Friday, December 30, 2011
Moodle Tutorials: Moodle Free E-Book
Moodle Tutorials: Moodle Free E-Book: For an open source software we need a free e-book! E-book Using Moodle - Teaching with the Popular Open Source Course Management System ...
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
My Resource Cloud: Educational resources written by teachers, developed in partnership with Bongo LLP
The concept behind My Resource Cloud is that each educator tailors interactive content to suit the needs of their own learners. Thus increasing enjoyment, allowing for greater individual expression and, above all, making the work of the educator easier and more effective.
•My Resource Cloud consists of a number of resource sections: My Language Cloud, My Math(s) Cloud, My Science Cloud and My ICT Cloud.
•My Resource Cloud content and interactivity becomes individual to the users and their students. It is a Cloud Learning Environment (CLE), providing a conceptual bridge for learners between formal education and the personal web.
•My Resource Cloud allows users to integrate web, printed, mobile and social media based technologies to help motivate learners.
•Complementary and premium content and services can easily be added and subtracted.
•Once you select content and interactive ellements you are free to use these with ALL your students.
•Open and closed social media integration can be easily tailored to your own needs.
•Enables a tailored learning enviroment where the educator can choose their own blend that fits.
Simple K12 FREE Webinar Replay: 32 Tips to Cure Your Techphobia!
http://simplek12.com/tlc/c03414od/
* Do you think technology is TOO expensive?
* Are you afraid of breaking your computer?
* Do you think technology is difficult to learn?
* Have you given up on getting sites unblocked at your school?
* Are you wondering why you should change your traditional teaching methods?
If you answered yes to any of these... then YOU MUST watch this video!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
University Business: FBI Arrests Loyola Student Suspected Of Threatening To Blow Up Campus Building
The FBI has arrested a Loyola University student suspected of threatening to blow up a building on the Uptown campus, apparently to avoid taking a test. Evelyn Hubbard, a junior biology major, sent two profanity-riddled emails to the Loyola Police Department on the morning of Nov. 17, saying she would blow up Monroe Hall and kill five professors whom she did not identify, according to an FBI affidavit.
Read More »
University Business: McDonnell Allocates $100M In Higher Education Funding
Creates Incentives for More Degrees in "Top Jobs" Sectors Like Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Healthcare while Promoting Cost-Saving, Efficiency and Innovation on Campus. MORE
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Simple K12: “ Underground Resource Gives Every Student A Voice For Successful Classroom Discussions... For FREE!"
Special Report: This is the true story of a California teacher that easily transformed her classroom from "normal" to innovative and creative using a simple FREE resource...
FREE Webinar: Go Mobile with Mediasite: What’s New in Live Streaming and Lecture Capture and for Today’s Online Students, Employees and Learners
Mediasite is going mobile. From course lectures and online training to executive communications and special events, Mediasite 6 empowers learners everywhere with live and on-demand rich media streamed to their favorite devices – iPads, iPhones, iPods and more. But mobile support is just the beginning. Known for its rock-solid lecture capture and enterprise webcasting, Mediasite continues to push the boundaries for recording, streaming, archiving, managing and analyzing rich media knowledge and special events. Watch the on-demand webinar to see all that's new in Mediasite 6.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
University Business: U of Maryland, Baltimore County Seeks Fresh Ways To Teach Familiar Introductory Courses
Bill LaCourse felt inadequate.
Some of his Chemistry 101 students sat in the back of the lecture hall and spaced out. Others simply left class as they pleased. "Maybe you're just not a good teacher," his department head said when LaCourse sought advice.
His ego would not tolerate that as a final answer. So the University of Maryland, Baltimore County professor decided to put up a fight. If he couldn't make the class work in a traditional lecture format, the format would have to change.
"We need to do something drastic," he remembers thinking as he and his colleagues dreamed up a space they christened the Chemistry Discovery Center. The center would become a prime example of the teaching innovation that is a major component of UMBC's rising national reputation.
Source: The Baltimore Sun
Campus Technology: Federal Commission Recommends Sending Faculty to Accessibility School
By David Nagel
12/07/11
The federal AIM Commission this week posted recommendations for improving accessibility in higher education, among them the recommendation for mandatory, system-wide faculty orientation programs concerning accessibility "in all aspects of the education enterprise, including readings, courseware and instructional technology, assessments and instructor-made materials."
