Wimba voice email allows instructors to send an instant voice email message to students directly from a Moodle page. This is a great way for language instructors to communicate with their students in the target language, and for students to get more authentic language practice.

It's easy to add Wimba voice email to a Moodle 2 site. Before starting, make sure you have either a headset with a microphone or a computer with a built-in microphone. Also make sure that Java is enabled on whatever browser you're using, since Wimba requires Java, and check that pop-up windows are not blocked.

1. Go to the Moodle page, and turn "Editing" on (button on upper right hand side of page).
   
   Fig. 1
2. Select "Add a Block" on the side of the page (Fig. 1). Within this block, select "Voice E-Mail."
3. A new "Voice E-Mail" block will appear on the Moodle page. It is ready for use.
4. To send a message in the Voice E-Mail block, select the intended recipients among the options (Fig. 2). The addresses of everyone who has access to your Moodle site are automatically available for emailing.

Fig. 2


5. A pop-up window will then appear in which you can record the message (Fig. 3).
6. Record your message by hitting the red "record" button on the pop-up box. You can also type your message to the students in the blank field below. If you're not satisfied, hit the "record" button again, and your previous message will be automatically erased and replaced by the new message.
• Always copy yourself on any voice messages sent, so you have a record to refer to.
• If you don't copy yourself, you won't have any record that the message was sent.
• You can listen to the message after you've recorded it by hitting the triangle "play" button.


Fig. 3



7. When you're satisfied with the message, send it out by hitting the "Send" button on the upper left-hand side of the pop-up box.
8. Recipients will get an email that contains a link to the message, which is stored on the Wimba server.

The Language Center and CARLA are co-sponsoring the the full ACTFL Spring 2012 Webinar Series. The six webinars are scheduled to air over the summer. They will air again in early Fall 2012.

Please join us on Thursdays from June 7 through July 12 at 12:15-1:15 PM in Jones 117. Coffee will be served, and attendees may bring a bagged lunch.

Part 1: Maintaining Target Language in the Classroom: Comprehensible Input and Output
The ACTFL Position Statement on the use of the target language in the classroom recommends "that language educators and their students use the target language as exclusively as possible (90% plus) at all levels of instruction during instructional time and, when feasible, beyond the classroom." This webinar series provides practical strategies to implement this goal in world language classrooms, at all levels and with learners of all ages.

Learning Content through the Target Language
Tara Fortune, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Thursday, June 7, 12:15-1:15 PM

Exploring Culture through the Target Language
Donna Clementi, Appleton West High School and Concordia Language Villages, Emerita
Thursday, June 14, 12:15-1:15 PM

Maintaining Communication through the Target Language
Jean LeLoup, U.S. Air Force Academy, Colorado Springs, CO
Thursday, June 21, 12:15-1:15 PM

Part 2: Integrating 21st Century Skills to Engage Today's Language Learners
ACTFL and the Partnership for 21st Century Skills collaborated to produce the World Languages 21st Century Skills Map to guide teachers with examples for improving learners' language performance while developing broader skills. Communication is essential, but to be truly career-, college- and world-ready, today's learners need to develop their creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking. Identify effective strategies for designing units, assessment, and instruction that prepare students to use their new language in settings beyond the classroom. The team of presenters will provide descriptive examples in each webinar based on their backgrounds teaching at various levels, specifically including examples for elementary grades, middle school and senior high programs, as well as postsecondary levels.

Integrating 21st Century Skills in Curriculum and Unit Design
Lynn Fulton-Archer, Spanish instructor and program coordinator, Richmond Drive Elementary School, Rock Hill, SC
Thursday, June 28, 2012, 12:15-1:15 PM

Integrating 21st Century Skills in Language Assessment
Thomas Sauer, District World Language Curriculum Specialist, Jefferson County Public Schools, Lexington, KY
Thursday, July 5, 2012, 12:15-1:15 PM

Integrating 21st Century Skills in Language Instruction
Cherice Montgomery, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT
Thursday, July 12, 2012, 12:15-1:15 PM

More information on these webinars is available on the ACTFL website and the Language Center calendar.

