EdPsy IT Fellow Blog

OIT, in partnership with the University of Minnesota Libraries and collegiate units, is pleased to announce a pilot of a new free program for faculty, staff and graduate students: the Educational Technology Workshop (ETW). The focus of this year's ETW will be "Web 2.0" tools and pedagogies, including blogging, microblogging, syndication, podcasting, video sharing, online collaboration and social networking. The ETW will meet each Tuesday morning from 9-11am over six weeks (October 13-November 17) in Fall 2009. There are no prerequisites for participation and all levels of technology expertise are welcome.

For those interested in creating effective technology rich learning environments, exciting new opportunities emerge on a nearly daily basis. This rapidly expanding suite of tools challenges us to understand each new tool's potential for enhancing learning and determine how best to integrate a suite of such tools to create an effective learning environment. The ETW is designed to help participants meet these challenges head on. The goals for participants are:

* to develop a flexible method for exploring and evaluating the utility of new technologies to enhance teaching and learning environments; and

* to master an effective process for designing technology-rich learning activities that includes planning, engagement, and evaluation.

The ETW will meet each Tuesday morning from 9-11am over six weeks (October 13 - November 17). Each participant will work in a small team to help design and deliver one class session. Because the ETW is participant driven, an additional hour or two per week outside of class will be required to prepare for each session. Those who complete the workshop satisfactorily will receive a certificate of accomplishment. For more details, and to register, go to http://dmc.umn.edu/etw.

Posted by EdPsyitf at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Mobile System Status for iPhone and iPod Touch allows you to stay up to date with the current status of University Systems via systemstatus.umn.edu in a fast, easy to read application right on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

Download the App here: http://mobi.umn.edu/systemstatus.html

Posted by EdPsyitf at 6:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wired Campus: Best Ways for Professors to Use Student-Response�Systems - Chronicle.com

“Clickers” allow students to respond to questions during class using a wireless, handheld device. Instructors can then immediately view and display the results, often in the form of a poll. The Chronicle interviewed Derek Bruff, an assistant director at Vanderbilt University’s Center for Teaching, who just published Teaching With Classroom Response Systems (Jossey-Bass, 2009) after interviewing 50 instructors who use clickers. Some strategies work, he says, while others do not.

Posted by EdPsyitf at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I recently informed everyone about the initiative to incorporate Gmail into the new UMMail infrastructure. I wanted to inform everyone that due to overwhelming interest, OIT has decided to speed up the process on incorporating the full Google Apps Suite. Read more about this below and look for these apps to be incorporated to a greater degree in my communication with everyone!

Google Apps at the U

The Office of Information Technology (OIT) has begun work on plans to integrate Google applications for use at the University.

Since it was first announced, the UMMail/Google Mail project has generated a great deal of interest across the University, and the project team has received many questions and comments since we began our planning process and began informing people about plans for using GMail at the U.

Because of the interest the project has generated, the Google Initiative will include the entire suite of collaboration tools included with Google Apps, as well as GMail. A University Google account, in addition to e-mail, will offer access to the University Google Apps suite, and will provide users the opportunity to share documents with others in the University Google space.

In order to keep the University community better informed, we have created the Google Initiative project Web site to serve as a convenient central source for information and updates on the project. The site includes a FAQ page where we can address the questions and issue that you present to us. It is our intention to provide regular and timely updates to this site and address your questions so that they can reach as broad an audience as possible.

The project team will take some time to take a closer look at how Google Apps suite can best serve the mission and goals of the University. We appreciate your patience while we gather additional information and assess the impact of this broader scope on our time lines and implementation plans.

We invite you to send your suggestions, questions, and concerns to gpilot@umn.edu.

Posted by EdPsyitf at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A note about Google Email Accounts for UMN students and Faculty

Hello,

I'm Dan Wagner, an OIT-OIA manager acting as project manager for the UMMail (Google Mail) initiative. Information about the project has already been distributed through a variety of means, and naturally this has generated interest and questions. As general questions come in, I'll attempt to answer them through emails like this, distributed to a wide audience. (Since I'll be sending these out to a number of different lists, please forgive any multiple postings you may receive. If a personal reply is needed, I'll respond to you individually.) Information will also appear in the U of M Brief, the OIT Tech Brief, and Anne Duin’s weekly OIT newsletter on a regular basis. We are also working on setting up a website as a source for information and progress updates. If you have any questions or comments about UMMail please send them to gpilot@umn.edu list. Thanks for your interest and input.