The Advisory Commission on Accessible Instructional Materials in Postsecondary Education for Students with Disabilities ( http://www2.ed.gov/about/bdscomm/list/aim/index.html ) -- known more colloquially as the AIM Commission--was established for the purpose of making recommendations to Congress and the United States Secretary of Education for improving the state of accessible educational resources for students with disabilities, to improve the effective use of those resources, to identify best practices in the use of accessible materials, and to support model demonstration programs. The commission's membership includes academic, corporate, non-profit, and government leaders.
Following a 14-month review of the state of accessibility in higher education, the group issued several findings on the shortcomings of accessibility in education in its final report, along with 18 recommendations for overcoming some of those problems. Those recommendations fell into five broad areas: policy and the law, market, technology, capacity-building, and discretionary investments in demonstration projects. ***MORE***
Campus Technology: Islands in the Stream: Academic Technology, Digital Copyright, and The TEACH Act
By Raymond Uzwyshyn
12/14/11
http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/12/14/academic-technology-digital-copyright-and-the-teach-act.aspx
Puzzling over the arcana of the TEACH Act [Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act, 2002], more than a few university administrators will be reminded of the minutiae of the tax code. To be sure, copyright law needs to be reconceptualized for the new millennium. Libraries and universities are witnessing a sea change from an earlier era of historical development. Definitions of copyright, technology, and the online classroom need to be recast or the laws become peripheral in handling digital copyright questions that increasingly arise. Recent cases represent the widespread confusion among players. Various strong opposing debates regarding streaming media and the TEACH Act illustrate these facts well. [For examples in the education media read Steve Kolowich’s article, “Hitting Pause on Class Videos,” Inside Higher Ed, January 26, 2010, or his more recent article, “Stream Away,” also in Inside Higher Ed, October 5, 2011.] ***MORE***
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
SEF Southern Education Foundation: Getting Pass GO!
January 10, 2012
11:00a.m. - 6:00p.m.
SEF is pleased to announce that we are co-sponsoring an important online conversation with Getting Past Go, Project PREPARE at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and Knowledge in the Public Interest.
The Issue: Although MSIs have participated in the national conversations on developmental education, they have not been a focus of the discussion. However, recent research shows that MSI's use effective assessment, placement, and support practices that lead to success for students.
The Goal: This Jam will bring practitioners together to share practices and explore the unique challenges facing MSI's. We hope to identify successful practices while understanding their institutional context, to uncover evidence of effectiveness, and potentially to develop an agenda for collaboration on improving outcomes for students.
The Opportunity: Please join this important conversation on January 10th and ask your colleagues to do so as well. A JAM is an online, text-based discussion that is moderated by experts in the field. The Jam will take place from 11:00am to 6:00 pm EDT and you can participate whenever your schedule allows.
The Outcome: A JAM Report, a network of people with shared purpose, valuable resources, and the groundwork for future work on policy and practice . The JAM Report will be published and highlight key findings and promising practices based on an analysis of the exchange.
To Register: Click Here... You will receive the link to the JAM site, your username and password in early January. We invite a diverse group of participants from all levels and departments from your institution, so please feel free to share this email and the registration link with others.
Who Should Participate: College and university presidents, provosts, faculty, academic and student affairs staff.
A JAM is asynchronous, so you can come into the discussion when you can, and come and go as your time allows.
Questions: If you have any questions about the JAM, please contact Lisa Levinson at Knowledge in the Public Interest or Dr. Tara Parker at ProjectPREPARE, University of Massachusetts, Boston.
Southern Education Foundation
135 Auburn Ave NE
2nd Floor
Atlanta, GA 30303
404.523.0001 Office
404.523.6904 Fax
Monday, December 12, 2011
Ruth Simmons and Ronald Burns Appointed to Board of Trustees
December 12, 2011
Dear Members of the Dillard Community:
I am proud to announce the appointment of two new members to Dillard University’s Board of Trustees: Dr. Ruth J. Simmons, president of Brown University, and Mr. Ronald V. Burns Sr., president and CEO of BMG Enterprises.
Ruth J. Simmons has served as president of Brown University since July 3, 2001 and plans to step down from that position at the end of the 2011-2012 academic year. She holds an appointment as professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Department of Africana Studies. She was president of Smith College from 1995 until the time of her appointment at Brown.