The TESOL Electronic Village Online is hosting 5-week professional development sessions on a variety of topics beginning the week of January 9. These sessions are free to ESOL and other language educators and are free. You do not need to be a TESOL member to participate in these sessions. One session that might be of particular interest as the University of Minnesota shifts from Moodle 1.9 to 2.0 is Moodle for Teachers.

For more information, and to register, go to the Electronic Village Online Call for Participation site.

Millions of podcasts are available through iTunes for language learners. With so many options, it can be difficult to find a good podcast, but by searching the right way you will easily find the podcast that suits your language-learning needs.

Beginner -- Go to iTunes Store/Podcasts. Click on Language Learning under Quick Links on the navigation bar on the right-hand side of the Podcasts page (Figure 1). Search for podcasts in the language of your choice. Most of these podcasts are instructional and suited for beginner to intermediate students.

Figure 1.

Intermediate -- You can also find podcasts in your target language by doing a Power Search. Go to iTunes Store/Podcasts, and access Power Search either under Quick Links in the upper right-hand corner of the iTunes Store homepage or on the upper left of any store search results page (Figure 2). Then search for podcasts in the language of your choice. Your search will return only the podcasts in the target language. Some of these will be instructional, and some will not.

Figure 2.

Advanced -- Go to iTunes Store/Home/Manage/Change country (on the bottom of the screen Figure 3); select the country of your choice. When this feature is enabled, iTunes will reflect the options for the country you've selected. Be ready! The language on the page will also automatically switch to the language of the country you've selected, too. Now when you click on Podcasts, you will find a huge array of content-based options, all in the language(s) of the country you've chosen.

Figure 3.

Once you have found podcasts you enjoy, you can click on Subscribe to receive regular updates of these podcasts, which you can download onto your iPod or iPhone, and listen and learn on the go.

The Language Center will be rebroadcasting the following ACTFL webinar series.

ACTFL Webinar Series: Enhancing Literacy - Improving Learners' Proficiency

Presenter: Laura Terrill, independent consultant and former coordinator for World Languages & ELL

1. Understanding Content: Teaching Strategies for the Interpretive Mode
Friday, November 18
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Jones 35
This webinar will focus on building students' interpretive skills in reading, listening and viewing. Emphasis will be placed on the use of authentic texts related to thematic curriculum units. Participants will consider how to make authentic text comprehensible by using before, during and after strategies that develop their students' literacy skills. Appropriate strategies for assessing individual student comprehension will also be shared.

2. Creating Content: Teaching Strategies for the Presentational Mode
Friday, December 9
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Jones 35
This webinar will consider the types of tasks that students are typically given to develop their ability to present in written and oral formats. Easy-to-implement strategies designed to help students articulate their ideas effectively while advancing a student's proficiency level will be shared. Strategies for providing effective feedback while minimizing the paperwork often associated with the presentational mode will also be considered.

3. Discussing Content: Teaching Strategies for the Interpersonal Mode
Wednesday, December 14
12:30 - 1:30 PM
Jones 35
This webinar will present ways teachers can create lessons that build toward real-life, unrehearsed communication so that students at all levels are prepared to communicate in meaningful ways. Participants will consider strategies designed to maximize use of the target language and learn effective classroom management strategies essential for interactive classrooms. Easily adapted activities for working with language learners at novice, intermediate and advanced levels will be shared.

You can learn more about this series at the ACTFL website.

Have you ever asked your students to do a web-based activity in the classroom only to discover later that they were hopelessly lost surfing the web? What if there was a way to quickly glance at all the students computers to see what they were up to? And better yet, what if there was a way to discreetly send students a message to help them get back on track? With Apple Remote Desktop, there is!

The Language Center and CARLA are sponsoring two spring 2011 ACTFL webinar series. These six webinars will be presented in Jones 35. All U of M language instructors and instructors in training are welcome to attend. Registration is not required. A discussion may follow some webinars, and this will be scheduled later. The schedule may need to be adjusted based on the availability of content.

