Academic Technologies
Teaching with Technology
www.it.cornell.edu/teaching
atc_support@cornell.edu
In this issue
• Observations from Academic Technologies’ iPad Loan Pilot
• Share Video More Effectively with New Website
• Electronic Lab Notebook Pilot
• Using Points in i>clicker to Increase Interaction, Asssess Knowledge
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February 2013
New Options for Labs’ Class Computers
Findings Available for Cornell Blackboard xpLor Pilot
Expanding the Classroom with Mobile Learning
Try Blackboard Mobile Learn for Access on the Go
Observations from Academic Technologies’ iPad Loan Pilot
During the Fall 2012 semester, Academic
Technologies coordinated and provided
support for a pilot of iPad use in the
classroom. Eight iPads were loaned through
the Academic Technology Center to
instructors representing a range of fields in
the Arts and Sciences, who used them for a
variety of academic tasks.
Instruction became more dynamic and
benefited from the iPad’s portability.
Project goals included field testing of
iPad technology in support of teaching,
assessing user experience, and developing
recommendations, training, and
documentation.
Access to online resources during class
supported productive, spontaneous
discussions and spur-of-the-moment
teaching decisions. Faculty reported
adding new materials to course websites
and assigning new tasks during class and
modeling key behaviors, such as how
to locate materials, cite, and post to the
course blog.
Spontaneous provision of supplemental
materials, like audio, video, definitions, or
images, aided student comprehension,
and instructors were able to cover more
material during class time.
For more information, see:
itnews.cornell.edu/?p=2206
Share Video More Effectively with the New Videohelp Web Site
A new web site launched in January has
ideas, how-tos, and services available for
using video in class.
videohelp.cit.cornell.edu is dedicated to
supporting the use of video for teaching.
It provides information and answers
questions ranging from the services
available for creating video recordings,
through instructions on uploading videos
to a Blackboard course, to details about
posting video online. Recent additions
to the site include information about
captioning videos
(videohelp.cit.cornell.edu/captioning-videos)
and examples of videos that Academic
Technologies has produced for different
classes around campus.
Academic Technologies and Cornell University Library
Pilot Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN)
Electronic Lab Notebook software can
be used by students and researchers to
organize laboratory data, save historical
versions of files, and share information
and collaborate with others. It’s used for
various types of laboratories, including
engineering, chemistry, biology, and more.
Academic Technologies and Cornell
University Library are conducting a pilot
project to determine whether to offer
Electronic Lab Notebook software as a
Produced by Academic Technologies
service. The software that has been chosen
for this pilot is LabArchives:
www.labarchives.com. Determination of
whether to move forward with ELNs after
the spring semester will be based on the
degree of success of the pilot.
For more information about the pilot, visit
blogs.cornell.edu/eln
Teaching with Technology Newsletter 1
Using Points in i>clicker to Increase
Interaction and Assess Knowledge
In order to increase student interaction
and assess knowledge of course
content, some instructors
who use i>clickers in their
lectures choose to provide
points to students. The
points can be distributed
based on participation,
correct responses, or other
criteria.
If you are providing i>clicker points
for students this semester, check now
to make sure they are set up
properly. Providing points early
in the semester helps highlight
any issues that need to be
addressed before too much
time has passed, such as a
malfunctioning clicker or a lack
of participation by a student.
Clicker registration and class roster collection
There are two different methods for student clicker registration and class
roster collection.
If If you use the original method of downloading a roster from Faculty Center or
your Blackboard course and saving the file to your i>clicker class folder, see:
pollinghelp.cit.cornell.edu/iclicker-student-responses
If you use the new method of connecting to your Blackboard course site to
download your roster directly into i>grader, see:
pollinghelp.cit.cornell.edu/iclicker-integrate-for-blackboard
If you need any assistance with these steps, or if you are unsure which type of
registration/course roster you are using, please email atc_support@cornell.edu.
New Options for Managing
and Interacting with Class
Computers in Labs
New software that has been installed in several
of the Academic Technologies computer labs
allows instructors to:
• See what’s displayed on student computers
• Broadcast their display to student computers
• Limit student browsers to specific web sites
• And more!
The software, Faronics Insight, is currently
installed in the Mann, Upson, Tjaden, and
Stimson labs. Instructors who are interested in
using it for class should contact:
labfeedback-l@cornell.edu
Findings Available for Cornell
Blackboard xpLor Pilot
During the Fall 2012 semester,
Academic Technologies and Cornell
University Library participated in a
pilot to learn more about Blackboard’s
xpLor, a cloud-based Learning Object
Repository (LOR).
Learning Objects can be files
(documents, PDFs, media clips),
quizzes, assignments, discussions,
rubrics, and learning modules.
The goal of a LOR is to provide an
environment where content can easily
be imported into Blackboard Learn
and other learning management
systems such as Angel, Joule, and
Moodle.
To read the full CU team report visit:
it.cornell.edu/teaching/upload/xpLorReportFinal.pdf
For more information about Blackboard xpLor, see:
blackboard.com/sites/xplor/infographic.html
Participants created and shared
content and provided feedback to
Blackboard through webinars and user
forums. The Cornell team identified
benefits and challenges throughout
the pilot.
Produced by Academic Technologies
Teaching with Technology Newsletter 2
Expanding the Classroom with Mobile Learning
Mobile devices can form an engaging
platform for teaching and learning, with
the potential to expand the realm of the
classroom. Functionality and context are
key considerations when selecting from the
myriad of mobile-enabled web sites and
applications.
Among the options available are:
• GPS and other location-based
functionality
• Video, audio, and still image capture
• Mobile networking and collaboration
• The ability to bridge to other tools and
data
• Scanning and data logging in the field
• Visual and audio recognition
• Screen readers, slow keys, text to
speech, and other accessibility features
To read about the benefits of mobile
learning and see examples, considerations
when integrating it, and strategies for
finding apps, visit:
itnews.cornell.edu/?p=2281
Try Blackboard Mobile Learn for Blackboard Access on the Go
Blackboard Mobile Learn helps faculty
and students stay connected with their
Blackboard courses while on the go. It’s
an app that allows access and updating
for many features in Blackboard, including
posting and viewing announcements,
viewing assignments and grades, viewing
discussions and creating or replying to
threads, and more.
Versions of the app are available for iPhone
and iPad, Android, and BlackBerry. The
Blackboard Mobile Learn app has been
available for use with Blackboard at Cornell
since this past June. Since that time we’ve
had over 8,000 unique mobile visitors to
the Blackboard system.
For more information visit it.cornell.edu/
services/blackboard/bbmobilelearn.cfm
ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGIES
If you have questions about using learning technologies or would like an overview of which
technologies are available, please call us at (607) 255-9760 or email atc_support@cornell.edu.
Supported Services
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Consulting Services
Blackboard course management system
Video hosting and production
Lecture capture
e-Portfolios: Mahara and Digication
Assessment tools: surveys, quizzes, rubrics
Peer review: Self and peer assessment
Turnitin
Polling and clickers
Collaboration: blogs, wikis, Box, Piazza, and more
WebEx web conferencing
Course and research web sites
Online tutorial development
Classroom and presentation tools
Instructional computer labs
Develop and digitize course materials
Produced by Academic Technologies
We can help you to...
• learn how to best use existing technologies
• research and explore new technologies
• find a learning technologies solution
• develop an online or blended learning course
• implement technology-based student assignments
• create instructional video
Teaching with Technology Newsletter 3