Tech of the Month

Tech Spotlight: PlayPosit

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Sep 2018 17:07:29 +0000

Tech Spotlight: PlayPosit Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 09/20/2018 - 11:07

Brad Grabham

The PlayPosit interactive video quizzing is now a supported CU �鶹ӰԺ campus service for users of Canvas and D2L.

This interactive video tool allows you to customize the student experience. Using video from YouTube, Kaltura, or other sources, you can add images, text, or a variety of quiz questions; share the lesson with your students for completion; and then monitor student activity and engagement through the analytics collected by the platform. PlayPosit also allows you to incorporate feedback and can be an excellent platform for formative assessment.

The Academic Technology Design Team (ATDT) and Academic Technology Application Program (ATAP) piloted PlayPosit as an interactive video tool solution for the CU �鶹ӰԺ campus throughout the spring 2017, fall 2017, and spring 2018 semesters. Instructors who used PlayPosit extensively found it to be a useful tool for learners to explore, analyze, and apply concepts at their own pace in a flipped or blended setting. Pilot instructors noted that PlayPosit is particularly effective for:

Authoring enriched video content with interactions
Providing feedback to students, which increased long-term retention of concepts
Giving instructors a convenient means to monitor student progress and understanding of core concepts

For more information, visit the PlayPosit Pilot web page, or contact the IT Service Center at help@colorado.edu or 303-735-4357 (5-HELP).

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Your New Lab Partner Might Be a Robot...

Anonymous — Fri, 24 Aug 2018 21:37:43 +0000

Your New Lab Partner Might Be a Robot... Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/24/2018 - 15:37

Tarah Dykeman

OIT is excited to offer a new service this semester: Kubi - Remote Presence Technology. Kubi is a robotic “neck” that holds a tablet and allows a remote user to control the tablet through a Zoom web conference meeting. From their own computer, the remote student can see, hear, and speak with their instructor and classmates using the tablet’s camera and microphone. The Kubi allows the remote student to take charge of their experience by moving the tablet 320 degrees side-to-side and 90 degrees up and down. This remote attendance tool removes barriers to classroom participation for students who are not physically able to attend face-to-face classes.

You may have heard of Kubi through the Academic Technology Design Team’s Kubi Innovation Grant Pilot. The pilot explored ways to help students who could not be physically present in the classroom due to extenuating circumstances. During the pilot, Kubi allowed students to keep up with their coursework and prevented them from being absent, falling behind, and possibly needing to withdraw. Read more about the Kubi pilot in the EDUCAUSE Review article “Using Telepresence Robots to Support Students Facing Adversity.” Based on the success of this pilot, OIT has transitioned to providing a Kubi Service.

The Kubi Service is now available to CU �鶹ӰԺ students for a variety of circumstances that would benefit from remote attendance. Visit the Kubi Service page for more information and to find out if Kubi could suit your needs.

PHOTO: Glenn Asakawa

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Tech of the Month: Canvas SpeedGrader

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Apr 2018 19:39:52 +0000

Tech of the Month: Canvas SpeedGrader Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 04/26/2018 - 13:39

As the semester winds down, is your desk buried in piles of ungraded student papers? Is your ink-stained hand cramping from writing comments? Are you dusting off your calculator to tabulate grades? Now there is a better way – the Canvas SpeedGrader!

Integrated within the Gradebook, the SpeedGrader allows instructors to review, mark up, and comment on digital submissions within the LMS (no printing required!); develop integrated rubrics for streamlined and consistent scoring; and provide comments in a range of formats, including text, audio, video, and attachments. Students are notified when their work has been graded and can simply log in to the course site to securely and privately access their scores and feedback. The tool can be used to grade various types of assignments in Canvas, such as uploaded papers, quizzes, and discussion posts.

To get started, check out the Office of Information Technology’s Canvas Help web page or the How Do I Use SpeedGrader? guide from Canvas.You can also drop in or remotely participate in an upcoming support session. Happy grading!

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Perusall (March 2018 tech)

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Mar 2018 22:16:10 +0000

Perusall (March 2018 tech) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 03/20/2018 - 16:16

In 2015, ASSETT conducted a campus-wide Teaching with Technology survey of faculty from across campus. A theme that emerged was they wanted strategies and tools for motivating students to prepare in advance. Our Tech of the Month, Perusall, was designed to do just that — it helps students master readings faster and gain a better understanding of the material through collaborative reading.