Series One: Learner Progress on the ACTFL Proficiency Continuum
Presenter: Chantal P. Thompson, Professor of French at Brigham Young University (Utah)

Determining Where Our Students are on the ACTFL Proficiency Scale
Friday, April 1: 12:20 - 1:20, Jones 35
How can we gauge more accurately where our students are on the ACTFL scale? What matters is not what they know about the language, but what they can actually DO with it! How do we pinpoint their level within the Novice, Intermediate and Advanced ranges? This webinar will familiarize teachers with the assessment criteria of the ACTFL scale, and enable them to analyze and rate excerpts from actual Oral Proficiency Interviews. Instructional implications and insights will also be addressed.

Moving Students from Novice to Intermediate
Friday, April 8: 12:20 - 1:20, Jones 35
This webinar will address various strategies to help students move along the proficiency spectrum in more efficient ways. Among those strategies: integration of functions, content, accuracy and text type in course design and lesson planning; immersion in the target language; a higher-order learning approach to all elements of the language; a proper balance between structured and creative practice, and empowering students through pre-speaking activities.

Moving Students from Intermediate to Advanced
Friday, April 29: 12:20 - 1:20, Jones 35
How do we get students to go beyond the minimal answers they typically give? Using observable performance as our gauge, we will explore strategies and activities that enable students to cross more effectively the critical border from Intermediate to Advanced. The strategies introduced in Webinar 2 will take on a new dimension when applied to the difficult transition toward Advanced-level proficiency, where elaborations are paramount.

Series Two: Assessments to Measure and Build Language Performance
Presenter: Paul Sandrock, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction

Creating Interpretive Tasks Targeting Language Levels
Friday, April 15: 12:20 - 1:20, Jones 35
Interpretive communication is not an exercise in translation, but rather a focus on understanding the main idea and subsequent layers of details. Examine how to set up tasks in which students demonstrate how well they understand what they read, hear, or view. Expand your repertoire of how students can demonstrate their understanding without relying on production of the target language.

Designing Presentational Performance Tasks and Their Rubrics
Friday, May 6: 12:20 - 1:20, Jones 35
Presentational communication occurs in many ways, formal and informal. Get practical tips for designing assessments of presentational skills targeted at different levels of proficiency. Then experience a process for designing rubrics that provide students with feedback outlining how they can improve their performance.

Developing Communication Skills Through Interpersonal Performance Tasks
Wednesday, May 11: 12:20 - 1:20, Jones 35
Interpersonal communication involves an exchange of information or ideas with both partners actively negotiating meaning. Discover effective ways to set up tasks so that students focus on getting their message across and are motivated to give their strongest performance. Learn to design feedback mechanisms that reward what really counts in developing interpersonal communication skills.

The Fair Use Doctrine is probably the most important exemption to copyright protections for educational settings, allowing many uses of copyrighted works for the purposes of teaching and research[1]. Yet, knowing how to apply the fair use doctrine in the second language classroom can be quite confusing, both in terms of developing teaching materials and in providing guidance for student projects. Please join us as Nancy Sims, copyright librarian for the University of Minnesota, gives us some insights into the world of Fair Use for educational purposes.

[1] http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright/fairuse.phtml

Fair Use in the Second Language Classroom - Co-sponsored by the ESL Forum
Presenter: Nancy Sims, U of M Libraries
Wednesday, March 2
12:20 - 1:10 p.m.
Jones 35

Creating Accessible Course Materials

Language instructors are constantly creating new course materials to make use of authentic resources. We create Word Documents and PDFs, and upload countless images into our Moodle course websites. But how often do we think about the accessibility of the materials we create? For many of us, it's probably not something in the forefront of our minds. Thankfully, the University of Minnesota has a new web resource - accessibility.umn.edu - to help instructors improve the accessibility of their course materials for the widest possible audience, regardless of ability. Please join us as Phil Kragnes of Disability Services and the Office of Information Technology shows us simple ways to improve the accessibility of the materials we create for our students.

