DEIT - Word of Mouse Blog

Is there something missing?

DeSales DEIT — Wed, 01 May 2013 15:31:03 +0000

MOOCs, iPadMinis, Samsung Galaxy S4, OER Commons… Are these tools practical for teaching and learning your discipline? If so, how? If not, what’s missing? What will make it easier for you to teach and learn with technology?

Unlocking the Power of the iPad for the Blind

DeSales DEIT — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:44:28 +0000

Unlocking the Power of iPad for the Blind

Apple.com – Monday, March 25, 2013 12:34 PM

Bloomberg West profiles Ed Summers, who, as head of accessibility at international software company SAS, “has made it his mission to help other visually impaired people unlock the power of the iPad.” Summers is traveling around the United States to teach educators how to maximize the device’s built-in accessibility features in their classrooms. Bloomberg notes that tablets are growing in popularity among educators, and Summers says iPad is “opening up a whole world” for visually impaired students. “We’re working to make sure that students and professionals of all abilities can succeed in the classroom and the 21st-century knowledge economy,” Summers says. http://www.bloomberg.com/video/unlocking-the-power-of-the-ipad-for-the-blind-~cj884a7S92Nn5qTInjfBg.html

David Pogue’s TED Talk: 10 top time-saving tech tips

DeSales DEIT — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:49:39 +0000

Tech columnist David Pogue shares 10 simple, clever tips for computer, web, smartphone and camera users. And yes, you may know a few of these already — but there’s probably at least one you don’t.

Click here to open the video in a new window.

Pilot Faculty Open Workshops

DeSales DEIT — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:27:08 +0000

Dear pilot faculty,

Session 5 has arrived and I hope you are just as excited as we are to pilot Blackboard Learn! To further help your preparation and give you a chance to share with each other, DEIT is offering two open workshops for instructors participating in the pilot.

During these sessions we will:

Help you set up secured online testing with the newly installed Respondus lockdown browser
Map lesson content to program major student learning outcomes to test the tracking and reporting
Answer any other questions you might have

The workshops are scheduled on the following dates:

Wednesday 5/1 6:30 – 7:30 PM (Online)

Saturday 5/4 10 – 11:00 AM (In person, Trexler PC2 Lab; donut holes and coffee will be provided.)

We look forward to seeing you!

Respondus lockdown browser coming soon!

DeSales DEIT — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:09:42 +0000

DEIT will be piloting Respondus lockdown browser together with Blackboard in ACCESS Session 5.

“Respondus LockDown Browser is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment in Blackboard. When students use Respondus LockDown Browser to take a Blackboard test, they are unable to print, copy, go to another URL, access other applications, or close a test until it is submitted for grading.” It is a very helpful tool to ensure test security and encourage academic integrity in distance education courses.

Watch the short video below to learn more about the Blackboard and Respondus integration:

We are working with Respondus to finalize the details of the pilot and the browser, as well as training resources, will become available to pilot faculty soon. In the meanwhile, please review the quick start guide and visit http://www.respondus.com/products/lockdown-browser/demos.shtml if you would like to learn more about this tool.

Please stay tuned!

Blackboard Pilot Updates 4/8/2013

DeSales DEIT — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:33:59 +0000

Our thanks for the pilot faculty who participated in the Blackboard workshop series! Now it’s your turn to apply your Blackboard skills in your course. Please feel free to contact DEIT for assistance and consultation.

ACCESS Session 5 will start on April 22. DEIT will host a faculty focus group and distribute online surveys to faculty and students at the end of the session to evaluate their experience. Results from the pilot study will be shared with the DeSales community and used for fine-tuning the Blackboard Learn platform and planning for the August 19th official migration of all distance education courses.

Scheduled ANGEL Maintenance on Sunday, March 31, 2013

DeSales DEIT — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:47:53 +0000

Maintenance is currently scheduled for the DeSales ANGEL servers on March 31st, between 2:00 am and 4:00 am EDT. Availability of all ANGEL content during this period will be sporadic and the DeSales ANGEL site may be temporarily unavailable.

LMS Reminder: Blackboard Learn coming on August 19th!

DeSales DEIT — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 19:53:20 +0000

DeSales will adopt Blackboard Learn 9.1 as its Learning Management System to replace ANGEL in AY 2013-14. All courses starting on or after August 19^th, 2013 will be offered in Blackboard.

The decision to adopt Blackboard Learn was approved by the Academic Oversight Committee on October 24, 2012, and the original DSU Daily announcement on Oct 26, 2012 can be found here: http://blogs.desales.edu/dsudaily/2012/10/26/angel-transition-and-blackboard-open-forum/ .

To help ensure a smooth transition from ANGEL to Blackboard Learn, a pilot will be conducted with ten courses in ACCESS Session 5 (April 29 to June 22). DEIT will host a faculty focus group and distribute online surveys to faculty and students at the end of the session to evaluate their experience. Results from the pilot study will be shared with the DeSales community and used for fine-tuning the Blackboard Learn platform and planning for the official migration of all distance education courses.

Blackboard workshops for faculty will be provided starting in May. Orientations for students will start early August. Please check the DSU Daily and the DEIT department blog (http://blogs.desales.edu/deit/) for specific dates.

If you would like to learn more about Blackboard Learn, please watch this short video about what’s ahead and review The Story behind Blackboard: Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions. Also, stay informed by subscribing to DEIT’s Word of Mouse blog at http://blogs.desales.edu/deit/!

Blackboard Pilot Update – 2

DeSales DEIT — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:31:13 +0000

Our thanks for the pilot instructors who participated in the Blackboard workshop on Presenting Dynamic Content on March 7 and 9. Now it’s your turn to practice in your course. Please see the practice document for more details on building and organizing content items.

The Designing Engaging Discussions workshop will be offered on March 14 and 16. We look forward to seeing you!

Blackboard Pilot Updates

DeSales DEIT — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:25:25 +0000

DEIT hosted two successful information sessions this past Friday and Saturday (March 1 and 2) with the ACCESS Session 5 instructors participating in the pilot. During the sessions, DEIT provided an overview of the pilot process and time, introduced available training and support resources, and demonstrated the new Blackboard Learn platform.

As the next step of the pilot, DEIT together with Blackboard Inc, will offer a series of Blackboard training sessions on building content, creating and monitoring discussions, assignments, and tests, and using the Grade Center.

The pilot will officially start on April 29 and end on June 22. DEIT will host a faculty focus group and distribute online surveys to faculty and students at the end of the session to evaluate their experience. Results from the pilot study will be shared with the DeSales community and used for fine-tuning the Blackboard Learn platform and planning for the official migration of all distance education courses.

If you would like to learn more about Blackboard Learn, please review The Story behind Blackboard: Answers to Your Frequently Asked Questions. And stay informed by subscribing to DEIT’s Word of Mouse blog at http://blogs.desales.edu/deit/.