Media Resources Center: WSU

elearning Roundtable Discussion

2012-01-27T09:41:00.001-08:00

"Most of us are, presumably, the products of compulsory educational practices that were developed during the Industrial Revolution. And the way most of us teach is a relic of the steam age; it is designed to support a factory system by cultivating 'attention, timeliness, standardization, hierarchy, specialization, and metrics,' [Cathy] Davidson said [at a keynote speech for the Humanities, Arts, Sciences, and Technology Advanced Collaboratory]…. Human beings don't function like machines, and it takes a lot of discipline—what we call "classroom management"—to make them conform. Crucial perspectives are devalued and rejected, stifling innovation, collaboration, and diversity.

"Now the Internet offers a radical expansion of… liberation: It challenges institutional authority, it's uncontrolled, and it has the potential to disrupt existing hierarchies, opening up new fields of vision, and enabling us to see things that we habitually overlook." - William Pannapacker, "Invisible Gorillas Are Everywhere," The Chronicle of Higher Education, January 23, 2012.

Come discuss these ideas along with the rest of the article (available by following this link to the Chronicle of Higher Education) in our first elearning Roundtable, Wednesday, February 1, 12:00 PM – 12:50 PM in the Flexible Learning Space 35 in the Media Resources Center.

Spring Training Schedule Announced

2011-12-05T13:58:00.000-08:00

The Media Resources Center has announced their spring semester training schedule. Some new topics are being offered, including for the Blackboard Rubric tool and Panopto Unison. Other trainings being offered include a variety of Blackboard topics, Panopto Focus and Respondus. Please visit the elearning Resource Hub and click on the Training and Events Calendar to see the entire schedule and find information on how to register.

Panopto Unison

2011-12-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

A new tool allowing the uploading of videos and then streamed is now available for faculty and staff. Panopto Unison is a powerful video content manager that accepts most popular video formats and allows for easy linking or embedding in Blackboard or a website. To learn more please visit the MRC's Panopto website or contact Chad Sloan at chad.sloan@wichita.edu.

Application to Teach in FLS 35

2011-12-05T13:54:00.000-08:00

We are looking for faculty/instructors who wish to take advantage of both the technology and the flexible environment in their teaching and student learning by having classes meet in the Media Resources Center’s new Flexible Learning Space 35.

About the space:
The Flexible Learning Space is configurable and suitable for webinars, HD videoconferencing, trainings, meetings, group work and more. The space holds approximately 35 participants though the capacity may be slightly more depending on seating and/or need for seating at tables. The room may be configured or customized by the user as desired.

For more information about the furniture and equipment visit: http://www.wichita.edu/fls.

How do I apply?
To apply, applicants may simply email a one page description of how they would utilize the space to Corey Ray (corey.ray@wichita.edu). Particular attention to technology and furniture “teaching scenarios” should be included in the description. Applicants should highlight why the space would offer more to them than a traditional Master or Projector Plus Classroom.

Deadline for Application is December 22, 2011.

What are the requirements?
Class participants (students and instructors) will agree to be surveyed 2 times by the MRC (middle and end of semester). The MRC may also request to record or photograph sessions to capture the experiences of participants. Additionally, faculty/instructors will be asked to provide a 1-2 page summary report about their experience which may be shared with future applicants and used to improve future experiences in the facility.

When is the space available?
For the purposes of this program, the space is available from 8-5, M-F. Other times may be available via request. Contact the MRC for more information.

I don’t want to teach all my classes there, but I am interested in some.
Preference will be given to those applications requesting regular class schedules. Requests for a limited number of uses or a one-time-only use will be considered on a space available basis.

Can I use my own laptop/iPad/equipment?
The room is capable of supporting personal equipment via digital/analog connections. iPads may also take advantage of apps to connect wirelessly to the room desktop as a remote kiosk.

Will training or support be provided?
Support will be provided for room technology and space configuration. Faculty will be given training and an overview of how the room works and can be configured and may choose to teach with or without room-based support as desired.

