PennEduTech

Many instructors want to get their students involved in contributing content to web sites for class projects; in some cases, they want the students to build a site from scratch.  IT support staff (such as myself) are typically reluctant to provision resources on University systems for such projects.  Setting up and maintaining sites can consume a lot of staff effort, plus there are concerns about system security, managing permissions, etc.

Fortunately, there are now lots of ways that instructors can have students build web sites using free services that are available to the public.  Below are links for just a few of these services.

Of course, before creating assignments that will generate publicly-viewable web sites, instructors need to make sure that the assignment will not invite students to disclose confidential or personal information.  I’ll have more about that topic in my next post.

http://www.blogger.com

It’s easy for students to create accounts and start posting within just a few minutes.
OK, a blog is not the same thing as a “web site,” but in many cases it gets the job done.  It’s one of the easiest ways to get information posted in a timely way.  Contributors can post to their blogs via email, making it possible for them update content from almost anywhere via mobile devices

http://sites.google.com/

Google Sites lets almost anyone build a site without having to know HTML.  Everything the students need to do happens in a standard web browser, so there’s no need for special software like Dreamweaver.  Many students already have google accounts, so they can get started quickly.

http://www.webs.com/

Webs  is another free service which provides an impressive array of supported features, including calendars, photo galleries, forums, various widgets, statistics tracking and much more.  Sites created through webs.com will include an advertising banner, but if you can live with that,  it’s a great resource.

http://freehostia.com/

Is an internet hosting site that offers a basic service tier for free with no advertising; there is a $10 per year fee for registering a domain name (e.g.  myclassproject.org). This is a good choice for those who want the complete flexibility for developing a site from scratch, without having to use preformatted templates, etc.  It requires that users understand how to transfer files via FTP, etc.   But it does offer a traditional Unix hosting environment for free for sites which don’t need a lot of storage space of expect large numbers of visitors; sites can be upgraded to accommodate more space and traffic for reasonable fees.

Editor’s note: This blog entry was written by Cathy Turner, Associate Director, Center for Teaching and Learning.

I want to draw everyone’s attention to a recent Almanac article that Zack Lesser, an Assistant Professor in the English Department, wrote about how he chose to use technology in the classroom. Dr. Lesser calls on all of us to think first about why we would use technology before we get excited about the “bells and whistles.” It is also fantastic that this essay is about successful use of technology in a Shakespeare class and worth reading for how he transformed his class.

He also discusses his experiences in the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Teaching with Technology Seminar.  These seminars are discussion groups aimed exclusively at faculty where they can discuss why they use technology in their classes.  There are people on hand who help with questions about how to use the technology but the real focus is how technology can benefit student learning. These events are a useful place to send faculty who are interested in using technology or who want to use technology more effectively to engage students. I would advocate sending any faculty who use PowerPoint to the upcoming event on PowerPoint (Monday October 20 from 2:00-3:30 in the seminar room of the Weigle Information Commons). I used to malign PowerPoint but after the conversation with Drs. Mike Kaplan (Biology) and Jay McInerny (Classical Studies) I have come to see how it can be a great tool for engaging students (rather than letting them sleep in the dark while the slides pass by).

Several Penn folks from different schools have been meeting every so often to discuss Second Life and other virtual worlds. Here at the Weigle Information Commons, we have rented some space on a library-focused island – this SL space looks much like the real commons with a central conference area suitable for a class or meeting of up to 20 people and two data diner booths with six seats each. Three video screens in the space can play any quicktime video on the web. We welcome interested folks to join the Penn Libraries group and start to hold events in Second Life.

So far, we have held several beginner workshops (how to walk, chat and fly in Second Life) and one building workshop by the builder of our space, Tim Allen. There seems to be broad interest in Second Life as people try to figure out what role it could play at Penn. Our online resource links to some educational resources.

This Halloween, we will try our first SL event – an avatar contest to go with the Penn Reading Project’s Inner Fish activities. Do you have suggestions on how to reach students who may be interested in Second Life avatar building?

Editor’s note: This blog entry was written by Lisa Minetti, Curriculum Design and Assessment Specialist at the College of Liberal and Professional Studies.

As we increasingly need to collaborate with each other across space and time, getting together with peers and colleagues gets more and more complicated. We’ve got a free tool that might make your life a bit easier: Yugma.

Yugma, whose name in Sanskrit means roughly “the state of togetherness”, is a free web conferencing tool that’s been gaining popularity in both business and academic worlds. Its key features include:

• Desktop Sharing
  Allows you to share your computer screen with others, no matter what application, software or operating system you’re using at the time. You can also share mouse and keyboard controls at anytime, so creating slides or reports together flows smoothly.
• Teleconferencing via telephone, Skype or other VoIP apps
  If you don’t have cell phone minutes to spare, or find yourself working in a quiet space, you can communicate via text in the chat window.
• Presentation Tools
  Highlight what you’re presenting and brainstorm your ideas using intuitive whiteboard drawing tools. You can save it all in a digital format you can review later or share with others.

You can use the free version of the tool to collaborate with up to ten people at a time. Click here to learn more and set up an account.

The College of General Studies hopes to receive a number of education accounts (with additional features such as recording) to share with faculty, students and administrators in the Penn community. Contact me if you’d like to try out a version of the tool with more features.

How could this tool help YOU? Have you used any similar tools you’d like to share? Have any ideas for how you might use the tool to improve engagement?