Link to An Academic Technologist’s Toolbox
Why Things Stick
Figuratively, that is. I’d have to spend some more time learning why things literally stick to offer you a proper answer. From a young age, learning has been a passion of mine. As it turns out, there are several reasons for that, and Swarthmore’s Ann Renninger and Diane Anderson have devoted quite a bit of time to researching and publishing why we learn better when we’re actively engaged in what we’re learning. Think about something you love doing. I’ll bet you could tell me a lot about it. In fact, I’ll bet you could still tell me a lot … Continue reading Why Things Stick
Zoom Video Conferencing for Remote Teaching
With recent inclement weather restricting travel to campus for some of our community we found ourselves exploring a variety of distance learning resources. One of the technologies already available to all Swarthmore faculty, staff and students is Zoom video conferencing, and thus … Continue reading Zoom Video Conferencing for Remote Teaching
Seeking SPEED Projects and Interns
March marks the beginning of SPEED season for ITS and the Libraries. We are now in the 6th year of running Swarthmore Projects for Educational Exploration and Development (SPEED) and have worked with a wide range of faculty and students on dozens of projects to improve undergraduate learning. SPEED awards primarily consist of dedicated support from academic technologists, web developers, librarians and student intern. For 2017, we are focusing on projects related to data visualization. From infographics to interactive maps to network diagrams, creating graphical displays of information happens across disciplines, whether to explore and synthesize, experiment and reframe, or present … Continue reading Seeking SPEED Projects and Interns
What ITS is Reading: Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
Earlier this year ITS started a book club aimed at reading books we thought would help us continue to learn and grow at work. This past month we finished reading a book called: Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and … Continue reading What ITS is Reading: Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
AODocs Improvements
AODocs, which we use here at Swarthmore on top of Google Drive to provide some needed functionality, has been improving their product. Late yesterday they released Version 42 of AODocs, which brings some nice new features for both ITS Systems Administrators and many users. For those that connect directly through the AODocs interface (log into https://www.aodocs.com/, not just using the AODocs Smart Bar in Chrome with Google Drive), you can now prevent viewers of your shared content from downloading, copying or printing your shared files. There are also improvements to the Folder picker interface, allowing you to have more options for … Continue reading AODocs Improvements
Data Visualization and Projection
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