable with the use of these technologies.

In summary, I really enjoyed reading Bowen’s book.  I enjoyed his workshop even more.   While I was skeptical when I first saw him launching his PowerPoint slides (remember, he advocates for a technology-free “classroom”), I quickly got over that.   As a presenter, he’s very engaging, and clearly passionate not just about his course content, but also about teaching as well.   (He also uses PowerPoint as a visual very, very well.)   If nothing else, hopefully his book, this blog post, and the other links (which I will reshare below) encourage more dialogue about the use of technology to support teaching and learning activities at WPI!    I encourage you to explore Bowen’s website at http://teachingnaked.com and be sure to check out his introductory video as well!

For more…

• Original Article on “Teaching Naked” from the Chronicle of Higher Education (2009):  http://chronicle.com/article/Teach-Naked-Effort-Strips/47398/
• Jes’ follow-up blog post after the above article and WPI Food-for-Thought:  http://wp.wpi.edu/atc-ttl/2009/09/23/turn-your-classroom-upside-down/
• My blog post on WPI’s lecture capturing options:  http://wp.wpi.edu/atc-ttl/2011/08/11/interested-in-lecture-capturing/
• Faculty Focus two-part article on understanding the flipped classroom model:  http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/teaching-with-technology-articles/understanding-the-flipped-classroom-part-1/

and last, but certainly not least…

• Bowen’s website:  http://teachingnaked.com/

OK, wait a second, what is a MOOC? MOOC can mean different things to different people so I am referring you over to Wikipedia for a more in-depth discussion on varying definitions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course. For the purposes of this blog post I am going to narrow our field to MOOCs that allow registration to anyone (for free or for a small price) and also allow some degree of two way communication.

MOOCs are currently in the earliest stages of development, being only a few years old, but many of them now allow the ”students” to collaborate and communicate with one another around the course content thus forming a community.  I would argue that MOOCS that encourage participation are forming a new type of Community of Practice where individuals of differing backgrounds come together around a common learning interest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc

Is a MOOC for you?  Have an interest in an academic topic and a bit of self discipline?  If so, then you may find the MOOC experience to fit your learning needs.  MOOCs offer learners the  ability to explore a topic in depth at their own pace.  However, there are a few downsides to MOOCs.  Many MOOCs do require self discipline and they can be formulaic in design so they are not right for everyone.

MOOCs appeal to many people for many different reasons, but are they approaching open education in the best way possible?  Some argue, yes as they are making information more readily available to all, however most MOOCs are very standardized as it is easiest for an instructor to evaluate standardized curriculum and exams quickly and quantitatively.  But this type of standardization does not always facilitate active learning and, in many cases, this type of standardization does not speak to the basic tenants of a Liberal Arts education.  Many people are working to break this cycle of standardization while still maintaining the affordability of MOOCs.  This is where UnderAcademy steps in!  With class titles such as Grammar Porn and Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen, UnderAcademy stretches the current boundaries of the MOOC with irreverence and humor.  Read more in Chronicle:

So take a look around and see if there is a MOOC for you!

This post however would not be complete without a mention of WPI.  Where do we fit into this discussion?  Should WPI be offering Open Content?  Have an opinion?  Leave us a comment and be sure to stay tuned for more information on a B-term discussion on the concept of “open” at WPI in B-term facilitated by Professors John Orr and Chrys Demetry!

Idea 15:  Who do you think you’re talking to?!?  Though it is impossible to address your entire presentation to the wants and needs of every individual in the room (usually), unlike being a Jedi knight, in this case, there is “try”.  Of course, you can better know who your audience members are and what they know by, and this is a crazy idea, ASKING THEM.  You can utilize clickers or a pre-presentation survey, or simply ask for a show of hands.  But here is a personal pet peeve:  If you do ASK your audience about their experience or ideas, ADJUST your presentation according to the results.  Have you ever felt very proud of yourself for engaging your audience by asking a few questions in the beginning, but then proceeded with your presentation exactly as you had planned regardless of how they answered?  Like I’m doing right now?

Idea 16:  Um.  When I was a senior in high school, we had a fantastic class president who had to run all-school assemblies every Friday.  But, and apologies to Ron if he’s reading this, he had one major flaw:  UM.  As in, “So, um, if you want to, um, sign up for um, volleyball…”  You would NEVER write this way, yet so many of us speak with little tics like this without even noticing.  In today’s digital age, and especially here at WPI, it is SO EASY to record yourself presenting, and  identify these little quirks yourself.  Even if your quirk is a simple lack of enthusiasm, you can identify it by watching yourself.

By the way, Ron never did record himself.  So one day the entire school repeated every “Um” he uttered.  I’m guessing that wherever Ron is today, he isn’t “umm’ing” anymore.  Poor guy.  Speaking of feedback…

Ideas 17:  Listen to feedback from others!  Malcolm says, “Be very careful about dismissing feedback, especially critical feedback, or rationalizing away its significance.”  But it’s just so hard!  One tip that may help?  Designing from your audience’s perspective.  When you design your presentation with your audience in mind, especially if you have received feedback from such an audience before, you can communicate more effectively.