Creating Accessible Course Materials
Presenter: Phil Kragnes, U of M Disability Services and OIT
Thursday, February 17
12:20 - 1:10 pm
Jones 35

For more information about the topic of accessibility in education, see these recent articles from The Chronicle of Higher Ed:
Universal Design, Usability, and Accessibility
ADA Compliance is a 'Major Vulnerability' for Online Education Programs
Colleges Lock Out Blind Students Online

Language Center iTeach Workshops
This spring semester, the Language Center is creating customized iTeach Workshops for your department. If you and your colleagues are interested in improving your current use of technology, or would like to incorporate a new activity or project that uses technology into your course, the Language Center staff are here to support you! Please contact your language liaison or Alyssa Ruesch to schedule a training on the topic(s) of your choice. We are happy to conduct individual or group trainings at a time that is convenient for you.
Asian Languages and Literature: Zhen Zou
French and Italian: Rick Treece
German, Scandinavian and Dutch: Beth Kautz
Spanish and Portuguese: Pablo Viedma

Professional Development Opportunities at the U of M
University Technology Training Center
If you are new to Moodle or need a refresher, the University Technology Training Center (UTTC) offers comprehensive hands-on training. They offer 4 sessions: Creating Basic Course Web Sites, Assignments and Quizzes, Grades and Collaboration.
For more information:
http://uttc.umn.edu/training

Courses through University Libraries
The University Libraries offers a wide variety of training opportunities,ranging from presentations to help you understand the ins and outs of copyright, to productivity and collaboration tips when using Google. One session that should be useful for many language instructors is titled Can I Use That? Fair Use in Everyday Life
To register and see a complete list of courses, go to:  https://www.lib.umn.edu/services/workshops/registration

Workshops through the Center for Teaching and Learning
Just in Time Teaching
The Center for Teaching and Learning offers a variety of workshops throughout the semester to help keep you and your students engaged.  Re-invigorate your courses and teaching by taking one of these workshops!  See http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/index.html for more details.

CARLA Presentations

Challenges of Teaching Pragmatics to Foreign Language Learners: The Korean Example
Tuesday, January 25
12:20-1:10 p.m.
Jones 35
Presenter: Dr. Sang-Seok Yoon

"Foreign Language Activities" in Japanese Public Elementary Schools: 
A Critical Analysis of the New Language Education Policy
Tuesday, Feb 8
12:20-1:10 p.m. 
Jones 35
Presenter: Sachiko Horii 

Looking at Student Work to Facilitate Articulation from High School to College in Arabic and Chinese
Tuesday, Feb 22
12:20-1:10 p.m. 
Jones 35
Presenters: Ursula Lentz and Gaelle Berg

The Pedagogy of Improvisation: Teaching Our Learners to Express Meaning
Wednesday, March 9
12:20-1:10 p.m. 
Jones 35
Presenter: Patrick Scully 

From Communicative Competence to Integrated Language and Cultural Competence: 
Bridging Proficiency Levels and Disciplines
Thursday, March 24
12:00-1:00 p.m. (note time difference)
Jones 15
Presenter: Patricia Mougel

Heritage Speakers of Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTL) in the United States
Wednesday, April 6
12:20-1:10 p.m.
Jones 35
Presenter: Vichet Chhuon

Deconstructing ESL: Exploring the Consequences of an Institutional Category
Wednesday, April 20
12:20-1:10 p.m.
Jones 35
Presenter: Adam Rambow

The Language Center is pleased to announce the Spring 2010 iTeach Workshops. For more information about these topics, please see the iTeach Workshop Wiki.

Camtasia Relay: Capture your Screen and Share with Students
Thursday, February 18; 12:20 - 1:10 pm, Jones 30
Camtasia Relay is a tool that allows you to make videos of your computer screen that you can share with your students online. This tool is particularly useful if you want to narrate a lecture and show other computer applications to your students. It's also a good way to quickly create online tutorials to demonstrate how to use technology tools for your class. In this hands-on session, you'll practice narrating and capturing your computer screen, uploading the file to MediaMill* and sharing the link with others.
Presenter: Alyssa Ruesch, CLA Language Center
*This session will be most useful to you if you already have a MediaMill account. To request an account, email mmhelp@cla.umn.edu

