What is My Mediasite? Isn’t it Desktop Recording?

My Mediasite What it does

My Mediasite  provides tools for managing your recordings.  All faculty have access to My Mediasite and the ability to download the Desktop Recorder.  Even if you do not use desktop recordings you are able to manage your semester recordings via the  My Mediasite  web page. By clicking on the title of your presentation you can Edit its title, availability, add descriptions, external links and add polls.

Analytics on a recording can be found here which includes information as to who watched, how long, when, etc.

Editing of content is available via  My Mediasite , clip the beginning, end or middle of the presentation.  Add chapters for quick reference.

Contact OET for more information and to integrate with your course!

Mediasite Web Editor

Project, Read Notes, Annotate and Advance Slides =

SLIDESHARK!  Per their website  “SlideShark is the leading app for viewing and sharing PowerPoint® content on the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. With SlideShark, mobile users can easily view and present PowerPoint slides the way they were meant to be seen—with animations, fonts, colors, graphics, hyperlinks and videos intact.”

By using the broadcast feature to the computer in the classroom you can control your presentation via your IPad – see your slide notes, timers, animation counter and next/previous slides.  Go to the app store to download and stop by me office for a demo!

Kudos to Christine Lysaght from PT for bringing this neat feature to my attention!

Android users I have not found a similar app, any suggestions?

Web conferencing at your fingertips! Real time interaction!

And also at your students’ fingertips.  Centra now known as SabaMeeting has recently completed an upgrade which allows you to use the desktop interface with all the new features that were added to the browser interface last summer! 

You will need to install a small SabaMeeting program on your computer the first time that you join an event; however, as long as you have permission to install programs on your computer, this installation should be fairly straightforward. This will avoid the Java issue which occurred when using the browser interface.

Your students are also able to create SabaMeeting events themselves this year, so be sure to remind them to take advantage of this opportunity to virtually collaborate with others on group assignments.

Contact OET for a demo session and more information!

Need to Know?

Is there some technology you need to learn about or that your students need to become familiar with?  Well check out Lynda.com’s library of resources.  lynda.com is an online learning company that helps anyone learn software, design, and business skills to achieve their personal and professional goals. ECU has a subscription and it is available to you and your students.

Request an account using this link
https://ecu.az1.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_2fX43o1UGmgr9BP

  1. Faculty will be able to share content with students using the playlist feature.  See the How to Use lynda.com video to get started.
  2. Faculty and students sign in using their Pirate ID/passphrase.**If either your students or faculty have an existing lynda.com account, we recommend that they merge accounts on the initial login.
  3. Faculty and students can contact the IT Help Desk for assistance.

Clickers Anywhere?

Anywhere Polling available via Turning Point application (available in all classrooms) lets you poll over any applications such as a web page, PDF< streaming video, etc.  

Anywhere Polling also allows you to poll verbal, on-the-fly questions at anytime during your presentation and it works on Mac’s or PC’s!

You do need a receiver and clickers, open the content to be polled, open Turning Point, Select Anywhere Polling, click open to start polling and close to display the results.  It is that easy!

Why not try it out these last days of the semester or include it this summer!  Stop by OET for a demo or to learn more!

Did you know? Just a couple of PPT Hints!

Turning Photos into PowerPoint Slide Shows

To turn your digital pictures into PowerPoint slide shows:

bullet Select Insert from the pull-down menu
bullet Click on the Picture menu option
bullet Click on New Photo Album
bullet Select pictures from the Photo Album dialog box
bullet Click the Create button

Using Hyperlinks in PowerPoint

When adding a hyperlink to a presentation, be careful that the target of the hyperlink is available. If you are giving the presentation offsite using a laptop, all the targets need to be on the laptop as well, unless your laptop is actively connected to the Internet. A good alternative is to copy Web site documents you think you will need to your laptop and hyperlink to those documents. The advantage is that you don’t have to depend on getting a good connection to the Internet at your offsite location

Blackboard Enhancements! and something for fun!

Some Blackboard enhancements you will find in May –

  • Build a profile, have students do this task and it completes the old homepage assignment and appears in all courses.
  • Calendar is intuitive, enter a due date on assignments, tests and will automaticallly enter on the calendar.  Drag and drop items as well!
  • Discussion Forum can be set up that until a student posts an item they can’t see what others have already posted.
  • Inline grading on files submitted.
  • Exceptions by students on test taking times, availability and attempts.
  • Retention center lets you set rules to follow student progress.

Faculty Intro/Overview Video (6 min)

Quick intro videos – http://blog.ecu.edu/sites/blackboard/blog/2013/11/14/blackboard-sp13-pilot-information/ 

and now that you have worked here are 15 things you didn’t know your IPhone could do!

Just for fun!

1. Passcode with letters instead of numbers
2. Siri can read your e-mails to you
3. Timestamps on texts
4. Find out what planes are flying above you
5. Shake to undo and redo texts
6. More detailed calendar
7. Double tap the shift key for caps lock
8. Use your phone as a level
9. Turn off in-app purchases
10. Burst photos
11. The em-dash exists
12. Shoot a photo with the volume button
13. Use your Apple earbuds
14. Custom vibrations
15. Airplane Mode = faster recharge

Staying Safe!

This article “The paranoid’s survival guide“ touched on some key points for keeping identity and data safe.
The basics: Six standard operating procedures for online behavior
Draw the line: Decide what’s personal
Don’t share your personal information — even when asked
Lie. About. Everything.
Create personal and professional personas
Understand how much you’re paying before signing up for “free” apps and online services
Delete your unused online accounts

Tips for surfing the Web silently

Block “third-party” cookies
Go private with your browsing
Use anti-tracking software
Use HTTPS whenever possible

So what’s next?

Interesting article from Campus Technology “The 6 Most Important Technologies To Impact Teaching and Learning in the Next 5 Years“.

These technologies include virtual assistants, flipped classrooms, gamification, the quantified self and 3-D printing.  Many of our faculty are using the flipped classroom mode check out the article for more information on using this teaching mode and those who are using it please share a comment on this blog!

Here is a interesting article on flipping! With lots of additional links!

Great info in this article.

Lync – what does it do?

Or rather what does it not do?  This program which loads on many of our computers is an easy-to-use and versatile communication tool.

Available to students, faculty and staff, Lync integrates seamlessly with email, calendar and the ECU address book to allow instant text messages, video conferences, online presentations and more. Lync also allows collaborative desktop sharing for quick project edits and live brainstorming.

One of the most-requested Lync features is the ability to invite non-ECU participants to a meeting or presentation. Click below to find out more or contact OET for assistance!

lync