We are excited to announce the launch of our new online Digital Resources Collection! This collection consists of 400+ online software, tools, and resources for both higher education and k-12 classrooms. You can search by subject matter, by tool types (Web 2.0, drawing, animation, etc.) as well as audience. The majority of the tools are free and immediately available for you to download to your computer or use through your web browser.
Every week we add more tools and resources to the collection. Beginning next week, this blog will feature a Resource of the Week posting on Wednesdays. Be sure to subscribe to our blog (found to the right) to ensure you get your Resource of the Week updates!
Who Can Use the Collection?
One of the great things is that the Digital Resources Collection (DRC) is available to anyone affiliated with Lesley and is open to the public too! Simply click on the link provided below to arrive at the site. We invite you to share the link to the collection with friends and colleagues.
Why Create a Digital Collection?
The DRC evolved from the previous Educational Software Preview Collection that was housed on the Cambridge, MA campus. Over the past couple of years the availability of quality online products and tools has grown dramatically, allowing us to share resources to our faculty and students who teach and learn in our off-campus and online programs. Additionally, many on-campus courses are becoming more reliant on online tools and resources making the creation of the DRC a natural step in the services eLIS provides. We are pleased to be able to share with Lesley students and faculty immediate access to a range of resources.
DRC Link:
At this point you might be saying: "Enough already. I get. Just give me that cool link!" Here it is:
http://www.lesley.edu/elis/elisdigitalcollection.html
Questions?
If you have any questions about content or resources you find in the DRC, or have a resource you would like to share with us, please email elisresources@lesley.edu.
Over the next couple of months we will continue to refine the DRC search terms, as well as add a submission form for individuals to share links for inclusion in the collection.
Happy browsing! Let us know what you think!
-Rebecca
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Academic Technology Grants: Call for Proposals
We are pleased to announce that the Academic Technology Grants program will be offered for the 2009-2010 academic year. The application deadline has been extended to give faculty an opportunity to reconsider submitting a proposal.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to develop proposals that forward their own professional development in using technology while strengthening student learning outcomes through making use of the new technologies that are becoming available on campus. Faculty who have never received technology funds and faculty wanting to collaborate with one another are especially encouraged to consider developing a project.
Please refer to the eLIS website for full details and requirements on submitting your proposals, including information on preparing a budget, supervisor approval, and policy on course releases and stipends. Proposals are reviewed by the technology liaisons.
Deadline for submission is Friday, May 29th at 5pm. Grants and supporting documents must be submitted by email to elis@lesley.edu.
If you have questions about developing a successful proposal or grant program requirements, please contact Rebecca Petersen, Director of eLearning Resources and Professional Development, at rpeterse@lesley.edu or 617-349-8973.
Prospective applicants are encouraged to develop proposals that forward their own professional development in using technology while strengthening student learning outcomes through making use of the new technologies that are becoming available on campus. Faculty who have never received technology funds and faculty wanting to collaborate with one another are especially encouraged to consider developing a project.
Please refer to the eLIS website for full details and requirements on submitting your proposals, including information on preparing a budget, supervisor approval, and policy on course releases and stipends. Proposals are reviewed by the technology liaisons.
Deadline for submission is Friday, May 29th at 5pm. Grants and supporting documents must be submitted by email to elis@lesley.edu.
If you have questions about developing a successful proposal or grant program requirements, please contact Rebecca Petersen, Director of eLearning Resources and Professional Development, at rpeterse@lesley.edu or 617-349-8973.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Faculty Spotlight: Carmin Karasic
Getting to Know Your Classmates Through VoiceThread
Emerging Technologies, Spring 2009
Introduction
Carmin is an adjunct instructor in the online Technology in Education program who was faced with the challenge of creating a community of learners at a distance. To give her course a personal touch, Carmin had students introduce one another through a collaborative multimedia tool called VoiceThread. This tool, which uses images, video and audio, allows for an experience of bringing the online students to life.
Timeline
In the Summer of 2008, Carmin was discussing tools with a colleague when the conversation turned to a new multimedia tool called VoiceThread. She was able to create her first VoiceThread for free in just a few minutes! She then incorporated the tool into her online course for the Fall 2008 semester.
Equipment
Carmin set up a VoiceThread for the introductions for her course, and created a short video explaining the project to the students. She asked the students to view sample VoiceThreads and a "How-to" demo created by her teaching assistant, Jason Kries. Students visited the course VoiceThread, and added their own introductions. Students were encouraged to add a photograph and a video introduction. Those who could not record a video were allowed to add a brief audio clip, or even a text narrative for their introductions. The students were then able to view each other's introductions, all in one place!
Outcome
Carmin's VoiceThread project helped students get to know one another, creating a personal connection from the beginning. View Carmin's VoiceThread introductions: http://voicethread.com/share/327335
Carmin's Next Steps...
VoiceThread worked out so well that Carmin is now using it for an online debate - she created a page for students to post three "Pro" and three "Con" arguments. Students post audio comments, followed by their cited evidence as text. While Carmin has used online debates for many years, she found this one to be the most exciting yet - allowing students to experience the emotion, passion, and personality found in a live debate!
You Can Create a VoiceThread Too!
