March 2016 archive

oculus

THE OCULUS RIFT REVIEW: The future is finally here, and it’s beautiful

http://www.businessinsider.com/oculus-rift-virtual-reality-headset-and-games-review-2016-3

lengthy and detailed articles how to entertain with the new Oculus

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Virtual Reality Whiz Palmer Luckey: Future Will Be ‘More Boring Than We Think’

http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/03/28/472168507/virtual-reality-whiz-palmer-luckey-future-will-be-more-boring-than-we-think


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Rabey, Lisa. [Lita-L] Internet Of Things. 2016. E-mail.

A month or so ago, I asked on ALA Think Tank if anyone was using IoT in their libraries, and if so: what, how, when, where; details man, details! Other than someone asking me what the IoT is (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things), I got crickets.

Yesterday Jason Griffey wrote, “How libraries can save the internet of things from the web’s centralized fate” (https://boingboing.net/2016/03/28/how-libraries-can-save-the-int.html) and this got me wondering again: Is anyone doing something in library land  with IoT?

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More on wearables in this IMS blog:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=oculus&submit=Search

More on virtual reality in this IMS blog:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=virtual+reality&submit=Search

social intranet

New technologies for knowledge sharing

https://fcw.com/blogs/lectern/2016/03/kelman-social-intranets.aspx

Steve Kelman Mar 28, 2016 at 4:38 PM

Ines Mergel report from the IBM Center for the Business of Government, called The Social Intranet: Insights on Managing and Sharing Knowledge Internally.

co-locating subject-matter experts

traditional technologies have important limitations

when teaching about efforts many agencies are making to break down functional stovepipes, which often involves having functional experts spend significant time in offsite cross-agency teams with “functionals” from other specialties. This has a number of advantages, but creates risks that employees won’t have anywhere to go to get answers to questions or refresh their knowledge base. My students and I also discussed communities of practice, which allowed employees to ask questions to fellow experts not at the same location.

“social intranet” — a one-stop shop where agency employees can go to find or request information in a number of different ways to help them do their jobs. The social intranet consists of wikis; places for people to go to ask questions or solicit collaboration; publicly available conversation threads; central places for blogs; and opportunities for people to create profiles and (in a professional context) “friend” each other. These elements all appear at one web address, with its common home page, to which an employee can link.

These different features work in different ways. Wikis, for example, allow a group of employees to add knowledge to a text that is then accessible to the whole organization — and to which everyone can edit and add. Other employees can subscribe to the updates. Blogs, on the other hand, allow longer text to provide project updates, comment on industry developments, or introduce new issues more transparently than blast e-mail updates can manage.

Most intranet collaboration platforms do not require an approval chain to publish, which lowers the barriers to quick sharing. And while the personal profiles and “friending” often start by providing occasions for social conversations, the intention is for these to be a gateway to knowledge sharing; Mergel quotes a manager as saying, “The social feeds into the professional.”

polling clickers education

Using a Mobile Solution to Empower Students in and out of the Classroom

Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2016.  Time: 11:00 AM Pacific Standard Time.  Sponsored by: i>clicker

archived webcast here:
http://w.on24.com/r.htm?e=1130110&s=1&k=281F43456B7CB0FF8CFD94D02CBC7DDC&partnerref=theremind
(you need to register. That means, sharing personal data, so fill out cautiously).

REEF polling is a proprietary for i>Clickers.
All other contenstors, TopHat, Turning Technologies etc. have the same scheme

methodology of the chemistry teacher:
flipped classroom active learning

quizzes: may not use external resources, graded on accuracy
questions: may use external sources, graded on participation (chemistry teacher wants students to be active and not penalized for wrong answer).

think: students consider the question. submit an answer individually
pair: instructors shows the results (no answer is given); students form groups to discuss their answers; students must agree on the answer
share: students submit an answer individually; the instructor shows the result (an answer is given)

kate.biberdorf@cm.utexas.edu @FunwithChem

follow up q/s, also standard:
1. what to do, if students don’t have smart phones, 2. CRS integration with CMS 3. data export

More on polling and CRS in the classroom in this blog:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=clickers&submit=Search
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=classroom+response+systems&submit=Search
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=crs&submit=Search

More on flipped classroom and active learning in this blog:
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=flipped+classroom&submit=Search
https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=active+learning&submit=Search

data analytics education

Analytics for Achievement: White Paper

Around the world, in both developing and developed countries, too many primary and secondary students are falling below proficiency levels. Measuring and monitoring performance and understanding the factors at play in student achievement can help educators create the right conditions and design the most effective interventions for student success.

link to the article (PDF file) ; THE_IBM_data_Analytics_for_Achievement k12

student-centered learning literature review

resources on student-centered learning and the use of rubrics, multimedia, social media to personalize and engage learners

WHAT:
what is student-centered learning:
Student-centered learning, also known as learner-centered education, broadly encompasses methods of teaching that shift the focus of instruction from the teacher to the student. In original usage, student-centered learning aims to develop learner autonomy and independence [1] by putting responsibility for the learning path in the hands of students.[2][3][4] Student-centered instruction focuses on skills and practices that enable lifelong learning and independent problem-solving.[5] Student-centered learning theory and practice are based on the constructivist learning theory that emphasizes the learner’s critical role in constructing meaning from new information and prior experience. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Student-centred_learning

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Student-centered learning moves students from passive receivers of information to active participants in their own discovery process. What students learn, how they learn it and how their learning is assessed are all driven by each individual student’s needs and abilities.