A native of Texas and a 1967 graduate of Dillard University, Simmons received her Ph.D. in Romance languages and literatures from Harvard University in 1973. She was recently appointed by President Obama as a member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. She has earned numerous awards throughout her storied career in academia, including the German DAAD, a Fulbright Fellowship to France and the Centennial Medal from Harvard University. In 2001, Time Magazine named her America’s best college president. In 2007, she was named one of US. News & World Report’s top U.S. leaders.
Ronald V. Burns Sr. is president and CEO of BMG Enterprises, a diverse corporation consisting of Quick Courier Services, Inc., Burns Management Group and Global Parking Systems. Burns graduated from Dillard University in 1973 with a B.S. in Accounting. In 1974, Mr. Burns assumed the position of vice president and internal auditor with Liberty Bank and Trust Company, which he held until 1984.
In 1984, Burns founded Quick Courier Services, Inc., a same-day expedited delivery and logistics service. He is active in the Messenger Courier Association of America, and in 1992 he was elected as its first African-American board member. In 1992, he started Burns Management Group, a consulting firm with an emphasis on business development and government relationships. In 1993, he founded Global Parking Systems, a parking management company with offices in Louisiana, Texas, Indiana and California. Their clients include the Louis Armstrong International Airport and the Los Angeles International Airport.
I am very excited to welcome these two stellar individuals to Dillard University’s Board of Trustees. Between their appointment and the recent announcement of Dr. Walter Kimbrough as our next president, it is a very exciting time at Fair Dillard.
Happy Holidays,
Joyce Roche’
Chair, Dillard University Board of Trustees
Join SimpleK12 on Tuesday, December 13, 2011, for FREE "Day of Learning" Webinars for 2011!
Tomorrow is the last "Day of Learning" for 2011...don't miss out!
This fun-filled free online conference is packed with virtual sessions all day long. Attend one, or attend them all.
Here are the details...
Keynote Kickoff: More Interactive Sites for Your Interactive Whiteboard
Time: 12:30 PM- 1:00 PM Eastern Time, USA
Engaging your students with Interactive Whiteboard activities is easy...you just need to know where to start! Take a look at some of our favorite free resources that are perfect for any whiteboard brand.
Register Now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/298961698
Easily Create Detailed Classroom Observations with iPad Apps
Time: 1:30 PM- 2:00 PM Eastern Time, USA
As requirements for formative classroom assessment through teacher observation increase, educators are turning to their iPads and iPod Touches to document observations of students and their work. Join us in this webinar to learn about three free, easy-to-use apps you can download and start working with tomorrow!
Register Now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/251478178
The Knowledge Journey: Ways to Keep Students Learning During Breaks
Time: 2:30 PM- 3:00 PM Eastern Time, USA
In this webinar, participants will discover tips for motivating students to learn during school breaks and after leaving the classroom.
Register Now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/852898722
Create Student ePortfolios using VoiceThread
Time: 3:30 PM- 4:00 PM Eastern Time, USA
Digital student portfolios provide a way for students to show teachers, classmates, and family members evidence of the progress they're making toward learning targets. During this webinar, we'll look at one free web tool that is a great fit for creating and maintaining digital student portfolios.
Register Now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/280611490
Build a Class Website and Create a Class Identity
Time: 4:30 AM- 5:00 PM Eastern Time, USA
By the end of this webinar you will be able to create a free, easy-to-use, website that all of your students and parents can be involved in, bringing your class into the 21st century.
Register Now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/632696626
LiveBinder Tips and Tricks
Time: 5:30 PM- 6:00 PM Eastern Time, USA
Many educators have found LiveBinders very helpful for collaborating, sharing, and organizing online information and resources. Learn LiveBinder tips and tricks that will help you to get the most out of your LiveBinders.
Register Now: https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/361836234
The first session begins at 12:30 PM Eastern Time on December 13...
Friday, December 9, 2011
Campus Technology: Students Learn Leadership and Skills Via Mobile App Group
With the support of Vanderbilt University, a pioneering student organization is helping students learn how to develop mobile apps--and land lucrative jobs.
By Toni Fuhrman
12/07/11
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
The St. Louis American: HBCU advocates ask Congress to maintain funding
November 17, 2011
Groups representing a coalition of more than 100 colleges and universities are fighting to persuade Congress and its deficit-reducing "Super Committee" not to cut $85 million or more in federal funding for the colleges and their students.
The coalition consists of the National Association for Equal Opportunity In Higher Education, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and UNCF (United Negro College Fund). These organizations, which collectively represent the 105 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and 50 Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), are opposing proposals that will cut federal funds to HBCUs by $85 million or more and would zero out support for PBIs.