What is UMMail?
UMMail is the University title for email hosted by Google. Users of UMMail will be included in our umn.edu domain

Who will be using UMMail?
We are planning to allow new students to choose UMMail as an option beginning this fall. The long-term goal is to have all students using UMMail, so at some point all incoming students will be required to use UMMail as their official University email account.. A number of roll out ptions are being considered at this time for expanding the use and availability of UMMail beyond this fall’s opt-in period.

Will Students be able to use other Google Apps?
No, not at this point. Only the email app will be enabled for students. Access to the other Google Apps for students will be considered in a later phase.

What about faculty and staff?
UMMail will be offered to faculty and staff at a later date, and their access will include the other Google Apps besides email. A time line for general availability of UMMail for faculty and staff has not yet been determined.

Continue reading "UMMail coming soon!" »

Posted by EdPsyitf at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A UK site posted an AMAZING list of 100 Tech Tools for learning and instruction in a Web 2.0 world. Everyone should definitely take a look and get a feel for what's out there, what might work with your current courses and see what's free (she highlights the top 25 free tools.

View the full list:
A Toolset for Learning 2009

Of all the ones listed, my favorites include:
- Delicious for online social bookmarks
- All of the Google Products (Apps, Gmail, Calenar)
- Skype and UMConnect for online communication and conference calls
- Jing for screen casts
- Wordpress for blogging
- Ning for Social Networking
- Zotera which is an awesome plugin for conducting research online and collecting clippings from webpages (i.e. articles, sites, notes, etc.)
- And of course, iTunes which I am lost without to stay current with my podcasts and music!

Take a look and see what you like, let me know if I can be of any help implementing into your courses.

Posted by EdPsyitf at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I want to thank Andy Zieffler for sending this to me. I can't wait to try it myself (and will of course post video and/or create others to view the test)! This is a Wii hack that allows you to create a SMART Interactive White Board (typically costing thousands) for just about $50 by using a projector screen (previously installed in just about every classroom, a Nintendo Wii remoteand a trip to Radio Shack!

Here is the video with information on the creator of this system, Johnny Lee and instructions on how to do this following.

OR, you can download the video from the site .

Johnny Lee is a researcher from Carnegie Mellon University and currently works as a researcher in the Applied Sciences department for Microsoft. He became famous via YouTube by posting videos of his projects, mostly involving hacks using Wii Remotes. Other projects of his include a Giant Paintball slingshot,, as well as a low cost steady cam for just $14 which he has called the Poor Man's Steadycam.

Here is a YouTube video with instructions on building the IR Pen Johnny used in his Wii Remote hack

Johnny's Wii Remote Projects seem to be the most interesting with lots of uses within higher education. Stay tuned for a presentation on this system in the future!

Here are the links
Johnny's hompage: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/
Wii Projects homepage with full instructions and free software downloads: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/

Have you found something cool in technology that you think others might find interesting? Please send me an email and I'll post it! You may also leave comments on this post if you've had experience with Wii Remote hacks of your own!

Posted by EdPsyitf at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Tech Savvy Girls

This out-of-school program uses sophisticated computer games (such as The Sims 2) and virtual worlds, (such as Second Life) to build tech-savvy skills, knowledge, and identities among girls from 5th to 12th grade. Girls meet at off-campus locations or at a university computer lab and work with local mentors to play games and create custom content using high-end computer programs such as Photoshop, Premiere, Contribute, and Dreamweaver as well as other game customization and modification tools. They develop skills in problem-solving, computational thinking, and other abilities that are foundational to formal study of computer science and the use of computer technology in a wide range of occupations.

The project focuses on identifying the various paths to becoming “tech-savvy�? that are associated with computer and video gaming. The out-of-school girls’ clubs are designed to build girls’ tech-savvy skills, knowledge, and identities. These clubs make use of the participant’s interests in games and media creation to foster practices associated with, for example, modern science (e.g., hypothesis testing, modeling, and theory building), and that also are driving forces in technological and scientific innovation.

Read all about this project here: Tech Savvy Girls

Posted by EdPsyitf at 3:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A few people inquired about using iphones and laptops with the clicker student response system. I just came across this news today that it's closer than we thought and coming from AT&T...soon I hope, stay tuned!

Students Can Respond With...

* Apple® iPhone™
* BlackBerry® smartphones
* Windows Mobile® devices
* Laptops or Desktops
* And More...
http://www.turningtechnologies.com/highereducationinteractivelearning/higheredresponsewareweb.cfm?cid=31

Posted by EdPsyitf at 4:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)