March Session

The new Manager of Technology Support Services, Tianna Johnson, and Scott Cowdrey, CIO, were first on the bill. Cowdrey introduced Johnson to the group, and then they described several Technology Department initiatives including a new telephone system which will entail improvements to the network structure, a new version of Astra that will put both campuses in sync, and improvements to the help desk response time. 

The next presentation came from Dr. Lori Charron, from the Communication Department who described the new testing technology--Respondus.   Respondus works from within Blackboard to provide a locked down testing environment enabling students to take quizzes on their own time and not during valuable class time. 

Charron  and her department were looking for a way to ensure that their students did the reading assignments before they came to class.  Respondus provides them with a fairly reliable vehicle for quiz taking--once the  a test bank of quizzes is developed it goes into the Respondus browser.  When students log into the browser to take a quiz, they are unable to leave the site, print, get e-mail, get downloads, or copy anything.  They must stay in the browser until they complete the quiz.  While the software does not totally eliminate any means of cheating it is so far working very well for Charron and members of her department. 

The software is available to all faculty and staff at SMU.  Jason Spartz from the Instructional Technolgy Department can get you started.

Missed the session?  View it here on Tegrity.


 Respondus website

February 2013 Session

The Chat Chow & Web 2.0 series opened its second semester sessions with a program on the "flipped classroom" presented by Dr. Janelle Schultz and Dr. Kristen Selke from the Mathematics Department.  According to Educause, a flipped classroom is a "pedagogical model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed" so that prerecorded lectures are viewed by the students before the class session and class time is devoted to projects, discussion, group work, etc. The goal here is to make face to face time more valuable.

Each presenter began using two sections.  Students watched lectures using Tegrity  and were required to come to class with their notes.  Lectures often ended with a question section, and instructors used the answers to decide what to do in class the next day.  During class time students worked problems, often in groups, with the instructors circulating to answer questions.

Schultz and Selke both were very enthusiastic about the flipping experiment.  Students were more engaged during class time--the student to teacher and student to student interaction greatly increased. The absentee rate went down and the instructors felt that they knew more about their students then before and could tell more effectively where they needed help.

Students also responded positively giving the experiment a 90% approval rating.  They said they got more out of the taped lectures since the pause and rewind features enabled them to take better notes, and they could repeat the whole lecture if they needed to.

Some of the challenges included just finding an empty room in which to make the recordings, lecturing to an empty room, keeping the recordings short enough to be manageable, and making sure students watched the lectures.

Over all, however, Schultz and Selke were extremely pleased with the results of their flipped classrooms and will certainly continue using the pedagogy.


Missed the session?  Watch it here on Tegrity.

See a video on getting started from EdTech

November's Session

 Preston Lawing, professor of art and design, took the stage to first of all demonstrate Google's new "Art Project" and then to show how the art department is making use of phones and tablets in instruction.  He described how his students are using a number of apps for the iPad to create their art. 

 Apps in Education, is a blog that lists art apps for iPads, as well as providing a list of apps conveniently organized by a variety of key learning areas. 

Missed the session? View it here on Tegrity.

October's Session

Nathan Lien and Brett Bodsgard, both from the Chemistry Department, introduced the group to SmartWork, a program from publisher W. W. Norton that bills itself as the "most intuitive tutorial and online homework system available."  The program comes bundled with a W. W. Norton textbook.  Students can purchase the print book along with the online version and the homework system for about $125.00.  This purchase covers two semesters of chemistry and has been well received by students. 
Presenters expressed much satisfaction with the program. It integrates easily with Blackboard and  the tech support is good. In his endorsement,  Lien said he is now spending more time helping students think rather than just grading homework. Get all the details about the program here.

Missed the session.  View it here on Tegrity.

September Session

Chat Chow opened the new school year with a panel discussion by  faculty who worked over the summer teaching online classes.  Panel participants included Carolyn Ayers, Jeff Hefel, Derek Jackson, Brooke Lenz, Larry Price, and Chris Vondracek. Jason Spartz, Director of Instructional Technology, provided opening remarks and some helpful statistics about the new online program. Panelists then shared their experiences and took questions from the audience.  Some of the main points of discussion included the effectiveness of  the in-person pre-instruction sessions, the ability of undergraduates to adjust to the online environment, techniques used for garnering participation and timeliness, use of technologies such as Blackboard, Skype, and blogs, and methods for promoting community and incorporating LaSallian principles.  Overall the panelists indicated that the online teaching experiment went well and that they would be interested in doing it again next year.


Missed this session?  Get Jason Spartz's PowerPoint. View the whole session on Tegrity.

2012 Fall Semester Programs

"Summertime and the livin' is (no longer) easy"

Online summer school appears to be "here to stay." Chat Chow opens the new school year with a panel discussion by faculty who worked over the summer teaching online classes. Participants include Carolyn Ayers, Jana Craft, Jeff Hefel, Derek Jackson, Brooke Lenz, Larry Price, and Chris Vondracek. Come and ask questions and get advice on how you might "spread your wings" launching a new online course next summer. You may send your questions in advance if you like.

Wednesday Sept 12 | 12:00 to 1:00

"Nice work if you can get it--and you can get it if you try"

Nathan Lien and Brett Bodsgard are making it easier for their students to get it using SmartWork, the online homework helper. According to its developers, SmartWork is the "most intuitive tutorial and online homework system available." Find out how Lien and Bodsgard are using it and how it might work with your students.

Wednesday October 17 | 12:00 to 1:00

" 'S wonderful! 'S marvelous!"

This is how folks are describing the Google Art Project. Get a good look at it with Preston Lawing who will also demonstrate apps that mirror natural art media, show how the art world is drawing on phones and tablets, and talk about how artists and museums are using phones and tablets as an art form (?!!). Beat back the November blues with cool art and warm conversation.

Wednesday November 14 | 12:00 to 1:00

Have a technology practice that you would like to share?

Have a topic that you would like to see covered?

Contact Jason Spartz
jspartz@smumn.edu
507 457 1641

April's Session

On the last session of the semester faculty and staff were invited to participate in a technology "petting zoo."  Campus innovators were encouraged to bring in their mobile devices and their ideas about how to use them in the classroom.  Bookstore staff brought in e-readers. The library put an iPad, an iPod, and a Nook on display.  Participants browsed the displays and lively conversations ensued.