The proposed funding cuts would come on top of $30 million in cuts already made in HBCU funding.
The colleges face a double-barreled threat. Funding cuts could be contained in the Super Committee recommendations or made through the normal appropriations process for the current fiscal year. The three organizations support funding levels contained in an appropriations bill passed by a Senate Appropriations Committee for the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. They oppose the sharply lower levels proposed by House appropriators.
"The colleges that would have to absorb these cuts serve students who employers are counting on as the next generation of engineers, scientists, teachers, doctors and nurses," said Michael L. Lomax, UNCF president and CEO. "Their education is being threatened at the worst possible time – in the midst of an economic downturn that is already making it hard for them to stay in school and graduate."
"In addition to the students they educate, they impact more than 180,000 jobs, including professors, counselors, staff members and others,” Thurgood Marshall College Fund president and CEO Johnny C. Taylor Jr. said.
“Local businesses and national companies depend on the money that the colleges, their employees, and students spend. Their total economic impact is estimated at over $13 billion."
The coalition seeks to rally students, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators and all supporters of HBCUs and PBIs to get their U.S. Senators and U.S. Representatives to persuade the Super Committee members not to cut the deficit by disinvesting in higher education. The Super Committee has until November 23 to submit recommended budget reductions and revenue increases.
Visit www.UNCF.org/Advocacy and click on the "Take Action" icon to send a message to Congress to protect HBCU funding.
Tomorrow's Professor: The Graduate Student Writer: Tips to Make the Writing Process Work for You
Professional writers, whether in academic or industry, often live or die by the pen. As a graduate student, you are no doubt discovering that your professional survival depends on your ability to communicate with others about what you know and how you have learned it. Your writing will eventually be competing with that of others who have the same aspirations as you do?for jobs, grants and fellowships, and publication in peer-reviewed journals.
Your ability to exchange ideas, collaborate with others, and ultimately succeed hinges on the ability to write effectively. Here are some timeless tips, straight from the pens of the world?s most renowned authors, to help you develop both style and substance.
1. OMIT THE BORING PARTS
I try to leave out the parts that people skip. ~Elmore Leonard
Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret. ~Matthew Arnold
Say all you have to say in the fewest possible words, or your reader will be sure to skip them; and in the plainest possible words or he will certainly misunderstand them. ~John Ruskin
Try to always write with your readers in mind. What do they need to know and want to know? If you have nothing to say, or what you say has no meaning for the reader, there is no point in writing it.
2. ELIMINATE UNNECESSARY WORDS
I believe more in the scissors than I do in the pencil. ~Truman Capote
Substitute damn every time you?re inclined to write very. Your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be. ~Mark Twain
The road to hell is paved with adverbs. ~Stephen King
Don?t be fooled into believing that words like really, actually, or extremely make writing more forceful. They don?t ? they just get in the way. Cut them and never look back.
3. KEEP IT SIMPLE
When you wish to instruct, be brief; that men?s minds take in quickly what you say, learn its lesson, and retain it faithfully. Every word that is unnecessary only pours over the side of a brimming mind. ~Cicero
Vigorous writing is concise. ~William Strunk Jr.
Maybe it was all those late nights as an undergraduate struggling to fill out mandatory ten-page papers that made us think the only worthwhile writing is long and drawn out. While it?s more difficult to express yourself in the simplest possible manner, it?s so much more effective. More work for you means less work for your reader.
4. LET CRITICISM GUIDE YOU
You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance. ~Ray Bradbury
You must keep sending work out; you must never let a manuscript do nothing but eat its head off in a drawer. You send that work out again and again, while you?re working on another one. If you have talent, you will receive some measure of success - but only if you persist. ~Isaac Asimov
Engrave this in your brain: EVERY WRITER GETS REJECTED. You will be no different. ~John Scalzi
Writing means putting yourself at the mercy of others who may not always say nice things about what you write. Learn to make the most of the insults and accept the praise with a dose of skepticism. Use the criticism from others to improve and strengthen your writing. Foster a relationship with a good editor?one who knows sound writing and isn?t afraid to teach as s/he critiques.
5. WRITE A LOT, ALL OF THE TIME
Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you?re doomed. ~Ray Bradbury
By writing much, one learns to write well. ~ Robert Southey
For many writers, it?s hard to know where to begin. So forget about beginning?just write. Keep a journal to make notes and observations about your research and your reading. Comment on ideas you hear from others. Critique presentations you hear at conferences. And take every opportunity to write wherever you find one.
6. WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW
The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas. ~ Linus Pauling
If any man wish to write in a clear style, let him be first clear in his thoughts; and if any would write in a noble style, let him first possess a noble soul. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Learn as much by writing as by reading. ~Lord Acton
Successful writing is all about trust and authority. It makes sense to write about your area of expertise. If you don?t have an expertise, reading and writing is the best way to develop one and put it on display.
7. TAKE A CHANCE - DON'T ALWAYS PLAY IT SAFE
Zest. Gusto. How rarely one hears these words used. How rarely do we see people living, or for that matter, creating by them. Yet if I were asked to name the most important items in a writer?s make-up, the things that shape his material and rush him along the road to where he wants to go, I could only warn him to look to his zest, see to his gusto. ~Ray Bradbury
Get it down. Take chances. It may be bad, but it?s the only way you can do anything really good. ~William Faulkner
Doing what worked once will only get you so far. Experiment with new styles, even if it means taking criticism. Without moving forward, you?ll be left behind.
Sources:
10 Writing Tips from the Masters. www.pickthebrain.com/blog/art- of-writing/
Quotable Quotes on Writers and Writing. www.logicalcreativity.com/jon/quotes.html
tomorrows-professor Digest, Vol 59, Issue 8: Top Ten Workplace Issues for Faculty Members and Higher Education Professionals
Keeping track of these issues, both for yourself and for the people you work with, helps the entire office space feel less alienating.
If you are a faculty member, you may think that professors and professionals are like apples and oranges. You may be surprised to hear that the AAUP-affiliated United University Professions?one of the largest academic unions in the nation, with more than 33,000 members across New York State?includes a growing number of academic professionals who are not faculty members.
Why should you care about this?
As the events in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this year revealed, there has never been a more critical time for unionized employees of all kinds to stick together. What do a firefighter, a nurse, a teacher, a state university college professor, and a student affairs employee all have in common? They serve the public.
Professionals at a public college or university range from the talented part-time graphic artist who designs the posters for your research conference to the perennially patient financial-aid staffer who makes sure the students get their loans and grants.
What do they have in common with faculty members?
As grievance chair for the University at Albany chapter of United University Professions for five years and a professional myself, I?ve learned about a number of ways in which faculty and staff workplace issues overlap. Here are the top ten problems that come up routinely for both faculty and staff.
1. Job security. Whether you are a contingent faculty member with a one-year term appointment or a professional reappointed year after year on a one-year term, be aware that you are vulnerable to job loss. You may have a great relationship with your supervisor today, but what happens if he or she leaves tomorrow? If you are not on a tenure-track line or in a permanent staff appointment, a new manager or a budget crisis can spell the end of your job.
2. Appointment letters. When you were hired, what promises of salary and title were made in your appointment letter? Many of us were so excited to get the new job that we quickly read that letter when it first arrived and tossed it aside. A good appointment letter should list your name, title, salary, and start and end date of appointment. Any special perks that were offered to entice you to take the job should be spelled out. Otherwise, when the chair who appointed you has moved on to better things and the new chair flatly refuses to pay for your lab equipment, it?s your word against management?s.
3. Workload creep. Whether it?s the administration pushing you to be a ?team player? and teach additional courses or your supervisor doubling up your duties because a colleague left, if you allow new tasks to be assigned to you without asking for anything to be taken off your plate, you may end up exploited and burned out or, worse, risk your good health and family life.
4. Promises, promises. Promises are made all the time. The department chair thinks it would be a great experience for you to take over the task no one else wants to do? He or she has promised a raise if you are a ?team player?? You have ?great potential? to be promoted? These promises are gone the minute your supervisor or chair walks out the door. There is a difference between manipulating employees to get short-term results and offering real incentives that engender loyalty.
If the supervisor values you, he or she will put the promise?and the reward?in writing.
5. Harassment. For a faculty member, harassment can take the form of a colleague?s bad-mouthing you at a faculty meeting. Certain kinds of nitpicking and continual throwing of small snowballs can be ignored?to a point. But when those snowballs are coming at you in an avalanche, they can bury you. You may wind up with a desk in the basement like the hapless Milton Waddams in the classic movie Office Space. Harassment can also take the form of badgering a person through incessant e-mails or pointing out that every single thing the person does is wrong. The cumulative effect is that the person spends most of the day responding to these negative e-mails instead of focusing on work; this can lead to charges that he or she is unproductive.