Developed by renowned physicist Eric Mazur, Perusall is an online annotation tool that promotes active, collaborative reading. Through this tool, faculty assign readings, either through online textbooks, articles, or PDFs. Students can highlight, create private or public comments, and answer questions around the assigned reading. As noted in Perusall’s one-page rubric, students are encouraged to annotate thoughtfully by creating comments that deeply engage points in the reading, stimulating discussions, offering informative questions or comments, and helping others by addressing their questions or confusions.

Perusall also has some nice course management features. For large enrollment courses, students are automatically placed into smaller groups for each document. Students can only see and can respond to comments and questions from other group members. Faculty can also provide automated personalized guidance for students—especially for those who may be falling behind and not engaging with the readings and peers. Perusall creates a Student Confusion Report that summarizes areas of text that students found confusing. And Perusall can also be integrated into Canvas, CU’s new learning management system. If you’re interested in using this tool in your course(s) and would like assistance, one of our Student Fellows will be happy to provide you with support.

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Lynda.com (February 2018 tech)

Anonymous — Tue, 27 Feb 2018 21:22:31 +0000

Lynda.com (February 2018 tech) Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/27/2018 - 14:22

Lynda.com is an online library of thousands of high-quality video tutorials, created by industry professionals teaching a wide variety of software tools and skills. The courses are on-demand, so you can start and stop the tutorials and complete courses at your own pace. Best of all, the full range of tutorials are available at no cost to CU �鶹ӰԺ faculty, students and staff.

Some of the most popular topics for CU �鶹ӰԺ users of Lynda are courses in Excel, project management, WordPress and Photoshop. But Lynda.com has courses on everything from career development to creative inspirations and management to mobile app development. Lynda.com also allows you to create playlist of tutorials and share them with your students. And of course, Lynda.com offers apps for all of your devices. To learn more about Lynda.com and how to access it, go to OIT’s Lynda.com service page.

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Screencasting (January 2018 tech)

Anonymous — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 19:49:01 +0000

Screencasting (January 2018 tech) Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 01/24/2018 - 12:49

The process of selecting a screencasting tool can be overwhelming, especially considering the sheer volume of available options. If screencasting is something you’re interested in, we’ve provided you with a short list of our favorites. All of these option are available on Mac or PC. And, have the ability to save recorded content as a standard video file that can be uploaded to D2L, Canvas, Kaltura, YouTube, or a website of your choice.

Screencast-O-Matic

Screencast-O-Matic is a free, simple tool that can record up to 15 minutes, record your screen or webcam, publish with a randomized URL or to Youtube, and save as an mp4 for uploading to D2L, Kaltura, or favorite website. The upgraded Pro version remove watermarks from videos, includes a video editor, and has the ability to record longer videos. Visit screencast-o-matic.com for more product information.

Zoom

Zoom typically wouldn’t fall into the screencasting category since it’s a web conferencing tool. But, it’s a great option to consider since it has the ability to record whatever is on your screen, your webcam, or both (picture in picture). Zoom is supported by the Office of Information Technology and is available at no cost to CU faculty, students, and staff affiliates. Visit oit.colorado.edu/services/conferencing-services/web-conferencing-zoom for information about Zoom.

Snagit

Snagit is an all-in-one screen recording tool. The interface uses a one click recording system and allows you to record any portion of your screen. You can also toggle between recording you screen and your webcam. Finally, Snagit does come with an editor that allows you to trim your video. An educational license is $29. Visit www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html for more information about Snagit.

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Tech of the Month - November 2017- Plickers

Anonymous — Fri, 03 Nov 2017 18:10:46 +0000

Tech of the Month - November 2017- Plickers Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 11/03/2017 - 12:10

Formative assessment is a crucial component of teaching and learning. Faculty often ask how to conduct ‘clicker like’ activities to gauge how well students are understanding, or not understanding concepts. While there are many ways of accomplishing this, one technology to consider is Plickers.

Plickers are cards with a unique 4-sided shape that look similar to a QR code. Each side of the shape is labeled with the letters a, b c, and d. Plicker cards are numbered either 1-40 or 1-62, depending on which set you select.

So, how exactly does Plicker work? Once you’ve created an account on Plicker s.com, you’ll make a class folder, and then write T/F or multiple choice questions, with up to 4 answers. Download and install the mobile app from either the Apple App or Google Play store.

