iEAR.org - "A Community Effort to Grade Education Apps"

If you have an i-device or a smart phone, you're probably not a stranger to the App Store. You download books, games, and in your downloading, it's crossed your mind that it would be great to also use your device for educational purposes. Well, now you can! I Education Apps Review is a website dedicated to finding and reviewing educational applications.

Want to create voice-recorded flash cards? iVoc Audio has you covered.
What about streamlining your note-taking? Sling Note and Note Shelf have your back.
Have trouble tracking your references and citations? Try Easybib
Need student response systems? There's an app for that too!

For the above apps + many more, check out I Education Apps Review.

Microsoft Launches Windows 8 Consumer Preview With Free Apps

Microsoft has just launched the consumer preview of Windows 8.

Microsoft said, "There are more than 100,000 changes to the OS since the Developers' Preview released in September 2011...Plus, for developers, the big news is that the Visual Studio 11 beta is now available as well."

Download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview App: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/consumer-preview

Check out Visual Studio 11 Beta: http://www.microsoft.com/visualstudio/11/en-us

Little Libraries

Todd Bol, of Hudson, WI, is the creator of Little Libraries. These makeshift structures sit on lawns and house books. People are invited to browse the Little Library's selection and then take a book/leave a book. Bol's friend, Rick Brooks, an outreach program manager for the Division of Continuing Studies at the University of Wisconsin, caught wind of the idea. Together, the two have been working to launch this growing movement.

To learn more about Little Libraries, click here.

"Online and Engaged" - From University Business

University Business published a great article about the steps Pitt Community College is taking to ensure their online courses are successful. The article, "Online and Engaged; How to help ensure student success in online courses—despite research pointing to disengagement of distant learners at community colleges," discusses the system created by Pitt Community College that emphasizes preparation by students and instructors in an online setting.

Prezi Viewer for iPad

by Prezi Inc.
Open iTunes to buy and download the app

Description from the Developer:
View and present your prezis anywhere with simple, intuitive multitouch gestures. Drag to pan and pinch to zoom in or out of topics, just like you do in any map apps. Revise and retouch your prezis, correct typos and adjust your presentation on-the-fly. Prezi Viewer is the perfect companion to your Prezi experience.

What's New in Version 2.7:

• Facebook login
• Correct typos and edit existing texts
• Drag, scale and rotate any object on your canvas
• New show mode with simple path navigation (tap to go next)
• Import Prezi Desktop files (.pez) through iTunes file sharing

Seminar on Copyright, Distance Learning & Open Access Overview

Hosted by the USF-St. Petersburg, the January 2012 Seminar on Copyright, Distance Learning & Open Access explored the educational impact of copyright legislation with two dynamic speakers. Dr. Kenneth Crews, Director, Copyright Advisory Office, Columbia University examined the legal implication of fair legal usage as applied to college libraries and distance learning courses. In contrast, Dr. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law of the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law provided a synopsis and evaluation of international anti-privacy legislation – SOPA and PIPA. Both speakers agree that international forces will impact future legislation. They speculate litigation will prompt colleges to re-examine e-reserves, library photocopying, video streaming, and course packs. To explore the how SOPA legislation impacts HCC, review the Chronicle at http://chronicle.com/article/A-GoodBad-Week-for-Free/130422/

Escape Your Search Engine Filter Bubble

When you do a web search, the results are tailored to what the search engine thinks you would like to see based on your past internet history (past internet searches, things you 'liked' on Facebook, ads you've clicked, etc). While this 'customization' seems useful, it does raise the question, "what are you missing?"

The website Don't Bubble Us explains this phenomenon, as well as a solution.

Check out http://dontbubble.us/ to learn more.

Introducing CITT Interact

CITT Interact is a brand new message board tool was developed to give HCC faculty an opportunity to share ideas. HCC faculty can post messages after logging in, using their HCC NetID. There are 6 forums in which to browse information.

Forums Include:

• Announcements
• Assessment
• Miscellaneous
• MyHCC
• Teaching and Learning Strategies
• Technology

Click here to access CITT Interact!

Introducing the Adjunct Faculty Online Orientation

Transitioning to the role of an adjunct faculty member is exciting. However, it also presents its own set of challenges. To help ease your transition, CITT has developed an Adjunct Faculty Online Orientation.

The Adjunct Faculty Online Orientation covers the following topics:

• Transitioning into Teaching at HCC
• HCC Syllabus Resources
• Engaging Your Students
• Student Evaluation and Grading Policy
• Starting and concluding a course
• HCC Faculty Resources

The Adjunct Faculty Online Orientation can be accessed here: http://citt.hccfl.edu/lectora/afoom/index.html

Faculty Spotlight - John Bacheller

Biology Department
Dale Mabry Campus
Course Range: Traditional, Blended, Hybrid, Online

"I teach for success, not mediocrity."

Capital Course:
Bio 1 (BSC 1010) is the gateway course to the cell and molecular side of Biology. As a survey course it builds the foundation upon which many higher level courses are constructed. For many students this course either stimulates their interest in the content area or scares them away. I enjoy the challenge of providing the spark of passion to fight (work) for understanding (instead of watching their flight from the seemingly impossible to learn).

Optimized Advice:
Start with the basics and add as you go. Your courses should evolve as you learn new techniques and software, and as you learn how your students learn. Utilize the resources available through CITT and your colleagues. Never be satisfied with what you have (course wise).

Teachable Moment:
Student questions that make me think or that show me the student is thinking beyond the basics. Memorizing the content is only the first step in the process of learning. Understanding what you know and applying the knowledge for greater understanding is the true measure of success. These types of questions provide me with the opportunity to encourage this type of behavior, and to model critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Teaching Philosophy:
Teaching is doing the best I can every day to reach every student through a wide variety and combination of learning modalities and pedagogies. In non-school of education language this means challenging each student at their level, and through their learning style(s), to work as hard and as effectively as they can to learn and successfully demonstrate their understanding of the content.

This requires:

1. establishing clear and consistent instructor expectations
2. presenting content in a clear and logical manner, through multiple learning modalities when possible
3. assessing student and class understanding (assessing learning outcomes “on the fly”) and adjusting lessons and re-teaching as necessary
4. working with students on an individual or small group basis to find the correct explanation of a concept that leads to understanding
5. providing students with the skill set necessary for success in an academic environment, and hopefully the “real” world at large

Techno Tool:
I utilize a wide variety of technology tools but my current “best tool ever” is SCORM based learning modules uploaded to Blackboard. SCORM stands for Sharable Content Object Reference Model and is a collection of standards and specifications that allow learning modules generated with 3rd party software to integrate into several LMSs including Blackboard. I am currently using Lectora Inspire to build visually and intellectually engaging learning modules with embedded quizzes that record the student grades in the Blackboard grade book.

Student Success:
Highly detailed lecture notes (PowerPoint) with links to animations, videos, and more detailed/alternative explanations of course content. Students find these notes to be visually stimulating and to provide them with multiple layers of information on content in one, easily accessible location.

Tutorial: How to Hide the Previous Semester's Courses in Blackboard

Want to hide courses that are no longer active/available?

Then, follow these quick and painless steps: http://citt.hccfl.edu/files/bb_hidecourse.pdf.

Hiding the course does not compromise the course's content. You can re-show courses at any time.