August 2013 Newsletter
Thoughts from The Education Innovation Lab
Wendy Gibson
College of Education
Manager of Professional Development
Blackboard
Towson University’s Blackboard environment has successfully been upgraded
and moved to a hosted environment. This update added new features and fixed
known issues. Faculty and students will still find all the features that were
available in our older version and some new features like Inline Grading,
Retention Center, and a new paint job to the environment. You may want to
bookmark the Blackboard Support page for a number of helpful support
documents and tutorials: http://www.towson.edu/blackboard
Also, hold the date for our Blackboard information/training session in preparation for the fall on August 20 at
11 am in HH 110. The Towerlight provides additional informatiom in relation to the upgrade:
http://www.thetowerlight.com/2013/06/new-blackboard-released/.
Ask3
Using iPads in the classroom is a bit easier with Ask3. This app
enables students and teachers to collaborate on lessons in and out of
the classroom by using your iPad as a recordable whiteboard and
posting lessons onto an Ask3 classroom. Students and teachers can
add text and video comments, questions and answers for peer
teaching anytime and anywhere. Use Ask3 to create multiple
courses and add professional learning networks across disciplines.
Want more information? Visit the
links below!
http://ask3.me/
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/
ask3/id572042047?mt=8
http://bit.ly/13dT7ct
http://bit.ly/112OUxh
August 2013 Newsletter
Google Keep is a synching notepad that connects to Google Drive allowing
you to capture what is on your mind by creating a check list, entering a voice
note, or even snapping a photo and annotating it. Using all things Google,
your notes are available on all your devices from desktop to mobile, but you
can also just use the desktop experience as well.
https://drive.google.com/keep
http://youtu.be/UbvkHEDvw-o
Field Trip is available on Android and Apple iOS and is an amazing guide to
the hidden, unique things in the world and around you as you travel through
your day. Field Trip runs in the background on your phone and when you are
close to something, it pops up a card with details about the location. Field
Trip can help you learn about local history, architecture, museums, etc. You
select your interests and add card notifications to your liking.
http://www.fieldtripper.com/
https://plus.google.com/+FieldTripApp/posts
Subtext is a free Apple iOS app that allows classroom groups to exchange
ideas in the page of a digital text. You can create a class reading group and
leave notes for your students right in the pages of any text within the app.
Web content or multimedia and links to articles. You can control how your
students respond to your notes by asking them to submit their replies directly
to you, or you can require that they submit their own reply before seeing each
other’s responses. For more information and ideas visit:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/subtext/id457556753?mt=8
http://www.subtext.com/
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
9-3
9-2
9-2
9-2
11:30-3:30
Education Innovation Lab Open Hours for August
Contact coe110@towson.edu to make an appointment or reserve the lab
for a class demonstration or workshop. Open Lab refers to a time when
the Education Innovation Lab in Hawkins Hall 110 is available for
Towson staff or faculty who wish to work on integrating technology into
their instruction.
Quote:
"The future is here; it's just
not evenly distributed yet."
William Gibson,
Pew Research Institute
August 2013 Newsletter
Technology Tips
Mac Tips
Have you heard?
Using Mac’s OS X provides a number of Finder
commands to shorten your desktop workflow by using
hidden menu and keyboard commands using Shift,
Option, or Control. Follow the link below for a recent
MacWorld
article and video tutorial: http://bit.ly/12PgYUp
Need a few new, Google+ tips? How about 100?
Would you like a quick reference to convert units, get
a definition, calculate, look for a peer-reviewed paper,
create an online survey or graph from a spreadsheet?
Follow this link for 100 Teacher Tricks you can begin
using now.
http://www.teachhub.com/100-google-tricks-teachers
Mark Your Calendars!
Who ISN'T using a smartphone yet?
In the past
year the U.S.
crossed a
mobile
tipping
point: now,
most cell
phones in
use here are
smartphones.
According to a new Pew report 56% of all
American adults are now smartphone users.
http://www.pewinternet.org/MediaMentions/2013/Who-ISNT-using-a-smartphone
-yet.aspx
Visit the Education Innovation Lab in August for a stellar line-up of
Workshops and Lunchtime Discussions:
August 8, @ 11am: Starting With Your iPad, Part 1
What can you do with your iPad after you have read the news and email? Join our session to learn a few beginning workflow ideas and explore apps that benefit the busy educator.
August 13, @11am: Starting With Your IWB
Do you have an interactive white board in your classroom and would you like to know what you can do to
make it more interactive? Join our Graduate Assistants to learn more about the tips and tricks you can easily
add to your presentation.
August 20, @ 11am: Blackboard Updates Workshop with Aimee Green
Blackboard has received a new update, along with a new web address and facelift, added new features including a calendar with a subscription option for smartphones and Google calendars. Join us in the lab to hear details about these new features from guest speaker, Aimee Green from Blackboard Services.
August 28, @ 11am: Starting With Your iPad, Part 2
Take the next step with you iPad and begin using it within your instruction. Come learn about ways to mirror
your iPad and share presentations from your mobile device.
If you have any suggestions of workshops/presentations you would like to attend, please let us know!
Email us @ coe110@towson.edu