Before class, print out cards on card stock or heavy paper. Plickers are free and comes in either 40 or 62 cards per set.

During class, students pick up an assigned number, or select a card at random if tracking their answers are not important. Project Plickers.com through the Live View option. Then on your mobile device, open the Plickers app and select a question from your queue. Live View automatically updates with the question you’ve selected.

After reading the question, students select their answer by turning their square so their answer is at the top and raising their card. Once all cards are raised , scan the room using your device. Using the control settings, you can determine when the results are displayed.

Plickers typically work well in smaller courses. However, in a large enrollment course students can work in groups, and designate one person to raise a card upon reaching consensus. Since each card is unique, Plickers work especially well when discussing sensitive topics. Cards can be reused in different courses, and are a good way to spark discussion in class. For more information, visit plickers.com.

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Tech of the Month- October 2017- Anki

Anonymous — Mon, 02 Oct 2017 16:44:35 +0000

Tech of the Month- October 2017- Anki Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 10/02/2017 - 10:44

Try Anki. Anki is an application that presents flashcards based on how many times you get a card right or wrong. It’s design reinforces spaced learning and retrieval practice as mentioned in this month’s teaching tips section. Anki will show cards you get wrong more frequently until you get them right, then you see the cards you guess correctly less frequently. But a card never completely goes away; it will continue to show up. In this way, you are using “spaced repetition,” as coined by the German psychologist, Sebastian Leitner in 1885 (Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel, p. 64). While flashcard sessions should still be spaced out, this provides a more systematic way to retain what you’ve learned.

Anki has many flashcard decks already created for your use or new ones can be developed. Break content into sections and ask groups of students to create flashcard decks. This can be an easy way to encourage students to use the spaced repetition study method. It’s free to use browser based version of Anki or download the application and flashcard decks for offline use. The mobile app version does require a fee.

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Tech of the Month - March 2017 - G Suite

Anonymous — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 20:38:46 +0000

Tech of the Month - March 2017 - G Suite Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 03/20/2017 - 14:38

G Suite
Aside from the name change from Google Apps to G Suite, you may have noticed other updates to these tools. While it’s hard to stay up to date with these changes, here are a few new features you may find beneficial.

Assign Action Items in Google Doc, Sheets, and Slide
Easily assign action items to people as you’re working in your file. Highlight text, images, cells, or slide that you want to comment on and click the comment button. Begin typing text into the comment box. Somewhere within your comment, type the email address, with an @ or + in front of the person you want to assign a task. Click the box next to ‘Assign to [name]’ and click the Assign button. The person you assigned an action item to will receive an email notification.

Share a preview of a password-protected document
In the past, if you’ve wanted to password-protect a document in Google Drive you had to insert a code through Google Scripts. However, you can now upload and share previews of read-only password-protected Microsoft Office documents, presentations, and spreadsheets through Google Drive. While this method isn’t completely secured, it can help prevent unauthorized viewing.

Enhanced Search
Sometimes when we’re typing quickly, we misstype (<< it happens) and incorrectly spell words. Google Drive now has an autocorrect feature that suggests corrections to misspelled search items. This helps especially when you need to find docs in a pinch!

If you’re curious about what’s new in Google, check out their release calendar.

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Tech of the Month - February 2017 - The Kubi

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 19:34:58 +0000

Tech of the Month - February 2017 - The Kubi Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 02/21/2017 - 12:34

By Austin Chau

How might students who can’t be in class still have an in-class experience?

Though they are earnest to learn, some students have situations that cause them to miss class. OIT, in partnership with Athletics and Advising, is conducting a pilot that takes the typical video conferencing experience to the next level. The Kubi Telepresence Robot is a remote controllable mount for iPads, allowing students to participate and learn in a classroom environment when they aren’t able to come to class. Students access the Kubi webcam setup with a link and they can look, hear, and respond to classmates almost as if they were physically in class. Remote students get a simple interface, both innovative and easy to use, that provides near equal voice and class representation, almost like a real seat at the table. In addition, in-class students can connect to and get feedback from the remote student.

With this pilot, OIT is investigating innovative ways to help students stay on track with their educations while facing extenuating financial or health circumstances, or even enabling them to pursue unique career opportunities. Giving these students a chance to participate in an online, interactive mode can make the difference in students completing their degrees and can still be beneficial to the physical classroom environment. Read about the Kubi pilot and how you can get involved.

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