MRC Open House, November 15th

2011-11-11T14:25:00.000-08:00

MRC Open House

2011-09-23T10:53:00.000-07:00

See the Possibility

Thursday, September 29, 1:30 - 3:00pm

Join us at the Media Resources Center for our Open House. See our new space and find out how we are pushing the limits of what is possible at Wichita State and beyond.

Panopto Unison

2011-09-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Panopto Unison provides hosting, editing, remixing, captioning, and streaming of high-quality video from an array of sources such as Flip cameras with a YouTube style upload. It utilizes the same security and integration with Blackboard as Panopto Focus as well as the ability to share securely with WSU users, the public or as an embed in websites/courses. Ideal for past recordings, student interviews, student teaching recordings, public speeches and more. It is currently available to use.

Here are a couple links that can help you get started. Please visit the elearning Resource Hub for more information.

How to Upload video files from the New Sessions page

How to Upload files from the Editor (Composer Mode)

Panopto Upgrade

2011-08-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Panopto will be unavailable on Wednesday, August 10th from 7am to 11am for a maintenance upgrade.

This upgrade will prompt users to upgrade their recorder the next time Panopto is opened.

Some of the changes included a new recorder interface, improved editing, subfolders, auto-syncing of class' lists.

Click here to see all of the changes coming with this new Panopto upgrade.

There will be two sessions going over some of these upgrades on Wednesday, August 17th from noon to 1pm and Thursday, August 18th from 10am to 11am in the Wireless Learning Space at the MRC. No registration is required.

Blackboard, elearning trainings announced

2011-08-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

The Media Resources Center is offering trainings on a variety of Blackboard subjects, Panopto and other elearning topics. These sessions are hands on, allowing participants to use the software while being instructed. To see the whole list of training sessions and how to register, visit www.wichita.edu/elearning and click on Training and Events Calendar.

New Wichita State YouTube Channel

2011-05-20T12:03:00.000-07:00

The WSU campus community has a new resource for sharing innovative ideas and knowledge that you help create every day. A WichitaStateTV site has been created inside YouTube EDU. (http://www.youtube.com/wichitastatetv) This will be a place to upload longer form videos (>15 mins.) that contain educational topics generated at WSU. The videos will be stored in the YouTube cloud and can be streamed by users from all over the world. Click here to read the guidelines that have been developed to keep the site in compliance with YouTube EDU. Videos to be approved for upload should be brought to the attention of Mike Wood, Executive Director of the MRC, at extension 7750 (mike.wood@wichita.edu).

Holman Screenwriting Award Announced

2011-04-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

The winner of the 2011 Holman Screenwriting Award has been announced. Luke Geddes, a graduate student in the Department of English, will receive a $500 prize for his screenplay, The Brill Building.

Luke will graduate from Wichita State University this spring with an MFA in Creative Writing. While taking classes, he has been a Graduate Teaching Assistant, teaching English Composition and Introduction to Creative Writing. Luke describes himself as, “…primarily a prose fiction writer,” having published short stories in literary journals including Hayden's Ferry Review, Gargoyle, Pank, and Jabberwock Review. He was awarded the Stephen C. Barr Endowed Fellowship at WSU and will begin his Ph.D. in English and Creative Writing at the University of Cincinnati in the fall.

Luke’s screenplay is set in the iconic Brill Building, in New York City, during the early Sixties. The central characters are part of the pop music scene, creating, “…shooby doobies and da do ron rons.” There’s tension in the air as the writers and producers sense a change in musical tastes. New sounds are coming out of Greenwich Village.

“Luke Geddes has a clear sense of character and place,” said Mike Wood, director of the Film Studies Certificate Program at WSU. “His dialogue is some of the most natural that I’ve read.”

This is the ninth time that the award has been given. It is made possible by an endowment from Eldon and Carol Holman. Mrs. Holman was the director of WSU’s Media Resources Center from 1956 to 1978.

Holman Screenwriting Competition

2011-03-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

The Media Resources Center and the Film Studies Certificate Program at WSU have announced a student competition in screenwriting. A $500 check will be presented to a currently-enrolled student who writes the best screenplay. The deadline is April 1, 2011. The screenplay can be any length (a short or a feature) and should follow screenplay formatting standards. Ablah Library has many copies of contemporary screenplays on its shelves. An optional one-hour workshop will be offered on Thursday, March 10th, from 1:00 to 2:00 pm in the MRC. Contact mike.wood@wichita.edu for details.

