[ED-TECH] Training opportunities

End User Support, a part of Information Technology, provides training sessions on a wide range of topics.  For example:

 

·         SPSS training takes place 10/1/2007, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM

·         SoftChalk Lesson Builder training takes place 10/3/2007, 9:00 AM – 12:30 PM,

·         Building Forms with UM’s Web System (Form Builder) training takes place 10/12/2007, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

·         SPSS MR Interview training takes place 11/19/2007, 1:30 PM – 5:00 PM

                                            

SoftChalk Lesson Builder is used to create learning objects containing content, self assessments, activities, and more.

 

Form Builder is the system that we use in the IAC to register people for our training.  It is easy to use, and stores the submissions on the web so that we can download them and import them into Excel.

 

SPSS MR Interview is the “Market Research” data collection component sold by SPSS.  It allows you to create complex and powerful surveys with branching, text replacement, and more.  The surveys can be taken online and the results collected and analyzed with SPSS or any other system.

 

They also offer extensive training on Office, Photoshop, and other topics.

 

To see their upcoming schedule, go to the https://public.cgcent.miami.edu/eustraining/ web page.  Click on the title of any course to begin the registration process.

 

I realize it may be hard to clear an entire morning or afternoon for training, but I encourage you to use this service, if you can.

 

Bill Vilberg

[ED-TECH] Podcasting at UM

If you would like to podcast your lectures or presentations, we are ready to help.  We have found a recorder (Sansa e250) that hangs around your neck and records what you say.  We have documented a process to transfer the recording from the recorder to your computer.  We have found a free program that will quickly convert the file to the appropriate format. You can place your files either on Blackboard or on another server that we have set up.  If we (finally) sign an agreement with iTunesU, you will be able to use that, if you would rather.  Note that UM will provide the recorder and support, if you agree to podcast one or more of your courses.

 

Students at UM are really pushing for podcasts of their lectures.  There is a group on Facebook called “Bring iTunes U to the University of Miami!” with 615 members.  I don’t think they want podcasting so they can stop attending class.  I think it is because the material that you teach is challenging and they can benefit from being able to hear it over and over, until they master it.

 

We have set up three identical training sessions to explain how to create podcasts of your lectures.  They are scheduled for Monday, August 13, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM; Thursday, August 16, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM; and Tuesday, August 21, 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM.  If you would like to try podcasting a course, sign up for a training session.

 

If you will be teaching exclusively in one of the new classrooms (all 13 rooms in the LC and rooms 100-106 and 200-205 in Memorial), then you won’t need to attend this session, since those rooms are enabled automatically.

 

Bill Vilberg

[ED-TECH] Blackboard Training

[Please forgive the cross-posting, if you get two copies of this message.]

 

We will be offering two different Blackboard trainings before the start of the semester.  The first one will be the Introduction to Blackboard for New Users.  It will show participants how to make an announcement, upload a syllabus, see who is in the class, and send an e-mail to the class.  It is for new users.  If you have experience with Blackboard, this will be beneath your abilities.

 

This training will be held on Monday, August 13, 11:00-12:30 PM, and Thursday, August 16, at the same time.  For more information, or to register, go to http://www.miami.edu/iac and click on the “Training Activities” link in the menu bar.

 

The other training session will cover new features in Blackboard.  We upgraded this summer, and we thought those of you with experience might like to see “What’s New with 7.2?” 

 

This training will be held on Thursday, August 16, 1:00-2:30 PM, and Thursday, August 16, at the same time. For more information, or to register, go to http://www.miami.edu/iac and click on the “Training Activities” link in the menu bar.

 

Bill Vilberg

 

[ED-TECH] Technology in the New Classrooms

We have set up three scheduled training/demonstration opportunities for people to see the new technology that was placed in the Learning Center and the Memorial Classroom Building 100-106 and 200-205.  This is some really neat stuff, so I hope you will attend, whether you will be teaching in one of those rooms or not.

The session will be repeated three times:

• Monday, Aug. 13, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
• Thursday, Aug. 16, 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM
• Tuesday, Aug. 21, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

For additional details, and to sign up for a session (seating is limited - registration is required), please go to http://www.miami.edu/iac and click on the "Training Activities" menu item.

 

(I will be announcing additional pre-semester training opportunities in the next few days.)

[ED-TECH] Inbox Zero - The First Step

A couple people have asked me how to get started with the Inbox Zero process if you currently have an overflowing Inbox.  I had around 1,500 items in my Inbox when I started.  Some people declare e-mail bankruptcy and just delete everything.  Then they send e-mail to all their contacts saying that they have deleted everything and, if anything was important, please send it again.  I don’t recommend this, but it is one alternative.

 

What I did was to make a new folder called “Inbox to Process” and move everything from my Inbox to the Inbox to Process folder.  You immediately have reached the Inbox Zero state.  Now start applying the Inbox Zero process to all new mail that you receive, and spend some time each day going through the stuff that you moved to the Inbox to Process folder.  Set a goal of processing some number of items each time you work on it.  Then handle it just like the Inbox Zero process.  It may take a while to clean it up, but you are practicing the Inbox Zero process so you will feel motivated to clear out all the old stuff, too.

 

Bill V.