Emerging Technologies, Spring 2009
Introduction
Carmin is an adjunct instructor in the online Technology in Education program who was faced with the challenge of creating a community of learners at a distance. To give her course a personal touch, Carmin had students introduce one another through a collaborative multimedia tool called VoiceThread. This tool, which uses images, video and audio, allows for an experience of bringing the online students to life.
Timeline
In the Summer of 2008, Carmin was discussing tools with a colleague when the conversation turned to a new multimedia tool called VoiceThread. She was able to create her first VoiceThread for free in just a few minutes! She then incorporated the tool into her online course for the Fall 2008 semester.
Equipment
- VoiceThread (free)
- Microphone (~$30)
- WebCam [optional] (~30)
Carmin set up a VoiceThread for the introductions for her course, and created a short video explaining the project to the students. She asked the students to view sample VoiceThreads and a "How-to" demo created by her teaching assistant, Jason Kries. Students visited the course VoiceThread, and added their own introductions. Students were encouraged to add a photograph and a video introduction. Those who could not record a video were allowed to add a brief audio clip, or even a text narrative for their introductions. The students were then able to view each other's introductions, all in one place!
Outcome
Carmin's VoiceThread project helped students get to know one another, creating a personal connection from the beginning. View Carmin's VoiceThread introductions: http://voicethread.com/share/327335
Carmin's Next Steps...
VoiceThread worked out so well that Carmin is now using it for an online debate - she created a page for students to post three "Pro" and three "Con" arguments. Students post audio comments, followed by their cited evidence as text. While Carmin has used online debates for many years, she found this one to be the most exciting yet - allowing students to experience the emotion, passion, and personality found in a live debate!
You Can Create a VoiceThread Too!
- A one minute video on setting up a VoiceThread: http://voicethread.com/?#c28.b8381.i61448
- How to Leave Comments on a VoiceThread, developed by Jason Kries: http://coderedsupport.com/demos/voicethread.htm
- Contact eLearning and Instructional Support at elis@lesley.edu for a special one-on-one training session
Thursday, April 9, 2009
The Open Education Movement
On March 26, 2009, MacLearning.org and Apple sponsored a free conference at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge Mass. The focus of the AcademiX Conference was on how digital learning environments are shaping the ways in which we teach and learn in today's world.
The opening session was presented by Dr. Vijay Kumar of MIT, titled " 'Open': The New Deal for Education," where he discussed the concept of the open education movement. The idea of "open education" is that educational content should be made free and open for all to use and benefit from.
The importance of this movement is that it releases the knowledge taught in Universities and Colleges to advance education worldwide. The work being done by exemplary teachers in the classroom can be shared with the world, and also provide a model for others to follow. And with having the courses available for students to review, it can give them a glimpse of the type of education they will receive if they choose to attend that specific school.
Dr. Kumar used the MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) project as an example of this movement, a site where the full materials from MIT's courses are freely available to the public, the number currently at over 1,800 courses having been submitted on a completely voluntary basis by the MIT faculty. While there is the concern of having one's course materials freely available for anyone to view, Dr. Kumar made the point that simply because anyone has the ability to view the course content, it is not the same as getting an education from MIT. The OCW project and the content it contains serves as a model for other faculty and a supplement for the students or any self-learner. It is the task of the faculty to guide their students and to help them think critically about the content from these courses.
While MIT was the first school to take part in this movement, more and more schools are now following in their example. The OpenCourseWare Consortium is a collaboration of over 200 higher education institutions and organizations participating in this movement. Interested in learning more? Their website provides much more information and also gives visitors access to view some of the great educational materials being provided by participating schools from around the world.
Some additional related links about this topic:
The opening session was presented by Dr. Vijay Kumar of MIT, titled " 'Open': The New Deal for Education," where he discussed the concept of the open education movement. The idea of "open education" is that educational content should be made free and open for all to use and benefit from.
The importance of this movement is that it releases the knowledge taught in Universities and Colleges to advance education worldwide. The work being done by exemplary teachers in the classroom can be shared with the world, and also provide a model for others to follow. And with having the courses available for students to review, it can give them a glimpse of the type of education they will receive if they choose to attend that specific school.
Dr. Kumar used the MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW) project as an example of this movement, a site where the full materials from MIT's courses are freely available to the public, the number currently at over 1,800 courses having been submitted on a completely voluntary basis by the MIT faculty. While there is the concern of having one's course materials freely available for anyone to view, Dr. Kumar made the point that simply because anyone has the ability to view the course content, it is not the same as getting an education from MIT. The OCW project and the content it contains serves as a model for other faculty and a supplement for the students or any self-learner. It is the task of the faculty to guide their students and to help them think critically about the content from these courses.
While MIT was the first school to take part in this movement, more and more schools are now following in their example. The OpenCourseWare Consortium is a collaboration of over 200 higher education institutions and organizations participating in this movement. Interested in learning more? Their website provides much more information and also gives visitors access to view some of the great educational materials being provided by participating schools from around the world.
Some additional related links about this topic:
- MIT Faculty Adopt Open Access for Scholarly Articles, by David Nagel for Campus Technology, March 23 2009
- Opening Up Education - The Remix, by Toru Iiyoshi and M.S. Vijay Kumar, March 17 2009
- Open Content and the Emerging Global Meta-University, by Charles M. Vest (EDUCAUSE Review, vol. 41, no. 3 [May/June 2006]: 18-30)
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