6. Attending to Details. No one has your own best interests at heart as much as you do. Don?t assume that other people?no matter how benevolent they may seem to be?will make sure the right papers are put through. Read through the forms that you do see. Even a simple typographical error can have consequences.
7. Human resources. Most universities and colleges keep an official record of an employee?s work history. Your appointment letter is housed there, as are records of any pay raises, performance programs, and evaluations. What you don?t know can hurt you. As busy as you are, once a year, you should visit HR and look in that folder. This is the best place to discover innocuous paperwork errors, omissions, and pieces of paper that don?t belong in your folder. That way you can minimize unhappy surprises.
8. Delays in continuing or permanent appointment. Continuing appointments are for faculty members on the tenure system; permanent appointments are akin to tenure for professionals. Remember that you are either in or out once that decision is made. Don?t sit back passively and trust that others will advocate for you. Maybe they will, maybe they won?t. Find out from the human resources office, or from your union rep if you have one, what procedures and timelines there are for getting tenure on your campus. If the process is not moving along as it should, ask questions. You don?t want to be unceremoniously dumped the week before you thought you were getting tenure.
9. Office politics. Whether you are passed over for promotion to full professor and you see the title go to a close friend of the chair or you are a professional whose sterling reputation is trashed by one malicious rumor, the perception of whether you are a good professor or employee can be as powerful as how much work you actually do.
10. Bullying. Any person in a position of power can abuse that power by threatening your job or verbally shredding you in front of your colleagues. This can happen to a faculty member as easily as to a professional. What would you do if the dean or chair started yelling at you? Yell back? Walk out of the meeting into a hallway where there are witnesses? People who are bullies act as they do because they get away with it. (Find out if your campus has a workplace violence policy covering bullying. Ours does.)
Any of these issues can rob you and your colleagues of peace of mind. Faculty members and professionals cannot do their best and most creative work when they are burdened by worries about job security or are continually overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work they have to do. My favorite labor-relations specialist has a saying: ?Prepare, don?t panic.? By being aware of your rights, and setting some boundaries around what is and what is not okay in the workplace, you can do more to protect yourself and your career.
.docstoc: Documents and Resources for Small Businesses and Professionals
FREE Presentation: Online Tools to Engage Students
Dillard University Honda Campus All-Star Challenge November 2011
Dillard University will compete in Honda Campus All-Star Challenge (HCASC), the HBCU National Quiz Championship. HCASC is the first-ever academic quiz competition designed for students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The questions cover everything: from traditional academic areas, including business, science, literature, history, geography, religion, philosophy, social sciences and the arts to current events, general knowledge, sports and popular culture. African American history and culture is also featured.
Dillard University is among eighty-nine HBCUs eligible for this year’s Honda Campus All-Star Challenge. Competition at Dillard University begins with the Power Search, scheduled for Wednesday, November 30, 2011 between 10 am – 5 pm in the Professional Studies and Sciences Building Room 110. A Power Search is a quick 30 question quiz which students can take to see what type of information is asked in HCASC questions. The Power Search is used to recruit the best, brightest and fastest players for Dillard University’s HCASC team. All students who compete in the Power Search are eligible for selection as a member of the varsity squad. This is the LAST opportunity for students to take the Power Search. Our varsity squad could advance to the National Championship Tournament, which will take place in Los Angeles, CA. The Nationals, featuring 48 HBCUs, is the academic competition version of “March Madness.”
The best and the brightest shine playing Honda Campus All-Star Challenge, the HBCU National Quiz Championship. Since 1989, 75,000+ students have used their brainpower and buzzer-skills to earn their schools over $6 million in grants from Honda. Honda Campus All-Star Challenge is sanctioned by the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education (NAFEO) and the Association of College Unions International (ACUI). For more information, you may contact Dr. Valandra German at 504.816.4477.
