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Palomar College Academic Technology Resource Center

January 26, 2007

Contents
  • Technology and Download News Briefs
  • Training Opportunities
  • The Blackboard Feature of the Week:
         "Unpopped Kernels: The 'Other' Content Types"
  • Teaching with Technology: "Teaching and Getting Results"
  • Tech Talk Topic:
         "Tech Support Q & A"
  • For more, visit our podcast notes page for Episode 48.


TurnItIn
Assignments
 
To use the TurnItIn anti-plagiarism service at Palomar, you must create a TurnItIn Assignment in Blackboard.  Click here for a screen video demonstrating how to do so.  Click here for a PDF version of the brief "how-to" TurnItIn manual (6 pages).

Technology and Download News Briefs

  • As a reminder, and in accordance with our longstanding policy, if you wish to have software installed in Academic Technology computer labs, you must observe the following timeline:
Installation for semester Software and proof of network licensing must be received by
 Fall June 30 prior
Spring November 30 prior
Summer April 30 prior
  • Google Groups are no longer in beta, but are now a fully released and supported application from Google:  "In addition to dropping the beta tag, Google will now offer Google Groups in about 20 languages, and has made some minor changes to its features.  Rather than the usual plain-text post and response boards, Google Groups now allows users to create graphic content for their pages, including color palettes and photos" (CNet).  Click here for the official notice from Google.
     
  • Google announced this week that they will be digitizing more than a million books from the University of Texas at Austin, including their world renowned Latin American collection.  The volumes will be added to the Google Book Search.  "Soon, researchers and history lovers all over the world will be able to search more than one million books and materials from the University of Texas, including selections from these unique works from early Latin American history."

    And speaking of Google Book Search, the Times of London reported this week that Google is working on a plan for downloadable e-books that could "...do for books what Apple's iPod has done for music."  It is described as a "platform that will let publishers give readers full access to a book online."  Renting books for brief periods, or purchasing segments of books may be a viable option through this plan.
     
  • Yet another Google announcement: Earth 4 was released this week.  Rich 3D exploration, textured buildings, seasonal animations, image overlays, a simpler, more intuitive interface with a new, easy-to-use navigation compass, and simpler ways to create and share annotations are featured.  Click here for a What's New tour, here for a video tour from CNet.
     
  • Good news for procrastinators: Microsoft announced that Mainstream support for Windows XP and Windows XP Media Center Addition will continue through April, 2009, and that extended support will continue for another five years beyond that (ars technica).  Click here for the details on Microsoft's life cycle support policy, here for the official MS press release on this topic.
     
  • Apple iTunes has been declared illegal in Norway.  Just this week "...Norway's powerful consumer ombudsman ruled that its iTunes online music store was illegal because it did not allow downloaded songs to be played on rival technology companies' devices...Sweden and Finland have already backed Norway's stance, but have yet to take action...and the Federation of German Consumer Organisations and the French UFC Que Choisir are addressing this important issue" (MSNBC). 
     
  • Featured tech book online:  New this week to our Safari tech books online subscription:  Visual Quickstart Guide Microsoft Expression Web (accessible from on-campus or with a password off campus).  Expression Web is the product that is replacing Microsoft FrontPage.  The District will be licensed for SharePoint Designer 2007, which is the same thing, with a little more scripting and database horsepower added.  Use this new visual quick start guide to get up to speed in the changes from FrontPage to SharePoint Designer.  Chris Norcross will be conducting a workshop on the new product this semester, titled "So Long FrontPage: The Future of Web Authoring at Palomar College."  Sign up for Chris's workshop through the Professional Development Office.

  Listen to the news [mp3 - 7:43]

Training Opportunities

The Blackboard Feature of the Week - David Gray

“Unpopped Kernels: The 'Other' Content Types"

Have you ever made up a big batch of popcorn, and when you were done munching it realized you had some kernels left over that just didn’t pop? The popped kernels made their presence known, but you had to look to notice the ones that didn’t jump out at you.

In Blackboard, when trying to add materials to a content area, the “big five” content types have buttons all their own; they POP!  This makes adding Items, Folders, External Links, Course Links, and Tests quite convenient.

However, there is a whole host of other content that can be added to a content area. These other types are on a drop-down list in the upper right corner of the content area on a menu labeled “Select:”

The content at the top of the list are those that come with Blackboard, and lower on the list are materials resulting from Building Blocks we have added to our system. Here, in brief, are descriptions of their function:

  • Learning Unit – A set of content that includes a structures path for progressing through the items.

  • Survey – Similar to Tests, Surveys are intended for polling purposes and evaluations. Questions in Surveys cannot be assigned points, and results are anonymous.

