Introduction to Blackboard

This hands-on session is designed for instructors, graduate assistants, and staff with little or no prior Blackboard experience.  Learn the basics of Blackboard including:

• Accessing the software
• Uploading content to your Blackboard course
• Customizing the Blackboard Interface
• Understanding the Communication Features
• Working with the course Control Panel
• Learning where to go for help

Overview of Smart Classrooms

In this workshop we will cover:

• Working the Lectern Control Pad
• Projecting pages using the document camera
• Operating the ceiling mounted LCD Projector
• Setting the lights for optimal display Classroom Support Staff

Blogs@Baruch

Blogs@Baruch provides a platform for faculty, administrators, students, and staff to bring a wide variety of online resources together in a space that they control. This workshop will explore the variety of ways that Blogs@Baruch is being and may be used throughout the Baruch College community.  We will discuss the pedagogical, curricular, and administrative implications of the college’s embrace of a locally administered, open source publishing platform. In the second half of the workshop, attendees will get a guided hands-on experience with Blogs@Baruch aimed at exploring its ability to integrate other online resources.

General Overview of Technology Services at Baruch

This hands-on workshop is designed for the instructor who is just getting started teaching at Baruch or who would like to refresh their knowledge of technology at Baruch. This is a hands-on session that will provide an overview of the following instructional technologies:

• Viewing your Roster online
• Accessing Blackboard and getting your courses set up for students
• Working with the Smart Classroom Podium
• Making use of Library Resources

Many other technology issues will be covered.  All questions are welcome.

E-Rosters

The eRoster system allows instructors to view, print, and download their course rosters. This workshop will explain how to create and print a roll book roster using one of our pre-formatted templates

Blackboard Grade Center and Assignments

This hands-on session is designed for instructors, graduate assistants, and staff who have prior experience Blackboard but would like to explore Blackboard’s features (especially Assignment Objects and Grade Center) in more depth, including

• Adding Columns in Grade Center
• Rearranging Grade Center Columns
• Working with Weighted Totals
• Setting up an Assignment Object for students to submit papers to Blackboard

An In-Depth Comparison of Web Browsers

This workshop will compare the features and performance of the browsers of Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. Find out how these tools compare in terms of helping you find what you need to on the web and how they can improve your viewing and reading experience

Introduction to Student Response System (“Clickers”)

Is it a challenge to get your students to participate, especially in jumbo classes? Do you want to illustrate how opinions in you class mirror or perhaps oppose survey results?  Do you wonder if your students really understand the topic you just covered in your lecture? One of the new ways to achieve these goals is through the use of a classroom response systems or “clickers.”  Using a classroom response system, a faculty member can survey students during lectures with results displayed immediately within PowerPoint. This workshop covers the basic use of the software program that Baruch uses called Turning Point.

Synchronous/Web Conferencing Tools

In this workshop, we will look at web conferencing tools, which are used to conduct live classroom sessions over the web.  For example, a faculty member and students can all be at home and still engage in teaching and learning activities through the conferencing software.  Come to this workshop to find out how these tools might work for your needs.

Introduction to Video Services

This workshop will explore the basics of video production, as well as the equipment and resources available to interested professors through the Baruch College Technology Center and Media Resources departments. The basics of post-production through iMovie will be explained. The session will also be open to other questions having to do with video production and editing.

Screencasting and Narrated Presentations

The first half of the workshop will cover screencasts. A screencast is a digital recording in real time of everything that is occurring on a computer screen (e.g., mouse movements, navigation to other screens).  These can be simultaneously narrated by someone who is doing the activities on the screen. You may have seen screencasts that demonstrate how to use a software program.  An overview will be provided of two screencasting software programs: Captivate and Camtasia.

The second half of the workshop will look at narrated powerpoints. You can use Powerpoint to record audio narration to your slide presentations. This workshop will provide a demonstration of how this is done with any computer that has Powerpoint, a microphone, and headphones/speakers.  You can then upload this narrated Powerpoint to Blackboard, for example, so that students can listen to your presentation.

Introduction to iTunes University

iTunes University (iTunes U) is a feature of the iTunes software program that allows for posting and downloading of multimedia content, including video, audio, and other documents. This workshop will explore the basics of iTunes University as it used from within Blackboard to provide course content to enrolled students. Topics include requesting a site, uploading content, and accessing the media through iTunes.

Introduction to Media Services/Classroom Support at Baruch

Media Resources Department at Baruch College provides audiovisual assistance to the college faculty, including consultation with faculty on media development and special events support. This workshop introduces you to the many services that Media Resources can provide.

Overview of Electronic Book Readers (or “E-Readers”)

An E-Reader is an electronic device that can be used to read digital versions of books, journals, newspapers and other texts.  This workshop will introduce the attendees to iPads and other e-Reader options and how these can be incorporated into teaching.

Introduction to Qualtrics (Survey Tool)

Qualtrics is an online survey program that allows you to create dynamic online surveys.  The first half of the session will cover the building of surveys, including creating a survey, exploring survey options, and distributing a survey. The second half of the session will explore respondent statistics, including generating online reports, setting up filters (creating subgroups, drill downs, etc.), and exporting raw data.

Intermediate Training on Qualtrics

Qualtrics is a powerful online survey program with many advanced features that we will cover in this training. Advanced survey management, creation and analysis are specifically taught in this training.

Overview of the Teaching with Technology Grants

The will be a presentation providing an overview of the submission process for Technology Grants.  The presenters will provide highlights of the achievements of the previous round of Teaching with Technology Grants.  Please feel free to bring your ideas for grant proposals and the presenters will work with you in developing the proposals.

Introduction to VOCAT

VOCAT* is a highly flexible and extensible, open-source web application designed to help students become confident, dynamic public speakers. It enables students to easily access videos of their oral presentations and to review and respond to instructor feedback. VOCAT aggregates videos and instructor comments for each user and offers an informative snapshot of a student’s progress over the course of a given term or even an entire academic career. This workshop will introduce you to the basic features of the application.

*Video Oral Communication Assessment Tool

Introduction to Plagiarism Detection Software

Plagiarism detection and prevention software automatically scans students’ submitted papers to pinpoint content that is unoriginal.  The software can perform checks of written material uploaded by students (or their instructors) against those in its database and online material. In some cases, if there is a match, it means that the student's material has been plagiarized; in others, the use of quotation marks and the way the material has been cited is fine--the instructor must exercise his/her judgment.

Introduction to NetSupport

NetSupport is a computer monitoring program that faculty can use to control the student interface experience in our computing lab facilities at Baruch College. The program allows for controlling the student-experience during instructor demonstrations and exams, quickly distributing a set of files to each student computer, interactive learning and more.

In particular, from the instructor station of a lab, faculty members can perform the following:

• Watch, share or control each student’s screen, keyboard and mouse
• Block student use, either temporarily or permanently, of applications, functions, websites, webpages, etc.
• Transfer and manipulate files between workstations using the “drag and drop” feature
• View more than one student screen at a time as “thumbnails” on the instructor screen
• Launch an application, video, PowerPoint, etc. on one, many or all student workstations
• Display a selected student’s screen to other students
• “Push out” the instructor screen to selected or all student screens
• “Blank out” all student screens temporarily so that the student focus is exclusively on the instructor
  

NetSupport is a powerful application, which is capable of performing many other functions than those listed above. This session will provide a basic introduction to and demonstration of the software.