Author: Andrew Ruether

Academic Technology, Faculty/Staff, Moodle, Workshops and Training

Moodle Updates for Spring 2015

Andrew Ruether

Moodle Assignments Creating assignments is easier in the upgraded Moodle assignment activity. You will see a single Moodle activity type called “Assignment.” The options for this activity can be configured to allow for single or multiple file upload, online text, or offline activity. More information available here: https://kb.swarthmore.edu:8443/x/K4AxAQ. Academic technologists will hold two workshops on “Online Assignments in Moodle,” which will cover how to create, distribute, grade, and provide feedback for assignments using Moodle.  The workshops will take place on: Wednesday January 28, 10:30AM-11:30AM in McCabe 306 (computer classroom) Thursday January 29, 1:30PM-2:30PM in Kohlberg 326 (Language Resource Center) Turnitin … Continue reading Moodle Updates for Spring 2015

Academic Technology, Faculty/Staff, Software, Students

Free Autodesk software available for students and educators

Andrew Ruether

Autodesk, maker of high-end design software, has made a large set of its products available for free to students and educators.  Available products include: 3ds Max – 3D modeling software Inventor Professional – 3D CAD software AutoCAD – 2D CAD software Maya – tools for 3D modeling, animation, effects, and rendering Mudbox – 3D digital sculpting and texture painting software Motionbuilder – 3D character animation software for virtual production To learn more and download the software visit http://www.autodesk.com/education/free-software/all   Continue reading Free Autodesk software available for students and educators

Academic Technology, Faculty/Staff, Moodle

Turnitin + Moodle = Elegant

Andrew Ruether

Working with Moodle and Turnitin.com just got really easy here at Swarthmore. ITS recently completed a project to fully integrate the Turnitin.com service with Moodle.  Turnitin can support you with grading, grammar, plagiarism checking, and peer review services.  It is now possible to create an assignment in Moodle and have student papers automatically submitted to Turnitin.com. Turnitin can be used to detect similarities in content to websites, journal articles, or other student papers, and can be used to do online grading, including voice annotations.  In addition, Turnitin can automatically assign student papers for peer review.  Peer review can be done anonymously, if desired. Here are … Continue reading Turnitin + Moodle = Elegant

Academic Technology, Faculty/Staff, Network, Students

Internet2 Arrives at Swarthmore

Andrew Ruether

Swarthmore ITS is pleased to announce a major network connection speed upgrade to Internet2, a blazing-fast network designed for research and education that connects schools, labs, and industry partners.  Internet2 allows faculty, staff, and students at Swarthmore to easily share large data files with collaborators at other institutions.  It also provides high speed connections to Internet2 business members such as Google, Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, and Amazon Web Services — things you’re probably already using here!  Your campus technologies are already taking advantage of these higher speeds. We have a 1Gbit/s connection. About 40% of our normal Internet traffic now flows … Continue reading Internet2 Arrives at Swarthmore

Academic Technology, Faculty/Staff, Moodle, Workshops and Training

Moodle Workshops and Training Opportunities for Fall 2014

Andrew Ruether

ITS is offering several Moodle workshops and one-on-one sessions to help get your courses ready for the Fall 2014 semester. Introduction to Moodle Workshop This hands-on workshop will cover how to set up a course in Moodle, upload a syllabus and readings, handle student enrollments, send class emails, and provide an overview of other features available in Moodle. Tuesday 8/26/14 from 1:30PM – 2:30PM in Trotter 201 Monday 9/1/14 from 1:30PM – 2:30PM in ITS Media Center (Beardsley 114) What’s New in Moodle for Fall 2014 Some of the major new features in Moodle include: annotating PDF assignment files from within … Continue reading Moodle Workshops and Training Opportunities for Fall 2014

Academic Technology, Faculty/Staff, Moodle

Moodle Upgrade on Friday 8/8/2014

Andrew Ruether

On Friday August 8, 2014, ITS will be upgrading the Moodle site. Moodle will be unavailable from 8AM to noon on 8/8/2014. Some highlights of the new version of Moodle: Ability to mark up student PDF assignments from within Moodle Modernized appearance, simplified interface, and improved usability for tablets and phones Ability to drag and drop images and text onto a course page Ability to show contents of folders on the course main page OpenBadges compatible badging system All existing courses and course material will still be available on the upgraded site. ITS will be offering introductory and intermediate courses … Continue reading Moodle Upgrade on Friday 8/8/2014