At the system level, this requires implementing curriculum planning practices, pedagogy and assessment methods that support a student-centric approach. In the classroom, teachers craft instruction and apply technology in a way that best serves each student’s learning journey. Technology use is always guided by two primary criteria:

  1. What’s appropriate for the task at hand?
  2. How can activities be designed to develop higher-order thinking skills?

http://www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions/student-centered-learning

Why is it important?

When students take responsibility for their own learning, they become explorers capable of leveraging their curiosity to solve real-world problems. To that end, the ISTE Standards guide teachers toward designing learning experiences that permit student independence and foster lifelong learning.

Technology allows for an unprecedented level of personalized learning, with valuable opportunities to monitor progress and engagement, follow student thinking, and digitally assess competencies. When schools effectively leverage both technology and pedagogy, both students and teachers become empowered to make decisions about their own learning and teaching.

True student-centered learning requires more than just an increase in technology implementation. It represents a shift in the educational culture toward a system that supports technology for standards-based learning and real-world problem solving. As a system transitions to a student-centered approach, educators can more effectively apply technology to improve learning outcomes and help students develop the skills for college and career readiness.

http://www.iste.org/standards/essential-conditions/student-centered-learning

HOW:

student-centered learning is including different methods, such as:

  • active learning.
  • cooperative learning.
  • inductive teaching and learning.
  • minimizing or eliminating student resistance to student-centered teaching methods.
  • Links to relevant web sites.

The University of Minnesota Cooperative Learning Center.

http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Student-Centered.html

  • personalized learning
  • anytime anywhere learning

http://edglossary.org/student-centered-learning/

student-centered learning through assessment : create the right rubrics

#2 from http://www.edweek.org/tm/articles/2013/12/24/ctq_powell_strengths.html

Steffens, K. (2014). E-rubrics to facilitate self-regulated learning. Revista De Docencia Universitaria, 12(1), 11-12.

http://login.libproxy.stcloudstate.edu/login?qurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ebscohost.com%2flogin.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26db%3daph%26AN%3d96263668%26site%3dehost-live%26scope%3dsite

Rejab, M. M., Awang, I. b., Hassan, S. b., & Ahmad, M. b. (2010). Customizable Rubrics Model for Formative Evaluation of Problem-Based Learning Course. Annual International Conference On Infocomm Technologies In Competitive Strategies, 126-131. doi:10.5176/978-981-08-7240-3_I-51

CORLU, M. S. (2013). Insights into STEM Education Praxis: An Assessment Scheme for Course Syllabi.Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 13(4), 2477-2485. doi:10.12738/estp.2013.4.1903

Ma, A. W. (2009). A Longitudinal Study of the Use of Computer Supported Collaborative Learning in Promoting Lifelong Learning Skills. Issues In Informing Science & Information Technology, 665-86.
http://login.libproxy.stcloudstate.edu/login?qurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ebscohost.com%2flogin.aspx%3fdirect%3dtrue%26db%3daph%26AN%3d44457533%26site%3dehost-live%26scope%3dsite

Klein, G. C., & Carney, J. M. (2014). Comprehensive Approach to the Development of Communication and Critical Thinking: Bookend Courses for Third- and Fourth-Year Chemistry Majors. Journal Of Chemical Education,91(10), 1649-1654. doi:10.1021/ed400595j

Moore, T. J., Guzey, S. S., Roehrig, G. H., Stohlmann, M., Park, M. S., Kim, Y. R., & … Teo, H. J. (2015). Changes in Faculty Members’ Instructional Beliefs while Implementing Model-Eliciting Activities. Journal Of Engineering Education, 104(3), 279-302. doi:10.1002/jee.20081

student-centered learning through engagement and buy-in: engage with multimedia

More on student centered learning in this blog:

https://blog.stcloudstate.edu/ims/?s=student+centered+learning&submit=Search

student-centered learning through engagement and buy-in: engage with social media

#3 from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/five-characteristics-of-learner-centered-teaching/

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Attard, A., Di lorio Emma, Geven, K., & Santa, R. (2010, October). Student-Centred Learning Toolkit for students, staff and higher education institutions. Education International. Retrieved from http://pascl.eu/wp-content/uploads/SCL_toolkit_ESU_EI.pdf

universal design

Universal Design for Libraries and Librarians

Instructors: Jessica Olin, Director of the Library, Robert H. Parker Library, Wesley College; and Holly Mabry, Digital Services Librarian, Gardner-Webb University

Offered: April 11 – May 27, 2016
A Moodle based web course with asynchronous weekly content lessons, tutorials, assignments, and groups discussion.