  • Assignment – Content that instructors may mark based on a given number of pints possible, such as class work. Assignments have file upload capability built in.

  • Discussion Board – Provides a link to either the list of forums, or to a specific forum in the Discussion Boards list.

  • Chat – Provides a link to either the list of collaboration sessions, or to a specific Chat session.

  • Virtual Classroom-Same as Chat, only with an option to link to the Virtual Classroom types of collaboration sessions.

  • Group – Provides a link to either the Group Pages communications area, or to a specific group’s tools. Links to specific groups will deny access to users not in that group, however.

  • Tool – Creates a link to any one of a long list of course tools, including Announcements, Messages, Glossary, and even the Tools Area itself.

  • Syllabus – A tool allowing an existing syllabus file to be uploaded, or use of a wizard to aid in building an online syllabus.

  • SCORM Content – Content that adheres to Sharable Content Object Reference Model (SCORM) standards.

  • IMS Content Packaging – Content that matches IMS specifications. Click here for additional information.

  • NLN Content – A package of content developed by the National Learning Network (NLN). Additional information may be found by clicking here.

  • Document Package – Provided by a Building Block, this allows a compressed (.zip) file of folders and files to be imported into a content area. Click here  [PDF] for additional information.

  • Live Classroom – Provides a link to either the list of Live Classrooms, to a specific Live Classroom collaboration setting, or to an archive established for a previous session. Additional information may be found by clicking here.

  • Turnitin Assignment – Functioning similar to an Assignment, this allows student-uploaded files to be submitted to the Turnitin Anti-plagiarism system to generate originality reports. Click here for instructions and additional information.

  • Voice Recorder – Places a recording in the content area for all students to play back. Additional information for this and the other Horizon Wimba Voice tools may be found by clicking here.  Click here for specific instructions for using this tool.  Remember, use of the voice recorder in any content area in Blackboard is fine.  Do not, however, use the voice announcement tool.  It contains a bug and will not work correctly with the Blackboard visual text editor.

  • Voice Email – Provides a link which may be used to send emails to students containing a voice recording. Note: this tool makes a link, but does not send a voice email itself. To send a voice email you must create the link, then use it to send the voice email.   Click here for instructions.

  • Voice Board – Places a tool into the content area allowing voice recordings to be made by students and instructor together in a discussion board-style environment.  Click here for instructions on use.

  • Voice Direct – Places a tool which may be used to conduct synchronous voice conversations without the use of a telephone.

  • Voice Presentation - The voice presentation tool makes it possible for instructors to display URLs while simultaneously, audibly narrating them. They are ideal for conducting web tours or explaining web page contents to students and can be configured to allow audible/textual student replies.  Click here [mp3] for additional information.

  • Wimba Podcaster – Provides a course-based podcast solution, which students may subscribe to using iTunes or other podcatching software. Click here for additional information and instructions.

That’s quite a list; just keep in mind that there are a lot of alternatives, if you feel like having more than just folders of attached content in your course. To add any of these, just select them from the list and click the “Go” button next to the menu. And, should you need help with these “unpopped kernels”, or just some extra butter, contact Blackboard Technical Support at atrc@palomar.edu or 760-744-1150 X2862.

Listen to this segment only [mp3 - play time = 14:01]
 
See the index of Dave's previous "Blackboard Feature of the Week" segments.

Note:  To get to David's vodcast site, click here.

Teaching with Technology - Dr. Haydn Davis

Teaching and Getting Results

In a couple of hours I’ll be talking to a group of faculty who signed up for our Blackboard Certificate Program. It is a mix of full-time and part-time instructors and I’ve been going over some of the resources I’ve reviewed in the almost a year now that I’ve been serving as Academic Technology Coordinator.

A couple of resources that I’ll mention to the Certificate group focus on preparing instructors to get results. The first site focuses more on face-to-face teaching and the second more on online teaching. Both, though, share the virtue of being very well organized and contain useful tips and suggestions.

The first site http://www.league.org/gettingresults/web/index.html was funded by the National Science Foundation and produced by WGBH in Boston. It really does an excellent job of modeling how to deliver a thoughtful, well designed lesson – definitely worth taking a look at in my opinion.

The second site would be of interest to our faculty who use Blackboard. The site, http://www.blackboard.niu.edu/blackboard/coursecontent/index.shtml is titled appropriately enough, Teaching with Blackboard. This site also is well designed and contains instructions and tips for using Blackboard effectively.

Listen to this segment only [mp3 - play time = 3:38]
 
See the index of Haydn's previous "Teaching with Technology" segments.

