Category: Academic Technology

Academic Technology, Mobile Devices, Software, Web Projects

Academic Tech Fair 2010 Re-Cap

MK

Thanks to everyone who participated in the 2010 Academic Technology Fair.  For those of you who are looking for more information on some of the great topics presented this year, or for those who were unable to attend, all of our materials are now available for download: DimDim is a web-based, real-time, collaboration solution that allows for easy, cross-platform (Windows, Mac and Linux, equally) conferencing.  Only presenters who want to share their screens—not attendees—need to install anything.  If you need to present somewhere when it would be inconvenient to go in person, DimDim can help you get there “virtually.” DimDim … Continue reading Academic Tech Fair 2010 Re-Cap

Academic Technology, Media Center

Beardsley Media Center Adds Pen Tablets for Image Editing

willen

The Beardsley Media Center in has added ten new Bamboo Fun pen based tablets from Wacom to all of the computers in the main room this Fall. These new tablets are ideal for illustration, drawing or photo editing in which the use of a pen would be advantageous. These are medium sized tablets, and they come with a multi-function pen/stylus that lets you navigate contextual menus as well as edit your material. They are pressure sensitive, so artists drawing can vary the width of their “brush” by adjusting how hard they touch the surface with the pen. The tablets can … Continue reading Beardsley Media Center Adds Pen Tablets for Image Editing

Academic Technology, Moodle, The Dash, Web Projects

Moodle Tab Added to Campus Dash

Andrew Ruether

ITS has just added a Moodle tab to the Dash. Because Moodle uses your network username and password, logging in to the Dash will automatically log you in to Moodle without having to retype your password.  Soon additional services such as SwatFiles and SwatMail will be added to the tabs, allowing easy access to frequently used web sites without typing the same credentials over and over. Moodle is our new learning management system that will replace Blackboard over the course of the next two years.  For Fall 2010, we have 15 courses hosted in Moodle with about 100 users logging … Continue reading Moodle Tab Added to Campus Dash

Academic Technology, Computer Classrooms, Public Computing

Trotter 201 Transformed into a Hybrid Learning Environment

MK

Over the summer, ITS set out to extend the functionality of the learning space in Trotter 201. Based upon feedback from faculty and staff members, new furniture has been installed that can quickly transform the space from a computer classroom to a traditional discussion environment in moments. The monitors in each workstation are attached to articulating arms that easily glide below the desk surface, removing the monitor as a distraction during more discussion based portions of a class. When it’s time to return to the computer, students can simply bring the monitors back above the desk and resume working where … Continue reading Trotter 201 Transformed into a Hybrid Learning Environment

Academic Technology, Workshops and TrainingLeave a comment

Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s talks on academic technology

Eric Behrens

Over two days in July, Dr. Ruben Puentedura, a noted consultant and speaker on educational technology, gave four presentations at a summer mini-conference sponsored by ITS. The topics of the sessions covered areas in which Puentedura sees untapped transformative educational potential: mobile computing, data visualization, gaming, and use of web 2.0 tools in support of communities of practice. Continue reading Dr. Ruben Puentedura’s talks on academic technology

Academic Technology, Blackboard, Moodle

Trico to transition from Blackboard to Moodle

Eric Behrens

As you may be aware, the Tri-Colleges have been conducting a major product review of our Learning Management System (LMS), Blackboard, and a popular alternative, called Moodle. Blackboard is the dominant commercial software company in higher education. Moodle is free, open source software that has been adopted by many institutions of higher education, including most liberal arts colleges. At this point, we are prepared to announce that the three schools decided to undertake a project to convert from Blackboard to Moodle over the next two academic years. More information will follow in the coming months as the full project plan … Continue reading Trico to transition from Blackboard to Moodle