Idea 18:  Not matter what you are presenting, the ultimate goal is for your audience to actually LEARN something, right? Think about your most effective teachers.  Some (okay, actually many) would say that we learn best when we engage in the material.  So let’s be sure not to criticize others for boring lectures then turn around and make the same mistakes ourselves!

Idea 19:  Make eye contact with your audience.  Don’t look at your slides.  You already know what’s on them.

Idea 20:  Keep your slides in motion!  There is no need to stay on a slide for more than 5 minutes or so.  If you find yourself doing this when you practice, make a new slide.

Idea 21:  Projectors aren’t as good as monitors/tablets.  Careful about yellows and other mild colors!

Idea 22:  Watch a TED talk.  Give one of those.  They are, as a rule, awesome.

Idea 23:  Your slides are not a handout!  If you try to make one set of slides serve both needs, neither will be very helpful.

Idea 24:  ”If you need to make a complex point, build it carefully, step by step.”  I think Malcolm makes this point so well!  Map out the point you need to make graphically, and even if you don’t use the image, it will help you construct the best path for the information.

Idea 25:  Choose the right software.  Prezi or PowerPoint?  This thesis examines the differences, and is a great resource.  No matter which you use, what really matters is the right amount of excitement without distraction.

Idea 26:  Don’t show baby pictures.  Malcolm, I have to admit, this one’s a tough one for me.  Aren’t my kids the cutest in the world?  Doesn’t EVERYONE want to see how adorable my children are?

Don't you want to engage in conversation when you see how cute they are? Or is that just me?

But you’ve convinced me: “Baby pictures offer no room for discussion, critique, or analysis.”  I see here that you don’t mean actual baby pictures, but rather any image that will not be as interesting to the audience as it is to the presenter.  Really it goes back to Ideas 15, 16 & 17 – it’s not about me.

Idea 27:  Come back to the thesis.  Going way back to before you built your presentation, you wrote down objectives, or perhaps your message.  After you’ve designed your slides and practiced your presentation.  Does the presentation you’ve built actually meet these objectives?  This sounds like such a simple idea, but in reality, it requires the hard-work magic that makes it all worthwhile.

Malcolm recommends some other resources, including Presentation Design Zen by Garr Reynolds and slide:ology by Nancy Duarte.  Thanks for these ideas and resources, Malcolm!

We would love to hear more!  Please share yours below.

Happy presenting!

I recently had the good fortune to attend a presentation on presenting by Malcom Brown,  who shared some great rules/theories/ideas that I’d like to discuss/pass on!

Idea 1:  It can happen to you.  Yes, that’s right, your presentation can be the boring one.  You are not exempt.  Escaping the boring trap requires effort and intention.

Idea 2:  See rule 1 – plan the time!

Idea 3:  Watch me or my slide?  Malcolm suggests asking yourself “-for each and every slide-about ‘where’ you want your audience to focus.”  If the attention should be on the slide, that’s OK!  Not every second of air time needs to be filled by a talking head.

Idea 4:  ”Slides are low-resolution.”  And Malcolm was not referring to DPI!  Slides are not a place to cram information.

Idea 5:  Fewer•Bullets•Is•More – this point is complimented by my favorite “Life After Death by PowerPoint” comedian, Don McMillan, when he says, “In fact the term bullet point comes from people firing guns at annoying presenters”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpvgfmEU2Ck

Idea 6:  You have 10 minutes.  You need to renew attention every 10 minutes.  How do you renew attention?  A video, a group activity, a simple question to the crowd?

Ideas 7-9:  Slides are visual, and pictures can tell a great story.  But, buyer beware!  Maybe the latest internet meme photo is a great compliment to your story, and will elicit a big laugh, but maybe it’s not appropriate for your audience of CEO’s and foreign dignitaries?

Choose the images that best illustrate your point, and style your presentation accordingly.  When you have finished, practice and ask yourself this question:  ”Is my message clear?”  In the end, that is the only thing that matters.

Idea 11:  Slides are exempt from the rules of physics.  Empty space is not a vacuum that will suck away your audience.  It is a good tool.

Idea 12:  Slides come last.  Outline your ideas first, then sequence your story.

Idea 13:  Your audience is not a bunch of suckers.  Gimmicks will be spotted a mile away (see silly meme, above).  They are, at best, distracting.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnsGSwMlxy4

Idea 14:  Bleed your photos over the edge.  It’s pretty, and forces you to have less text.

And these are less than half of Malcolm’s theories!  More to come in another post.  Please share your own rules/theories/ideas below!  Especially if you have a great book that you’d recommend on the topic, or source for fantastic imagery.

See this link for Part II!