CIT Quarterly Newsletter - July 2012
Exciting Time for Faculty Participating at the iPad3 Innovative Teaching Program
 The Innovative Teaching Programhas started and we have 30+ faculty selected to receive an iPad, each to be committed to a 12 hours of instruction, and collegial conversations on innovative teaching strategies using the gadget. Work-in-progress are documented online. If you are interested, visit us online at ipad.wiki.usfca.edu. [View Gallery]
Report on CIT Tech Intensives
This year, the CIT Tech Intensives Program during the first two weeks of June had attracted more than 70 faculty and staff to the training center. We see a high level of interests in digital storytelling, Blackboard, social media, and using iPad. Feedback was highly positive, and that the time we offered these trainings was noted as "the best time of the year" for Faculty. We hope to continue offering new classes every year, so if you were not able to make it this time around, remember to sign up early in 2013!
Turnitin in Blackboard – Add quick audio feedback!
 The University subscribes toTurnitin.com. It is a service that provides “Originality Reports” for assignments submitted by students. In a Blackboard course, instructors can easily add a Turnitin Assignment.
Once students have submitted their assignments, instructors can review the “Originality Report”. Then using the GradeMark feature, instructors can provide written and/or audio feedback to individual students. With a microphone (most Mac computers have an internal mic) instructors can quickly record up to 3 minutes of comments. Learn more about the feedback option of Turnitin at the Blackboard wiki -http:/blackboard9.wiki.usfca.edu/turnitin.
Blackboard Turnitin and Grademark
It is very easy to add a Turnitin Assignment to any Blackboard course site.
Simply select any Content Area (like Assignments) and in the toolbar options, choose Create Assessment. Then select the Turnitin Assignment and follow the prompts to create your Turnitin Assignment.
Click here to watch a short video on creating a Turnitin Assignment.
Student submissions are found in the course Control Panel > Course Tools > Turntin Assignments. After the students have submitted their assignment, instructors can review the submission and offer online feedback to the students using Turnitin’s GradeMark feature.
iPad App - Look! No VGA Connecter!
 Presenting and showing content on the iPad usually meant connecting the iPad in the smart classroom to the projector via the iPad VGA connecter. I often have been asked the question, “what about wireless projection?”. We have looked into trying the Apple TV, apps developed by the projector manufacturers, but nothing seemed to work elegantly. One intriguing solution is from Airserver, which provides a software to connect your iPad to the projector wirelessly. The software is not installed on the iPad but rather on the computer connected to the projector. On the iPad, simply connect via Airplay to the computer to mirror whatever is showing on your iPad to the screen. Check out the video for a demo. Yes, it is still a workaround to the wireless projection question, but so far I have seen it to be the most seamless way to project from the iPad and to free yourself from the podium.
Ask An Instructional Designer
 When designing a new online course with a brick and mortar instructor, sometimes I may get the skeptical question: how is my online lecture different from my in class lecture? Of course a lecture is a lecture whether live or canned, and differences lay in the context of the delivery. In the in-class environment, a student may chime in at any point and ask for clarification (given that instructor was open to that), thereby adding to the knowledge and building it collectively-- this is a good thing. But the idea in an online course is that a lecture, a form of content delivery, could become whatever we would like it to be. Delivering content doesn't just have to be prattling away over slides of information that could be found anywhere. Content should be interactive. Learning should be collective and exploratory. Today we have long list of options for designing online learning environments and experiences, from a variety of learning management systems (Blackboard, Desire2Learn, Moodle, Angel, Instructure Canvas), to presentation tools (VoiceThreads, Jing, Prezi, Youtube, etc), to collaboration tools (anything Web 2.0, Skype, Adobe Connect, desktop sharing applications, social networking, Google Docs, Wikis, etc). So in answer to the question, how is an online lecture different than an in-class lecture, my response is that the difference rests in our creativity and willingness to explore. As an instructor at USF you would like to explore different modes of content delivery, you are more than welcome to contact the CIT and request a consultation.
Recipients of Exemplary Course Redesign
 Two monetary awards of $1500 each is awarded to Professor Monica Hudson, School of Business, and Professor Brad Washington, School of Arts and Sciences. Both recipients have successfully designed an exemplary course in Blackboard based upon the guidelines specified in the program rubric, and excelling on all areas of the rubric. Congratulations!
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Director's Note - iPad versus a Laptop
As the CIT embarks on its 3rd iPad study with the Innovative Teaching Program, the selected participants are charged with considering how the iPad can be used in the classroom. One of the participating faculty asked a very common question: “how the iPad is different from a laptop?” After pondering over this question, several differences come to mind, notably: portability, interactivity, and apps. The iPad weighs about 1.5 lbs, making it a very portable device for classroom use to easily share media, as well as using it in the field, clinical setting, or transporting from home to school. The iPad is also interactive. With its high resolution touch screen, users can interact with learning content and media like very few other devices. Lastly, the iPad is running the iOS platform, which provides iPad users with over 225,000 apps to choose from, ranging from productivity, multimedia, communication and educational. The iPad may not replace a laptop but it can be another great tool in the classroom.
- John Bansavich
Twitter @usfcit
If you like educational technologies, and would like to join our team here, follow us on Twitter @usfcit. We use the Twitter space to share with you all different kinds of things we come across day-in, day-out. And we cannot wait to see what you have to share with us too! Let's all twitter away!
Online Training with lynda.com
Using lynda.com, university members can now improve their technology skills by accessing the hundreds of high-quality tutorials, including Microsoft Office, Adobe, Blackboard, SPSS, and many more. This service is accessible through USFconnect, under the Learning Technologies tab. Questions? Email us. [IMPORTANT: Do not attempt to login directly through the lynda.com website. This service is accessible only through single-sign-on in USFconnect.]
Training Calendar and register online. Our training calendar is updated quarterly. Group training and individual training are available.
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