Academic Technology Newsletters » Teaching By Design

Faculty to Faculty: Skype

Fedro Zazueta — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:34:31 +0000

I am not in the habit of promoting specific products, but once in a while I find something so useful that I can't help spreading the word. Such is the case with Skype.

If you've been using the Internet for a significant period of time, you'll recall that from the very start applications emerged that would allow individuals to talk to each other from computer to computer across the network. Over time, Voice over IP (VoIP) applications have evolved into what I think of as a Swiss knife of voice communications (although it will also do video). I can now not only talk computer to computer, but also computer to phone (landline) and vice versa, hold multi conferences, forward calls and more. Basically, you can think of this tool as bridging computers and landlines for voice communication.

UF Resources Available to Ensure Teaching Continuity

Academic Technology — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 21:00:46 +0000

Resources are available here at UF to ensure course continuity for faculty, teaching assistants and students. Are you prepared to continue teaching your course in the event face-to-face classes are not viable? What about if the H1N1 flu pandemic or a major weather event were to affect UF? Under these conditions you may have large numbers of student absences occurring over a period of months. Instructors and teaching assistants may also be absent for several days.

Instructors must be adequately prepared in advance. The three key components to ensure that the education process continues are planning, communication with students, and using available tools and services for course delivery.

CITT Workshop Schedule: October – December

Academic Technology — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:45:02 +0000

Would you like to learn more about a free software tool which is available to help you record a lecture? Come check out the workshop Editing Audio for Web or Classroom Use. New workshops are scheduled for beginning users of Elluminate Live! to help give an overview of the most used tools. Sign up today and we'll "see" YOU in class.

CITT Training Schedule

In the CITT Tools & Techniques Toolbox: Skype

Academic Technology — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 20:30:09 +0000

Skype is a free, downloadable software package that uses the internet to provide a real-time interactive environment designed for use in distance communication. Skype allows users to make telephone calls over the internet.

More information on Skype

Faculty to Faculty: Mediasite

Larissa Williamson — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:50:22 +0000

Have you been trying to teach an online course with all modern tools and software available and, yet, share with your students your own experience which they cannot receive anywhere else except from you? If you have answered "yes" then keep reading.

Mediasite in Action

Academic Technology — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:40:10 +0000

Mediasite allows an instructor to simultaneously show media in two windows. For example, PowerPoint slides in one window and a video feed in another window. Mediasite also allows for one or two way audio/video communication and closed captioning. See some examples of Mediasite in use here at UF

CITT Workshop Schedule: July – September

Academic Technology — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:36:02 +0000

Would you like to learn about some of the newest technology tools available to accomplish your course learning objectives in an interactive and interesting way? Come check out the workshop "Simple Technology Tools and Techniques for Any Class" which is scheduled in September.

How about adding more interactivity to your Elluminate Live! sessions? The NEW workshop "Elluminate Live! Advanced Skills for Moderators" will cover the use of break out rooms. Sign up today and we'll "see" YOU in class.

CITT Training Schedule

In the CITT Tools & Techniques Toolbox: Mediasite

Academic Technology — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 19:41:50 +0000

Mediasite is a presentation tool that allows instructors to make live digital recordings of lectures or presentations. Students can view the presentation over the internet in real-time and/or can access the presentation as a podcast or for viewing at a later date.

More Information on Mediasite

Faculty to Faculty: Elluminate

Lauren Hertel — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 22:11:18 +0000

Teaching online is great, but how do you get that one-on-one, classroom feel when you and your students are scattered around the campus, state, or even globe? Elluminate offers a great solution. Lauren Hertel, faculty from the Department of Telecommunication, has used it extensively for virtual classroom interaction and online office hours in three of [...]