University of Michigan Best Practices & Tips - General Pedagogy & Assessment of Student Learning Websites
Best Practices - General Pedagogy
http://www.lib.umich.edu/instructor-college/resources#bestpractices
• GSI Guidebook (Graduate Student Instructors, CRLT)
o The Dreaded Discussion – Ten Ways to Start (PDF)
o Seven Principles for Good Practice: Enhancing Student Learning (PDF)
o Strategies to Extend Student Thinking
• Teaching Strategies and Disciplinary Resources (All Instructors, CRLT)
o Active and Collaborative Learning
o Learning Styles
o Learning Theories
o Motivating Students
o Multicultural Teaching: Information and Strategies
o Teaching Styles
o Technology in the Classroom
Assessment of Library Instruction & Student Learning
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/assessment/index.php#background
• MLibrary Instruction Assessment Committee
• Assessment Issues (ACRL)
• Assessment of Student Learning (CRLT)
• Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness (CRLT)
• Improving Your Teaching: Obtaining Feedback (CRLT)
• Assessment in Practice from Knowing what students know: The science and design of educational assessment. National Research Council, 2001.
• USF Library Instruction Assessment Clearinghouse
Best Practices in Library Instruction
http://www.lib.umich.edu/instructor-college/resources#bestpractices
•Information Literacy (ACRL)
◦Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education & Toolkit
◦Standards for Proficiencies for Instruction Librarians and Coordinators
◦Tips for Developing Effective Web-Based Library Instruction
◦Information Literacy in the Disciplines (ACRL)
◦Peer-Reviewed Instruction Materials Online Database
◦Curriculum and Pedagogy
•Instructor College - Top 10 Teaching Tips
•Instructor College Tips for Trainers (PDF)
•Instructor College Tips for Developing Faculty Relationships
•Information Literacy Best Practices Wiki
•Middle States Commission on Higher Education - Guidelines for Information Literacy in the Curriculum (PDF)
•Project Information Literacy
University Business: Black Colleges' Survival Hinges On Unity, Collaboration, Panelists Say
If historically black colleges are going to survive, they're going to have to step up their collaboration, not only with schools and communities but also with one another, a panel of educators and policymakers said Friday in New Orleans. Three of the four speakers emphasized the importance of working with high schools and community colleges to prepare students academically and to ease the transition to four-year colleges and universities.
While Grambling State University President Frank Pogue didn't disagree, he said that, in a climate of dwindling public appropriations and skepticism about the continuing value of historically black institutions of higher learning, no school can afford to be alone.
"We have to come together," he said. "That is our responsibility to our students and to our future students -- to keep them engaged."
The discussion, led by CNN's Soledad O'Brien, was one of a daylong series of roundtable talks at the Hyatt Regency Hotel leading up to today's Bayou Classic pitting Southern University against Grambling in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The Times-Picayune
University Business: Obama's Lowdown on Higher Education and Student Loan Debt (Opinion)
http://www.universitybusiness.com/news/obamas-lowdown-higher-education-and-student-loan-debt-opinion
President Barack Obama can relate to one complaint from “Occupy” protesters. He and his wife once had to pay off $120,000 in student debt.
So when the president met Monday with leaders of prominent universities at the White House, he spoke with some authority about the high cost of tuition as well as a need for better teaching by faculty to ensure American workers stay competitive.
Mr. Obama’s own education paid off. Just look where he sits. But for many in college today, dropping out is all too common when money dries up. And too many graduates fail to land jobs in their chosen fields or they don’t meet the hiring standards of employers because faculty aren’t held accountable for what students actually learn.
Obama has a tool to help fix all that. He plans to tie federal aid to how well schools perform.
His education secretary, Arne Duncan, proposes that Pell Grants and other government money for higher education be based on how well such institutions reform, such as in holding down tuition, accelerating the time to earn a degree, boosting completion rates, and closing gaps in student achievement.
Too many colleges prefer the status quo, says Mr. Duncan. He quotes President Woodrow Wilson, who once led Princeton University, as saying that “changing a curriculum is like moving a graveyard – you never know how many friends the dead have until you try to move them.”
The Christian Science Monitor
The University of Pittsburgh University Library System: The ARL/MLA Diversity and Inclusion Initiative (ARL/MLA DII) Scholarship 2012-2013 (MLIS)
The ARL/MLA Diversity and Inclusion Initiative (ARL/MLA DII) Scholarship, 2012-2013 (MLIS)
https://docs.google.com/open?id=0B9_KwJdDOiGrYjRhMDM3Y2QtNTdhYi00MTMyLWI0ZjUtNGJlMzg1M2JjMmFkOverview
This scholarship, under the auspices of the Association of Research Libraries (ARL)/Music Library Association (MLA) Diversity and Inclusion Initiative (DII) and funded by a Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian Program grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), offers minority candidates an opportunity to pursue the Master’s in Library and Information Science degree while gaining valuable, “hands-on” experience in a large academic music library environment. The goal is to increase the number of underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities within academic music librarianship by providing support for the graduate education and the practical experience critical for successful entrance into the profession. For more information about the program, please visit http://www.arl.org/diversity/arl-mla-dii/
Campus Technology: Cloud Control
In the second of a two-part series, CT looks at how IT professionals can make the business case for cloud computing while addressing ongoing concerns about taking their institutions into the cloud.