Student-Created Videos for Communication and Reflection
Wednesday, February 24; 1:15 - 2:15 pm, Jones 35
In this panel presentation, instructors will share different ways that video can be used to reach second-language learning objectives. We'll learn how students can take the reins recording and producing video as a way to practice their speaking or learn more about the target culture. We'll also see how Tokbox, an online video messaging system, can be used to facilitate class-to-class exchanges. Finally, we'll learn more about how instructors and students alike can use VideoAnt for feedback and reflection.
Presenters: David Atterberry, ESL; Kate Clements, ESL; Scott Spicer, SMART Learning Commons; Pablo Viedma, Spanish; and Sondes Woolridge, French

Making Media Handy:  Using the iPod Touch in Language and Culture Courses
Wednesday, March 10; 1:25 - 2:15 pm, Jones 35
Smartphones and other mobile devices put a wealth of information in a variety of formats at our fingertips. How can these devices be used to advance the goals of language teachers and learners? Come find out how students in advanced German courses have used iPod touches to strengthen their linguistic, cultural, and digital competencies.
Presenters: Beth Kautz, GSD and CLA Language Center and Rebecca Raham, German

Collaboration through Google Docs
Monday, March 29; 1:25 - 2:15 pm, Jones 15
Soon, all U of M students will have Gmail accounts and access to the collaborative tools in Google Docs. What makes Google Docs different from other Web 2.0 options such as wikis, discussion boards, or blogs? The presenters will provide an overview of how the tools work and share examples of student use of the tools in language and culture courses.
Presenters: Beth Kautz, GSD and CLA Language Center and Rebecca Raham, German

Using Voicethread in the Second Language Classroom
Wednesday, April 7, 1:25 - 2:15 pm, Jones 35
In this panel presentation, instructors from the Minnesota English Language Program and the Department of French and Italian will share different ways the online tool, Voicethread, can be used in the classroom as a way to practice writing and speaking skills, as well as provide an interesting way to interact with new vocabulary.
Presenters: Sondes Woolridge, French; Annie Marrin, ESL; Becky Uran-Markman, ESL; and Antonia Krueger, ESL

Instructor Examples of Using Authentic Audio and Video in the Second Language Classroom
Thursday, April 15; 12:20 - 1:10 pm, Jones 35.
With the Internet, DVDs, and Satellite TV, there are many ways to bring authentic audio and video sources into the classroom. The question is, how can you effectively integrate these materials into your (beginning, intermediate, advanced) language classes? In this panel presentation, language instructors from the U of M share their tried and true ideas, lesson plans, and experiences from using authentic video in their courses.
Presenters: Arlys Arnold, ESL; Ginny Steinhagen, German; Vlad Dima, French; and Ling Wang, Chinese

Do you have a question about using the Mac DiLL? Skim below to see if you we've already answered it. If you don't see your question, please leave it in the comments section. We'll add it to this list right away!

If you'd like training on how to use the Mac DiLL, please make a reservation in one of the classrooms and indicate that you want training. Or, you can contact Alyssa Ruesch for help.

FAQ 1 - Recording student voices
Question: How do students record their voices on the Mac DiLL?

Answer: In order for your students to record their voices, they must first be assigned a "New Task" (choose "without a lesson, recording-only" or "with a lesson from the catalog"). For more information on how to assign tasks, see pages 9 - 12 in the Mac DiLL Teacher's Guide.

FAQ 2 - Recording pairs or groups of students
Question: If I pair my students, will the Mac DiLL record both of their voices or just one?

Answer: When you pair students and give them a recording task, the Mac DiLL will record both of the student voices. It is usually better to ask both students in the pair to record - better safe than sorry! In test situations, some students get nervous and forget to hit the record button. If both students are asked to record the conversation, then there will always be a back-up.

FAQ 3 - Repeat after me!
Question: I want all of my students to repeat after me and record their voice. How do I do this?

Answer: You'll need to do a Synchronized Activity. Be sure to enable the external microphone so that your students can hear your voice. Then, hit the record button while your students respond. For information on how to set-up a Synchronized Activity, see the Mac DiLL Teacher's guide, page 13.
*Hint - If you are asking your students a series of questions, you may want to start and stop the record button for each question. This will create a new track for each answer and help to make grading a snap. Instead of fast forwarding to the responses, you can go directly to the specific question you want to grade.

