Blogs

The New York Times recently ran a story saying what most of us had sensed through anecdotal evidence over the past year or so–blogs aren’t what they used to be. In my journalism class I have found students strangely (to me) reluctant to start blogs. At first I thought they were intimidated by the process,…Continue Reading Blogs

Tools we use – Screen Captures

Have you ever found yourself writing an email (or a blog post!) and wished you could just show what you mean instead of having to try to describe it? We often find that being able to quickly capture what’s happening on a computer screen is invaluable for saving time and communicating more clearly. There are…Continue Reading Tools we use – Screen Captures

Academic Continuity: Defeating the Weather with Technology

Much of the talk on campus these past few weeks have centered around the weather and the record amount of snow we have been receiving.  However, the snow has incited much more than talk.  In an almost unprecedented move, WPI has had to delay or cancel classes more than once this winter!  With such short…Continue Reading Academic Continuity: Defeating the Weather with Technology

Tools we use – Outlook Quick Parts

Do you find yourself sending the same email over and over again?  Maybe something like, “You can find information on the required readings in the syllabus, located at…” or “This class has the following grade scheme:  Labs – 20%, Quizzes – 20%…” Just a reminder that Outlook users can take advantage of a great little…Continue Reading Tools we use – Outlook Quick Parts

Tired of performing the same old search? What if the information could come to you?

Keeping on top of news and emerging research can be time a consuming task.  However there are tools out there to help you and make this task simpler!  One such tool is Really Simple Syndication (RSS).  You probably have noticed the RSS symbol (see below) on pages you use frequently. While RSS has steadily increased…Continue Reading Tired of performing the same old search? What if the information could come to you?

Tools we use – Social Bookmarking

With the incredible proliferation of online tools, tips, resources, and technologies available for teaching and learning today, we at the Technology for Teaching and Learning group often find ourselves playing the role of technology testers and commentators. We would like to take a few minutes every now and again to share a technology that we’ve put…Continue Reading Tools we use – Social Bookmarking

Guiding Self and Peer Assessment – Two Technologies

Self and Peer writing assessments can be very powerful tools in the classroom.  This type of an assignment can aid students in improving their editing and writing skills.   Through Peer Assessment students learn to collaborate and provide constructive peer criticism. However implementing this type of review assignment in a classroom setting can be a rather…Continue Reading Guiding Self and Peer Assessment – Two Technologies

YouTube becomes more Social…Media

Have you ever posted a YouTube video and wished you could control its playback for students watching it at the same time?  SocialVision has recently rolled out a new feature (free!) that allows you to watch YouTube videos synchronously with others.  Called YouTube Social, this new element allows the person who initiates a social invite…Continue Reading YouTube becomes more Social…Media

Top Pick for Using PowerPoint 2010

From “Top 10 reasons to try PowerPoint 2010” I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “death by PowerPoint”. I think it should be changed to “death by presenter who uses PowerPoint ineffectively”, but it’s not as catchy.  PowerPoint presentations these days have a bad reputation if it’s just bulleted text on the screen.  That’s why my top…Continue Reading Top Pick for Using PowerPoint 2010