Register Online, page arranged by session date (login required)

Universal Design is the idea of designing products, places, and experiences to make them accessible to as broad a spectrum of people as possible, without requiring special modifications or adaptations. This course will present an overview of universal design as a historical movement, as a philosophy, and as an applicable set of tools. Students will learn about the diversity of experiences and capabilities that people have, including disabilities (e.g. physical, learning, cognitive, resulting from age and/or accident), cultural backgrounds, and other abilities. The class will also give students the opportunity to redesign specific products or environments to make them more universally accessible and usable.

Takeaways
By the end of this class, students will be able to…

  • Articulate the ethical, philosophical, and practical aspects of Universal Design as a method and movement – both in general and as it relates to their specific work and life circumstances
  • Demonstrate the specific pedagogical, ethical, and customer service benefits of using Universal Design principles to develop and recreate library spaces and services in order to make them more broadly accessible
  • Integrate the ideals and practicalities of Universal Design into library spaces and services via a continuous critique and evaluation cycle

 

Here’s the Course Page

Jessica Olin is the Director of the Library, Robert H. Parker Library, Wesley College. Ms. Olin received her MLIS from Simmons College in 2003 and an MAEd, with a concentration in Adult Education, from Touro University International. Her first position in higher education was at Landmark College, a college that is specifically geared to meeting the unique needs of people with learning differences. While at Landmark, Ms. Olin learned about the ethical, theoretical, and practical aspects of universal design. She has since taught an undergraduate course for both the education and the entrepreneurship departments at Hiram College on the subject.

Holly Mabry received her MLIS from UNC-Greensboro in 2009. She is currently the Digital Services Librarian at Gardner-Webb University where she manages the university’s institutional repository, and teaches the library’s for-credit online research skills course. She also works for an international virtual reference service called Chatstaff. Since finishing her MLIS, she has done several presentations at local and national library conferences on implementing universal design in libraries with a focus on accessibility for patrons with disabilities.

Dates:

February 29 – March 31, 2016

Costs:

  • LITA Member: $135
  • ALA Member: $195
  • Non-member: $260

 

Technical Requirements:

Moodle login info will be sent to registrants the week prior to the start date. The Moodle-developed course site will include weekly new content lessons and is composed of self-paced modules with facilitated interaction led by the instructor. Students regularly use the forum and chat room functions to facilitate their class participation. The course web site will be open for 1 week prior to the start date for students to have access to Moodle instructions and set their browser correctly. The course site will remain open for 90 days after the end date for students to refer back to course material.

Registration Information:

Register Online, page arranged by session date (login required)
OR
Mail or fax form to ALA Registration
OR
call 1-800-545-2433 and press 5
OR
email registration@ala.org

learning analytics

ACRL e-Learning webcast series: Learning Analytics – Strategies for Optimizing Student Data on Your Campus

http://www.ala.org/acrl/learninganalytics

Webcast One: Learning Analytics and the Academic Library: The State of the Art and the Art of Connecting the Library with Campus Initiatives
March 29, 2016

Webcast Two: Privacy and the Online Classroom: Learning Analytics, Ethical Considerations, and Responsible Practice
April 13, 2016

Webcast Three: Moving Beyond Counts and Check Marks: Bringing the Library into Campus-Wide Learning Analytics Programs
May 11, 2016

value of higher ed

Chronicle releases report on how students, families look at value of higher ed

http://academica.ca/top-ten/chronicle-releases-report-how-students-families-look-value-higher-ed

PSE institutions are starting to notice changes in the ways that students and their families evaluate the value of higher ed, and the Chronicle of Higher Education has released a new in-depth report looking at what factors influence these judgments. The report, titled Education Under Review: Examining the value of education for student success—in career and life, investigates the importance students and their families place on critical thinking skills, career readiness training, and student debt, among other factors. Among the report’s key findings is that only 13% of student respondents said they believed the higher education system as a whole provided excellent value. Report

tenure and grants

Major US research universities changing tenure decisions due to lack of federal science funding

http://chronicle.com/article/In-an-Era-of-Tighter-Budgets/235814

Large research universities in the US have begun granting tenure to faculty members who have never won a full-sized federal grant, writes Paul Basken for the Chronicle of Higher Education. The author notes that traditionally, winning such a grant was mandatory to be considered for tenure at a major research centre, yet universities are reportedly lifting this requirement as a concession to declining levels of federal funding for science. That said, universities are still hesitant to speak about such hires, as the article notes that “among leaders at a couple of dozen institutions surveyed by The Chronicle, none were willing to identify a single faculty member who had been awarded tenure without first winning a major federal research grant.”

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