FAQ 4 - Saving student recordings
Question: How do students save their recordings?

Answer: This is the beauty of the Mac DiLL! Students don't have to do anything to save their recordings! When you assign a recording-activity, just be sure that the "Save student recordings" option is checked (it is by default). For more information, see the Mac DiLL Teachers' Guide, pages 9 - 12.

FAQ 5 - Accessing student recordings
Question: How do instructors access student recordings?

Answer: It's easy as pie! Just go to the Language Center's Mac DiLL server and log-in with your x500 and password. Voila! All your students' recordings are available for your listening pleasure.

For more information on how to download the files as Mp3s, see FAQ 6, or our blog post on Sharing Mac DiLL audio recordings with students.

FAQ 6 - Downloading student audio files
Question: Is there a way to download the student audio files from the instructor log-in page? For instance, I'd like to have the mp3 files burned to a CD or put on an mp3 player so I don't have to be tethered to my computer while I grade.

Answer: Yes! You can download the student audio files as mp3 files by following these steps:

1. Login to the Language Center's Mac DiLL server at:
http://lcdill.cla.umn.edu
2. Locate the recordings you would like to save as mp3s.
3. Click on "Archive Task to ZIP File". This will create a ZIP file that includes all of your students' mp3 files, labeled by students name or x500. You will access this ZIP file via a web link.

a. Select a name for the files from the pulldown menu (shortname = x500)
b. Provide a description of the activity. This will be the name of the folder containing all of the mp3 files.
c. Provide an email address where the link to the ZIP file will be sent.

4. Click on the web link to download the ZIP file.
5. Unzip the file.

You now have a folder containing all of your students' mp3 files. You can save these files to your hard-drive, copy them to a CD or put them on an mp3 player. The choice is all yours!

FAQ 7 - Student access to audio files outside of class
Question: Can students listen to the audio files they created during class when they get home?

Answer: The short answer to this question is no, students are not able to listen to their files directly from the Mac DiLL server. If students want to listen to in-class recordings outside of class, you will need to download the files (see FAQ 6, above) and send the mp3s to the student. For instructions on how to do this pretty easily in any of the Jones Classrooms, see our blog post Sharing Mac DiLL audio recordings with students.

FAQ 8 - Sharing files with other instructors
Question: I'm subbing for another instructor and need to get the audio files to him so that he can grade them. How can I share the audio files with the other instructor?

Answer: First, whatever you do, DO NOT give the other instructor your x500 and password so they can access the files. Bad idea!! Instead, follow the steps outlined in FAQ 6 and insert the other instructor's email address in the email field. This will send the download link to the other instructor. The other instructor can not get into your account, but they can download the files from the link you sent them after Archiving the Tasks. Remember to keep student privacy policies in mind whenever you share files with another instructor.

UMSurvey is an online survey tool managed by the U's central OIT. It is available to current students, staff, and faculty at the University of Minnesota. The tool provides a convenient way for instructors, staff and students to quickly design and administer surveys for academic purposes, administrative purposes, or simply for practices of survey designs.

The tool is simple to use, but yet powerful with a lot of features. You can create, implement,and analyze surveys using University templates, with research consultation from the Digital Media Center. UMSurvey even allows you to export the results to SPSS or MS-Excel to perform analysis of the results. Your survey can be anonymous and open to the public, or be restricted to only UMN members. It can be activated or deactivated easily. A survey you have created can by reused as many times as you want.

To use or learn more about UMSurvey, go to the UMSurvey site at http://www.oit.umn.edu/umsurvey/ You can also find an online orientation at http://umconnect.umn.edu/umsurvey

Instructors often ask us, "How can students access the files recorded using the Mac DiLL?" Unfortunately, there isn't a way for students to log-in to the Mac DiLL server and access their recordings. But, with a few simple steps, instructors can download student recordings using the Archive Task to ZIP File function on the Mac DiLL server website, copy the files to the LC_Server drive on the Macs in the classrooms, and then let students save their files to their own flash drives or to their Netfiles accounts.

First log-in to the DiLL website at https://lcdill.cla.umn.edu/ and find the recordings you'd like to share under Recording-Only Activities or Synchronized Activities.