Elluminate in Action

Academic Technology — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 21:15:56 +0000

Faculty are finding ways to make Internet tools fulfill their teaching needs. Dr. Velvet Yates and Dr. Kristin Joos discuss how they used Elluminate in courses developed as part of the Provost’s E-Learning Initiative. This presentation was part of the Teaching Excellence Workshop that was held in February 2009. Watch Presentation (Silverlight required)

CITT Workshop Schedule: New Elluminate Live! Classes

Academic Technology — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 18:22:47 +0000

Want to learn more about the new version of Elluminate now on campus and the newest features including in-session invitations and multipoint video? These workshops will give an overview on the various tools available for use in Elluminate Live! You can take these workshops from the convenience of your office or home workstation or a [...]

In the CITT Tools & Techniques Toolbox: In-Session Invitations using Elluminate Live!

Academic Technology — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:23:48 +0000

An In-Session Invitation is a feature of Elluminate Live! which enables Moderators, from within a live session, to invite people into the session by sending them email invitations or pasting a generated link into a third-party chat client like AOL Instant Messenger or Yahoo Messenger. More information on In-Session Invitations

Faculty to Faculty – Tips For Teaching Online

Rusti Brandman — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 22:00:03 +0000

This new segment features online teaching tips from some of the UF’s finest faculty. This edition of “Faculty to Faculty” features tips from Dr. Rusti Brandman, Professor Emeritus from the College of Fine Arts. Dr. Brandman has just finished teaching the online pilot of Dance Appreciation for the 21st Century which was re-designed through [...]

Teaching Excellence Workshop in Review

Academic Technology — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:30:03 +0000

The Teaching Excellence Workshop sponsored by The Center for Instructional Technology and Training & Academic Technology was held February 3rd. In attendance were more than 50 faculty members representing various colleges from the University of Florida. Both faculty and instructional designers shared creative solutions on how to fully engage students with course material. Watch video [...]

Are You Legal? Copyright and Fair Use in the Classroom

Academic Technology — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 21:00:38 +0000

Making use of other’s works for classroom use can raise questions regarding copyright and fair use. The most common questions usually surround copying articles from journals, images from the web, and excerpts from books. Copyright law gives legal protection to mostly all text, graphics, recordings, and other materials that might be desirable to use in [...]

CITT Spring Workshop Schedule: New Copyright Class

Academic Technology — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 20:00:12 +0000

Want to learn more about copyright, intellectual property and fair use? CITT in collaboration with Library West faculty will be offering the workshop April 1st. Seating is limited and registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis so please register early. Questions you would like to see addressed in the workshop can be e-mailed to Debora [...]

In the CITT Tools & Techniques Toolbox: Exams & Quizzes

Academic Technology — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 19:00:11 +0000

An exam or quiz is a form of student assessment that measures knowledge, skills, and abilities. Generally, an exam is a culminating assessment that assesses a student over a large period of time and over a range of material. A quiz is generally short assessments that assess a student over a small amount of information [...]

Teaching Excellence Workshop: Practical Tips for Course Improvement

Academic Technology — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:00:33 +0000

This is a full-day workshop created just for faculty actively teaching at the University of Florida. Both faculty and instructional designers will share creative solutions on how to fully engage students with course material. The focus of this workshop is online teaching. However, many of these best practices can be applied effectively to [...]

Free Faculty Workshops Online!

Academic Technology — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 21:00:17 +0000

The University of Florida’s Division of Continuing Education (DCE) has enrolled in the “College Pass” as well as the Premium Sloan Consortium membership. This allows faculty in the University of Florida community to be members and also gives us 100 seats in all of their workshops as well as 50 seats in selected workshops. Workshops [...]

In the CITT Tools & Techniques Toolbox: Second Life

Academic Technology — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:00:17 +0000

Second Life is an online, 3D virtual world in which participants interact with each other and the software-created environment. Increasingly, educators are using Second Life to provide a richer and more interactive environment for teaching. Second Life is a rich resource for simulation and role-playing activities, as well as fostering collaboration amongst students. It’s [...]