August 2013 archive

Ten Useful Websites for Techie Librarians and Social Media for Libraries

from http://inalj.com/?p=10038

1) Codecademy – http://www.codecademy.com/
Need to learn JavaScript, Ruby or HTML?  Codecademy provides free interactive online tutorials that will help you learn these languages and more.  It’s great for visual learners, such as myself, and let’s be honest – who doesn’t like earning badges for completing a task?

2) Lifehacker – http://lifehacker.com/
Lifehacker posts about tips and hacks to make your life easier.  I frequently learn about tweaks or new software from this blog.

3) The Librarian in Black – http://librarianinblack.net/
If you haven’t read Sarah Houghton’s blog, you really should.  Sarah posts about issues in libraries and frequently touches on technology.  She is not afraid to voice controversial opinions.

4) Teleread – http://www.teleread.com/
Teleread covers news related to ebooks and online publishing.  The blog also includes a section specific to libraries, so you can easily find relevant library news and stories.

5) Mashable – http://mashable.com/social-media/
Mashable posts news about social media and other Web 2.0 systems.  Click on the Social Media tag to bypass the entertainment stories.

6) Not Safe! [for Libraries] – http://ns4lib.com/
Michael Schofield posts about web design specifically with libraries in mind.

7) In the Library with the Lead Pipe – http://www.inthelibrarywiththeleadpipe.org
Although not specific to technology issues, In the Library with the Lead Pipe posts peer reviewed journal articles that challenge many preconceptions of librarianship.

8) ReadWrite – http://readwrite.com/
Formerly ReadWriteWeb, ReadWrite posts the latest tech news in a highly digestible way that is friendly towards non-techies.

9) Agnostic, Maybe – http://agnosticmaybe.wordpress.com/
Andy Woodworth blogs about libraries, technology and life as a librarian in New Jersey.  I especially enjoy reading his opinions on ebooks and licensing.

10} ALA Techsource – http://www.alatechsource.org/blog
Last, but not least, the ALA Techsource blog provides updates on technology news and initiatives that are occurring in other libraries.

I hope that this list gave you some new reading material!  Which technology blogs do you recommend?  Join the conversation on LinkedIn:  http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=4112382&type=member&item=215928370

from the MnSCU D2L office: D2L performance issues this morning

We are experiencing some data base blocks on the D2L system that are affecting response times for users.  The recent blocks occurred between 10:21 and 10:40.  Users were unable to login, or got internal errors, or very slow response times for navigating in D2L.

The problems have been intermittent, with users getting fast responses after the blockage ends.

Our system admins are investigating the situation.

We will keep you posted on the status of system performance.  Please continue to report any issues you experience.

–Karen

 

Karen Wenz, IMS System Site Administrator

MnSCU System Office

Phone: 320-223-6042
Cell:  612-578-6712

Email: Karen.wenz@so.mnscu.edu

 

a possibility for instructors to manage media files outside of D2L: Kaltura’s Media Space.

MnSCU is working on a system for media management available at this stage specifically for faculty:

From: Lesley Blicker [mailto:Lesley.Blicker@so.mnscu.edu]
Sent: Monday, August 19, 2013 4:44 PM
To: Desire2Learn Campus Trainers
Cc: Todd Digby
Subject: Recording of MediaSpace (Kaltura) Update – from Friday, Aug 16

Here is the recording from the session Todd Digby facilitated last Friday. https://mnscu.webex.com/mnscu/lsr.php?AT=pb&SP=MC&rID=36606512&rKey=a145adbfd4947762

It’s the update of the Media Management System project, using Kaltura’s Media Space. The first 21 minutes (approx.) are of Todd showing how Media Space works, including how to upload caption files (if you have one), and just about everything there is to do in terms of uploading, recording, and managing files.

Starting at 21:50, Todd provides an update in the project status including when all faculty could expect to have access to MediaSpace. Thereafter, he addresses several questions from those in attendance.

If you want to see the questions that were asked, be sure to open the Chat window by clicking on the red box with the Chat bubble in the upper right hand corner of the screen.

­­­­

Lesley



    

  

grade items not in the correct categories when I copy them to a new course

Q: Why aren’t the grade items in the correct categories when I copy them to a new course?
A: https://d2l.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1390/

Issue: In the Copy Course Components tool, if you select individual grade items rather than copying ALL grade items, the grade items do not stay associated with the correct categories. (This issue exists in the current version 10.1 SP9)
Workaround: In the Copy Course Components tool, copy all grade items into the new course and then simply remove the ones you don’t want from the new course.
Note: This issue only exists for Copy Course Components. If you export selected grade items, the grade category associations are retained accurately.

technology instruction sessions available

HTML for beginners 1
Learn to use HTML for Web development. Register for all 4 parts.

Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 10:00 AM until Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 10:45 AM Sponsoring Campus: St. Cloud State University
Location: MC-205
Instructor(s) Plamen Miltenoff

HTML for beginners 2
Learn to use HTML for Web development. Register for all 4 parts.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 10:00 AM until Tuesday, September 17, 2013 at 10:45 AM Sponsoring Campus: St. Cloud State University
Location: MC-205
Instructor(s) Plamen Miltenoff

HTML for beginners 3
Learn to use HTML for Web development. Register for all 4 parts.

Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 10:00 AM until Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 10:45 AM Sponsoring Campus: St. Cloud State University
Location: MC-205
Instructor(s) Plamen Miltenoff

HTML for beginners 4
Learn to use HTML for Web development. Register for all 4 parts.

Tuesday, October 01, 2013 at 10:00 AM until Tuesday, October 01, 2013 at 10:45 AM Sponsoring Campus: St. Cloud State University
Location: MC-205
Instructor(s) Plamen Miltenoff

Photoshop, Part 1 of 4
Learn to use Photoshop. Register for all 4 parts.

Thursday, September 05, 2013 at 11:00 AM until Thursday, September 05, 2013 at 11:45 AM Sponsoring Campus: St. Cloud State University
Location: MC-205
Instructor(s) Plamen Miltenoff, Thomas Hergert

Photoshop, Part 2 of 4
Learn to use Photoshop. Register for all 4 parts.

Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 11:00 AM until Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 11:45 AM Sponsoring Campus: St. Cloud State University
Location: MC-205
Instructor(s) Plamen Miltenoff, Thomas Hergert

Photoshop, Part 3 of 4
Learn to use Photoshop. Register for all 4 parts.

Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 11:00 AM until Thursday, September 19, 2013 at 11:45 AM Sponsoring Campus: St. Cloud State University
Location: MC-205
Instructor(s) Plamen Miltenoff, Thomas Hergert

Photoshop, Part 4 of 4
Learn to use Photoshop. Register for all 4 parts.

Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 11:00 AM until Thursday, September 26, 2013 at 11:45 AM Sponsoring Campus: St. Cloud State University
Location: MC-205
Instructor(s) Plamen Miltenoff, Thomas Hergert

conferences and related events regarding technology in education

Looking to attend and/or present at appropriate event regarding technology in education?
Please have a tentative list below.
Do you know an event, which is worth presenting/attending? Please contribute!

by Barry Dahl (Greg Jorgensen) - link to a list of conferences regarding e-learning:

http://www.scoop.it/t/e-learning-conferences

campus technology conf. - boston - http://events.campustechnology.com/Events/CT-Summer-Educational-Technology-Conference/Home.aspx
educause - anaheim – October - http://www.educause.edu/annual-conference
devlearn las vegas – October - http://www.elearningguild.com/DevLearn/content/2825/devlearn-2013-conference-and-expo---home/?gclid=CJj7usLCy7gCFdBaMgodeR8AoQ
dist. learning - ann arbor -- ??
iste (intl soc. tech ed)  july – Atlanta - http://www.isteconference.org/2014/
aect (assoc education communications and tech) - oct 29 - 2 nov, Anaheim - http://aectorg.yourwebhosting.com/events/Louisville/default.asp
ascd (assoc of supervision and curricular dev) - november 1 - 3, las vegas - http://www.ascd.org/conferences/conference-on-educational-leadership/2013-registration.aspx#payment
salt (soc. of applied learning and tech) - august 14 - 16, reston, VA - http://www.salt.org/dc/washingtonR.asp?pn=wPrices
National Forum on Active Learning Classrooms  - august - u of m - http://www.cce.umn.edu/National-Forum-on-Active-Learning-Classrooms/index.html
D2L Fusion - july – Nashville – http://fusion.desire2learn.com
Sloan c - november disney world, florida - http://sloanconsortium.org/conference/2013/aln/registration
QM - october 1-4, Nashville - https://www.qualitymatters.org/5th-annual-conference-2013-0
distance teaching and learning - madison - august 7 – 9 - http://www.uwex.edu/disted/conference/2013_Registration.cfm
LERN  - san fran. - nov. 21 – 23 - http://www.lern.org/conference/

CCUMC – october 9-13 – Chicago – http://www.ccumc.org/2013-conference-rates

The United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) http://www.usdla.org/2014_national_conference/home.html

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