[ED-TECH] Excellence in Teaching Awards

Ed-Tech members,

Excellence in Teaching Award nominations are now being accepted. See the Call for Nominations and Procedures for additional details.

New procedures is being used this year for the Excellence in Teaching awards. For example,

· There will be four awards for undergraduate teaching and two awards for graduate teaching.

· Law School and Medical School faculty members are now eligible.

· Letters of support will be required from chair, dean, and students.

· The evidence of excellence will be part of the packet, along with students reviews.

· The awards will be presented at a fall convocation.

Please check the procedures and call for nominations for details.

A paper mailing is being sent to all faculty members. Please feel free to share this e-mail with your colleagues.

Bill Vilberg

Assoc. Dir. of Instructional Advancement

305-284-3944

[ED-TECH] Helping students with Office 2007

Ed-Tech list members,

Assuming you have not upgraded to Office 2007 yet, how can you help a student who has either upgraded to it or purchased a new computer with Office 2007 installed?

There is a valuable on-line resource that will allow you to go to any of the old menu commands and see where they are in the new ribbon system. This amazing service is available from Microsoft, from the http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/getstarted/FX101938921033.aspx web page. (Book mark this page, right now!) There are links for each of the programs in the Office suite.

Select the program you want to work with and a flash demo will open. The original menus from the old version of Office will be displayed. Every time you a menu item, the location of the same command on the Office 2007 ribbon will be shown. Whether you need the Office 2007 information for your own use or to help your students, this is a valuable resource.

NOTE: I am NOT suggesting that you move to Office 2007. I have done it, and I am happy with it, but I like to try new things, and I don't have a lot of pressure on my use of Office. Each of us is different. I don't know any group at UM that has converted to Office 2007 yet. While UM can get computers from Dell that have Windows XP, and install Office XP from www.miami.edu/software, students who go to Best Buy have no such choice. They will be coming with Vista and Office 2007, so this is one way to be ready for them.

Bill Vilberg

Assoc. Dir. of Instructional Advancement

305-284-3944

[ED-TECH] Using the Blog and Wiki Tools in Blackboard

Ed-Tech List Members,

Yesterday we held a "Using the Blog and Wiki Tools in Blackboard" Lunch and Learn session, with around 30 participants. We recorded the session and it is now available on-line. To view and listen to it, go to www.miami.edu/iac and click on the "TRAINING ACTIVITIES" menu item. Scroll down to the April 17^th presentation and you will find a link to the 44 minute recording.

The direct link is http://www.miami.edu/bb/iac/LnL200702/WikisAndBlogs/

Bill Vilberg

Assoc. Dir. of Instructional Advancement

305-284-3944

[ED-TECH] If you could tell a future professor one thing...

Ed-Tech list members,

A colleague on a listserv was about to speak to the TAs at her school. She asked the members of the listserv, "If you could tell a future professor one thing, what would it be?" The attached document is the set of responses that she received.

If you are feeling the pressure of the end of the semester approaching, you might want to review these suggestions, to see how they resonate with you.

Bill Vilberg

Assoc. Dir. of Instructional Advancement

305-284-3944

[ED-TECH] IAC Events

Ed-Tech list members,

There are a number of exciting IAC events coming up. For complete details, and to register, go to www.miami.edu/iac and click on the "TRAINING ACTIVITIES" link. This is just a reminder, in case you missed the earlier announcements of these opportunities. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL SESSIONS.

Getting Started with Blackboard

Very basic hands-on introduction to Blackboard

Bill Vilberg & Jennifer Clister, Instructional Advancement

Friday, April 13, 2:30-4:00 PM, Memorial Classroom Building, Room 105

Using the Blog and Wiki Tools in Blackboard

Demonstration of the newest features in Blackboard

Zahra Safavian, Learning Objects, Inc.

