Academic Technology Lunch and Learn Workshops

This semester we are offering four talks on topics including public and collaborative writing, Powerpoint and other presentation tools, Google Earth, and GIS (geographic information systems).  Each talk is intended to provide an overview of a specific technology or technology practice, with examples of real use cases, in order to encourage further discussion on the topic and, ultimately, collaboration with ATS to deliver courses that use these technologies.  If you are at all interested in these topics, please join us for lunch and conversation – a schedule is included below.  RSVP is suggested but not required.

 

Public and Collaborative Writing

Tuesday, September 23rd from 11:30-12:20 and again from 12:30-1:20,

Bosler 214

Several of the new web 2.0 tools, including blogs, wikis, Google docs, and Google sites, have become popular on campus as a means for writing and publishing online. Their flexibility, ease of use, and tools for collaboration have made them popular for distributing multimedia to students as well as providing students tools to work together on projects or writing assignments.  We'll look at several examples of each and discuss when they may be preferable to other platforms for writing and multimedia presentation such as Word and the Blackboard discussion board.

PowerPoint and other Presentation Tools

Wednesday, October 15th from 11:30-12:20 and again from 12:30-1:20,

Bosler 214

More and more students expect a PowerPoint slide show -- and print-outs -- to accompany any in-class presentation.  On the other hand, faculty often have mixed feelings about the tool the Edward Tufte claims "makes you stupid."  In this talk, we will discuss some simple but effective approaches to using PowerPoint as a tool to generate discussion, keep students engaged in class, and helping those with more visual learning styles.   We will also look at some alternatives to PowerPoint.

Google Earth

Tuesday, November 4th from 11:30-12:20 and again from 12:30-1:20,

Bosler 214

 

Download the example Google Earth file with examples and links

Google Earth allows users to embed and display information on top of a representation of the world created via satellite photos.  We'll go over basic navigation as well as Google sponsored layers, including historical maps and government data bundled with the latest release of Google Earth.  Finally, we'll demonstrate how you can enter your own text and images, then attach them to a location.

GIS

Wednesday December 3rd from 11:30-12:20 and again from 12:30-1:20,

Bosler 214

GIS (Geographic Information System) is a way of capturing, analyzing, and displaying data in a spatial manner.  While Google Earth may be able to perform some of these functions, SIRSI, the GIS software supported on campus, allows for the entry and analysis of much larger and sophisticated data sets.  Several faculty in geology and environmental studies are already using this software for their classes or research.  Our new GIS specialist, James Ciarrocca, will show how faculty from departments across the curriculum can use GIS to display information spatially in a manner that is accessible for everyone.