In partnership with the Registrar, Provost’s office and Facilities, ITS spent the summer examining how to better support teaching in a next generation classroom. We selected Kohlberg 116, a relatively unloved classroom full of heavy tablet arm chairs that were … Continue reading K116 – Exploring elements of a next generation classroom
The Beardsley Media Center is going to close for about 4 weeks starting July 14th for some construction and improvements. We plan to replace the rug, paint and open up the space by taking down a wall. Most equipment and services will temporarily shift to the Language Center in Kohlberg 326. If you have questions or were planning on using the Media Center please contact us at lmc@swarthmore.edu, or at 610.326.8036. We look forward to welcoming you to the refreshed Media Center in mid-August. Continue reading Beardsley Media Center Refresh
LACOL’s Language Instruction working group will hold a 3-day intensive workshop (also known as a hack-a-thon) to prototype a shared online diagnostic and refresher framework. The face-to-face event is being organized by Mike Jones, Director of the Language Resource Center and Media Lab at Swarthmore College, guided by a core team of faculty and language technologists at the participating institutions. For more information… Continue reading LACOL Language Hack-a-thon @ Language Center
Data visualization involves the presentation of data in a pictorial or graphical format that engages the viewer with information. These visualizations can then be printed, displayed, or projected into spaces to make difficult concepts easier to grasp, reveal patterns that would otherwise be opaque, or provide alternative interpretations of information. They can be used artistically, theatrically or informationally and can change the way people inhabit space. Interactive visualizations may respond to user inputs, or live data feeds and take the concept a step further by allowing you to drill down into charts and graphs for more detail, changing what data … Continue reading Data Visualization and Projection
I recently read an interesting article in Educause Review talking about the development of a series of tools to support Social Reading. These tools vary in how they work, but generally allow individuals to create notes/questions about a digital text and then allow the Professor (and possibly fellow students in the class) to see all the comments. With MIT’s tool more intense color reflects more comments on that part of the text. LACOL’s Active and Engaged Reading (AER) working group, also focuses on issues of reading in a digital age, including the goals and practices for academic reading as they evolve on our campuses. If this … Continue reading New Digital Tools for Reading
ITS, Media Services and the Office of Sustainability’s Green Advisors Program are currently working on a project aimed at reducing computer energy usage across campus. The first stage of the project will be to monitor energy usage in the Beardsley Media Center. We will collect quantitative data on our electricity usage while implementing strategies to reduce the electricity demand from computers in the lab. We aim to create behavioral changes in how students interact with computers (i.e. ensuring students/staff turn off machines at the end of the night or leaving inactive machines in sleep mode). Additionally, we will explore potential … Continue reading Green Advisors to monitor energy usage in the Beardsley Media Center