Tuesday, April 17, 12:30-1:45 PM, Whitten University Center, Room 226 (Flamingo Ballroom)

Teaching with a Tablet PC: One Year Later (What We've Learned)

Presentation and discussion by people who have used a Tablet PC to enhance their teaching

Dr. Gilbert Cuevas, School of Education, & Dr. William Younkin, Department of Management Science

Wednesday, April 18, 12:20-1:10 PM, Whitten University Center, Room 226 (Flamingo Ballroom)

Writing Assignments and International Students

Discussion of issues related to the use of writing assignments, such as term papers or reports, in a class with international students

April Mann & Zisca Burton, Writing Center Co-Directors

Thursday, April 19, 12:30-1:45 PM, Whitten University Center, Room 226 (Flamingo Ballroom)

We will try to capture as many of these as possible and put them on the IAC web site, so that those of you who are unable to attend can get this valuable information.

Please feel free to share these sessions with your colleagues.

Bill Vilberg

Assoc. Dir. of Instructional Advancement

305-284-3944

Re: [ED-TECH] Upcoming Lunch and Learns from the IAC - CORRECTION

There is a slight correction to the Writing Assignments and International Students session:

Thursday, April 19 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. - Writing Assignments and International Students
Writing Center Co-Directors, April Mann and Zisca Burton, will show a short film and lead a discussion on teaching, testing, and assessment practices for international students. To register go to http://snipurl.com/1ew8e.

____________________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER

---

From: Clister, Jennifer R
Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2007 2:17 PM
To: 'ED-TECH@LISTSERV.MIAMI.EDU'
Subject: Upcoming Lunch and Learns from the IAC

The Instructional Advancement Center has three new Lunch and Learn sessions coming up:

Tuesday, April 17 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. - Using the Blog and Wiki Tools in Blackboard
We will be introducing how the new tools available via Blackboard can enhance the classroom experience for students and teachers. To register go to http://snipurl.com/blogwiki

Wednesday, April 18 12:20 to 1:10 p.m. - Teaching with a Tablet PC: What We’ve Learned
Bill Younkin and Gil Cuevas will be demonstrating how they were able to enhance their teaching using the Tablet PCs they received a year ago. To register go to http://snipurl.com/TabletPC2

Thursday, April 19 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. - Writing Assignments and International Students
April Mann and Zisca Burton will show a short film and lead a discussion on teaching, testing, and assessment practices for international students. To register go to http://snipurl.com/1ew8e.

All sessions will take place in the Whitten University Center, Room 226 (Flamingo Ballroom). Lunch will be served. Registration is limited and required. Please go to http://www.miami.edu/iac and click on the "Lunch and Learn Series" to access the registration links.

After the presentations, recordings will be posted on the http://www.miami.edu/iac Web site, for people who are unable to attend.

__________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER

Educational Technology Integration Analyst

University of Miami Instructional Advancement Center

305-284-5328

[ED-TECH] Upcoming Lunch and Learns from the IAC

The Instructional Advancement Center has three new Lunch and Learn sessions coming up:

Tuesday, April 17 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. - Using the Blog and Wiki Tools in Blackboard
We will be introducing how the new tools available via Blackboard can enhance the classroom experience for students and teachers. To register go to http://snipurl.com/blogwiki

Wednesday, April 18 12:20 to 1:10 p.m. - Teaching with a Tablet PC: What We’ve Learned
Bill Younkin and Gil Cuevas will be demonstrating how they were able to enhance their teaching using the Tablet PCs they received a year ago. To register go to http://snipurl.com/TabletPC2

Thursday, April 19 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. - Writing Assignments and International Students
April Mann and Zisca Burton will show a short film and lead a discussion on teaching, testing, and assessment practices for international students. To register go to http://snipurl.com/1ew8e.

All sessions will take place in the Whitten University Center, Room 226 (Flamingo Ballroom). Lunch will be served. Registration is limited and required. Please go to http://www.miami.edu/iac and click on the "Lunch and Learn Series" to access the registration links.

After the presentations, recordings will be posted on the http://www.miami.edu/iac Web site, for people who are unable to attend.

__________________________

JENNIFER CLISTER

Educational Technology Integration Analyst

University of Miami Instructional Advancement Center

305-284-5328