Tech-Talk-Topic - Terry Gray

Tech Support Q & A

This was the second week of the spring semester, and here is a sampling of the most asked tech support questions this week:

Q.  How do I make my Blackboard class available?  (Actually, this question came in numerous times from students, rather than professors, asking why they couldn't access the Blackboard materials their teacher had told them were available.)

A.  All faculty are responsible for making their own Bb courses available, that way students don’t enter empty courses where the prof. does not intend to use Bb.   Do the following:

  1. Login to Blackboard

  2. Enter your course

  3. Click on Control Panel on the lower left of the screen

  4. Click on “Settings” in the Course Options area of the control panel (once again, lower left)

  5. Click on Course Availability on the next screen

  6. After “Make Course Available” change it to Yes, then click Submit.

 Now your students will be able to login.

 In case this was not clear, we have a little screen video that demonstrates it at:

   http://www.palomar.edu/pconline/facultyservices/MakingYourCourseAvailable.asp

 You might find some of our other “Teaching with Blackboard” screen videos useful at:

 http://www.palomar.edu/pconline/facultyservices#Videos

Q.  How do I access my web page using FrontPage?  (This one is often accompanied with something like, 'They just set up a new computer for me and I lost all my old settings...').

A.  Do the following:

  1. Open FrontPage

  2. Click on File > Open Site..  (NOT, "Open," but "Open Site...")

  3. When the Open Site dialog appears, be sure "My Network Places" is selected:

  1. Type the full URL to your web page, including the "http://" part, in the "Site name:" field:

  1. Click "Open."

  2. You will be challenged for a username/password.  Enter your FULL Palomar email address (including the "@palomar.edu" part) for user name and Palomar email password for password:

  1. Your web will open. 

Nearly all faculty web pages are on the server named "faculty.palomar.edu," and nearly all web spaces are named faculty first initial + last name, so if you have forgotten the URL of your web, try this combination and it will probably work.  If not, call Chris Norcross at ext. 3225 or email atrc@palomar.edu.

  For visual learners, click here is a screencast showing this procedure:

Q.  How do I upload a PDF file to my web site using FrontPage?

A.  Create the PDF file, if you haven't already (see next question) and then:

  1. Open FrontPage.

  2. Connect to your web site (see question above).

  3. Choose File > Import...

  4. In the Import dialog box, click the "Add File" button (top right).

  1. Navigate your file system to find the PDF file, select it, and click "Open."  The file will be added to the Import List.  Repeat as often as necessary to add the files you want, or, if they are all in the same folder, you can select and import them all at the same time:

  1. Click OK and the PDF file will be added to your web site.  It will be located in the folder you selected before you started this operation.  If you didn't deliberately select a folder, it will be located in the root of the web.  Now create a link to the file to make it available to your students.

  Click here for a screencast that shows the procedure (including making a link to the file).

Q.  I don't have Acrobat, how do I convert my Word documents to PDF format?

A.  Acrobat is installed on all the computers in the computer labs on campus, so you could use one of those, but an even easier method, one you can access from anywhere, is to use our PCPDF service.  It is web-based.  What you do is:

  1. Open a browser and go to http://www.palomar.edu/pcpdf

  2. Read the information on that page and click the Login button.

  3. You will be challenged for a username and password.  Use you complete Palomar email address as username and your Palomar email password as password.

  4. Click the Browse... button  next to the "File to convert" box (see illustration below).

  5. Navigate your file system, locate the file you want to convert, select it, and click Open (you can convert only one document at a time).

  6. Supply your email address in the "Your email address" box.

  7. Click the "Submit Document" button.

  1. Your file will be uploaded, converted, and emailed back to the address you supply as a file attachment.  PCPDF handles over 180 file formats.

  Click here for a screencast that demonstrates the procedure.

Q.  How do I turn on captions in the Windows media player?

A.  We have captioned for the web many of the videos that are streamed from our Windows media servers.  To view the captions, do the following:

  1. Start the media player (the current version is version 11).

  2. If you do not have it configured to show menus (most people don't) then right-click the title bar to make the menus visible.

  3. Select Play > Lyrics, Captions and Subtitles > On if Available

  4. Play the video.  Now the captions will show up in the caption area just under the video.

Q.  How do I check out a WS-100 digital voice recorder so that I can record my lectures?

A.  Click here.  It will tell you all you need to know, and provide a link to the checkout request web form.  You may keep the recorder all semester, if you wish, or check one out for a one-time occasion.

For more information on audio recording, click here.  For information on setting up an academic podcast outside of Blackboard, click here.  For information on setting up a podcast within Blackboard using the "Wimba podcaster," click here.

Listen to this segment only [mp3 - play time = 10:45]
 
See an index of previous "Tech Talk Topics" segments.

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