Click on Archive Task to ZIP, at the top of the screen.

Then, name your file using one of the options from the pull-down menu (shortname.mp3, last name.mp3, etc). This names each .mp3 file according to each student log-in name.
Type in a name for the Activity so that it is easier to find it after it downloads.
Type in your email address in the email field; a link to the zip file will be sent to your email address.
Click Create ZIP Archive.

Wait for the files to process. A weblink will appear with a ZIP file containing all of your students' recordings.

Click on this link to download the files to your computer. In the Mac classrooms, the ZIP file will automatically download to the Local_Save drive.

Open the Local_Save drive and double click on the ZIP file to unzip the files. A new folder will appear with all of your students' .mp3 files.

Copy this folder to the LC_Server drive.

Your students can copy their individual recordings to a flash drive or to their Netfiles accounts. Keep in mind that with this process, any student could listen to another student's recording. So, if privacy is a concern, you'll want to avoid using the LC_Server as a means for sharing because it is viewable from all computers in the Language Center. Instead, you could email files to individual students, or use Netfiles to securely share student audio recordings.

We are offering some quick tips for instructors to use technology to minimize the negative impact of H1N1, whether it affects 1 or 2 students or a large number of students.

1. If you are not using any course management system yet, this should be a good time for you start using one. A course management system, such as Moodle and WebVista, offers convenient tools for instructors to communicate with students, to distribute course content, and to conduct class activities online. The University supports both the WebVista and Moodle course management systems. To request to have a site set up for your class, go to http://webvista.umn.edu/forms/request-site.shtml for WebVista, or http://www1.umn.edu/moodle/instructor/request.html for Moodle.

2. Use Netfiles. Netfiles is a file-storage resource with collaboration and sharing features. With Netfiles, you can upload class-related files and share them with colleagues and students. Current UMN Staff, Faculty and Students are eligible for a NetFiles account. To activate your account, go to your internet account options page at https://www.umn.edu/myaccount.

3. Use iTunes U to distribute audio and video content to students in the form of a podcast. iTunes U provides both restricted and public access to educational content and makes the distribution of audio, video or pdf files to your students an easy task. To sign up for an account, go to http://itunes.umn.edu/

4. Use the Digital Content Library to deliver copyrighted movies and other audio/video content. To find out more information and to submit content, go to http://dcl.umn.edu/

Other tools that we recommend include Media Mill and Media Magnet for creating, managing and distributing media content, and Camtasia Relay for capturing your class. Please contact the Language Center for help if you are interested in using these tools.

Stay healthy!

It's the first day you've brought your students to class and for whatever reason, they aren't able to access your course Moodle site through their MyU portals. Frustrating.

One reason your students might not be able to access the site is because the site was not made available to them through the administration settings in the course site. Another reason could be that the student isn't yet officially enrolled in the class. And finally, it could be that MyU hasn't connected with the Moodle servers, resulting in the frustrating glitch you endure in class.

Whatever the reason, there's still hope for students to access the course website, even if they can't get to it from MyU. Here's how:

Before class:
Make the course site available to students.
1. Click on Settings under the Administration tab (left side of screen).

2. Scroll down to Availability.
3. Select "This course is available for students".

4. Assign an Enrollment Key.
Highlight the information in the Enrollment Key field and delete it. Then, type in an Enrollment Key for the course. In the example above, I used elsie_iteach. Remember this key - you may need to give it to students later.

During class:
If students can't access the course through MyU, instruct your students to:
1. Go to moodle.umn.edu
2. Login with x500
3. The class should appear under the My Courses heading. Select it.
4. If class does not show under the My Courses menu, type the course name in the Search field (students may need to scroll down a bit).

5. Click on the link provided to enter the course.
6. If the following message appears, instruct students to type in the key you entered above (in this case, elsie_iteach) and click "Enroll me in this Course".

Once your students are enrolled in your course, they should be able to see the course anytime they go to moodle.umn.edu

For more answers to your questions about Moodle, contact moodle@umn.edu

Thanks to Kate Clements, MELP for helping with this post.