MORE
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
EdTechDev: Developing Educational Technology - New Books on Teaching, HTML5
Some new Books on Teaching, Learning, Education, Faculty Development
•Managing Technology in Higher Education: Strategies for Transforming Teaching and Learning – Tony Bates, check out his blog if you haven’t already: http://www.tonybates.ca
◦Taking Stock: Research on Teaching and Learning in Higher Education - a book Tony Bates mentioned in this post: why the professional development model is broken.◦See also this free e-book/pdf: Effective Practice in a Digital Age
•A Guide to Faculty Development
◦See also this recent online faculty development course on developing blended learning courses: http://blended.online.ucf.edu/blendkit-course/
◦And I’ve seen this faculty development book recommended as well: Teaching What You Don’t Know
•Academically Adrift – I probably don’t even need to mention this one, it’s gotten so much attention, but here is a recent discussion and summary of responses/criticisms of the book.
•The Formative Assessment Action Plan: Practical Steps to More Successful Teaching and Learning – formative assessment is one of the most effective things you can do to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning environments (see also work by Paul Black).
◦See also this current discussion of challenges to formative assessment
•Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology – new edition (3rd) of this standard instructional design textbook
•Informed Design of Educational Technologies in Higher Education: Enhanced Learning and Teaching
•The Systems Thinking Playbook: Exercises to Stretch and Build Learning and Systems Thinking Capabilities
•Education and Technology: Key Issues and Debates
•Deconstructing Digital Natives: Young People, Technology, and the New Literacies - see also this recent post on net gen skeptic with more on how the digital natives / digital immigrants distinction is dead (or at least dying).
•The Challenge of Rethinking History Education: On Practices, Theories, and Policy
•The National Academies Press (which recently made all their books available in pdf form for free, including the How People Learn book and Engineering in K-12 Education), recently released some new education books:
◦Learning Science Through Computer Games and Simulations - See also this just published journal article: The Learning Effects of Computer Simulations in Science Education
◦Successful K-12 STEM Education:Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
◦A Framework for K-12 Science Education
•Single-Case Design (pdf) – how to do research with a single class, from the Department of Education What Works group
New Books on HTML5, Canvas, Javascript
Some of these aren’t out just yet
•Making Things Move in Javascript – that’s actually a link to some free tutorials – the book is not out yet
•HTML5 Canvas
•Core HTML5: Volume 1: Canvas
•Making Isometric Social Real-Time Games with HTML5, CSS3, and Javascript
•Learning HTML5 Game Programming: A Hands-on Guide to Building Online Games Using Canvas, SVG, and WebGL
•HTML5 Cookbook
•Coredogs – some free online lessons/books on web development, drupal
New Books in Psychology, Technology, Design, Embodied Cognition
•Enaction: Toward a New Paradigm for Cognitive Science - see also this recent article The enactive approach: Theoretical sketches from cell to society
•The Primacy of Movement - Maxine Sheets-Johnstone
•Why We Make Mistakes: How We Look Without Seeing, Forget Things in Seconds, and Are All Pretty Sure We Are Way Above Average and related books such as The Invisible Gorilla: How Our Intuitions Deceive Us and The Age of American Unreason
•The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood – by James Gleick (author of Chaos)
•Exposing the Magic of Design: A Practitioner’s Guide to the Methods and Theory of Synthesis
•Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn
•The Third Teacher – exploring ways design can transform teaching
FREE Webinar: The Right Tools for the Right Job: 30 Tools in 50 Minutes
Do you want to learn...
* More about basic photo editing tools?
* How to record and upload videos?
* Creative tools for collaboration and brainstorming?
* where to look for FREE web tools to improve your lesson plans?
During this webinar, you will discover how to...
* Create your own motivational posters
* Utilize essential tools for twitter
* Create your own chat room for your class
* Organize and share your favorite links
* Create interactive presentations
* and much, much more!
And Steven Anderson will explain how each of these tools can be easily used to get your students involved and make your classroom much more exciting!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)