Carol Holman was, for 22 years, the founding director of WSU’s Media Resources Center. Following the deaths of Carol and her husband Elton, their estate established an endowed fund for the MRC, and the decision was made to recognize their contributions to education and the arts by creating a Screenwriting Competition. While Mrs. Holman began the MRC with an inventory of 16mm film projectors—modest in comparison to today’s collection of DVD players, plasma screens, and laptop computers—she would recognize that a solid script is still the foundation for effective storytelling, no matter what the medium.

New Instructional Designer

2010-09-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Dr. Mark Porcaro, recently began working at WSU’s Media Resource Center in August, 2010. As Instructional Designer, he works with faculty to help them build and develop online courses. In conjunction with the Office for Faculty Development and Student Success, he promotes strategies for good online course design and teaching. Mark has been working in online learning since 2000, having assisted various academic departments and libraries at Brigham Young University (UT), the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Muskegon Community College (MI), and most recently, the University of Dayton (OH).

Mark received a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Brigham Young University, and a M.A and Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He has taught music courses at BYU, UNC, Muskegon Community College, and University of Dayton. He received an Online Teaching Certification from the Educational Teleconsortium of Michigan in 2006 and has had training in instructional design from Florida State College Jacksonville.

You can reach Dr. Porcaro at 316-978-7787 or by email at mark.porcaro@wichita.edu.

Blackboard 9 Training

2010-08-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

Wichita State will upgrade to Blackboard 9 for the spring 2011 semester. The MRC and New Media department will begin offering trainings on Blackboard 9 beginning in September. The majority of the trainings will focus on the overall changes and look of Blackboard 9, but we will also be offering sessions on the Grade Center, Content Management, and the Assignment Tools. Please visit the my9 webpage to learn more about Blackboard 9 and more information about the upcoming trainings.

Panopto Announcement

2010-08-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

Panopto has been chosen as the new lecture capture software for the Wichita State campus. Panopto is available now for faculty and staff to use. Panopto is replacing Tegrity, with access to Tegrity ending in December 2010. For more information on Panopto and to learn about training opportunities please visit www.wichita.edu/panopto.

Renovations at MRC

2010-07-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

After 20 years of service, the ITV room at the MRC is being renovated. The room will be transformed into a bigger and better video production studio and become the new home of Studio B.

The current Studio B will be renovated into a new interactive classroom and space in the Spring semester of 2011. This new space will be the new home of many of the activities that the ITV room hosted.

The ITV room first opened in 1990. It was home to many ITV classes, videoconferences, webinars, general use meetings, and countless other events. The room served as a valuable resource for the MRC and campus community, but we are excited about the renovations and are looking forward to our new rooms.

iPhone App for StudyMate Class available

2010-05-10T09:30:00.000-07:00

StudyMate users can now access their material on their iPhone or iTouch via the StudyMate Class app.

You will need to download the app via the iTunes store.

To learn more about the StudyMate app click here.

Blackboard 9 is coming to Wichita State

2010-05-10T08:38:00.000-07:00

MRC New Media staff are busy making preparations to upgrade Blackboard from version 8 to version 9.1 in late December 2010.

There are many new features including built-in wikis, blogs and drag-and-drop capabilities.

To learn more about all the new features and the transition schedule, visit the my9 webpage.

New HD videoconferencing room

2010-04-27T07:21:00.000-07:00

Thanks to a grant from NSF Epscor, the Media Resources Center has a new High-Definition videoconferencing room. The VC Meeting room is equipped with a Polycom HDX 9002, HD projector, and stereo sound.

To learn more about this room and other videoconference rooms available at the MRC, visit our videoconference page.

3rd Reboot Camp Starting Soon

2010-04-26T14:33:00.000-07:00

Fourteen faculty members will take part in the 3rd Reboot camp starting May 24th.

Reboot Camp helps faculty members turn their traditional face-to-face courses into online courses. They learn about Blackboard and other online tools they can incorporate into an online course.

Professors from Liberal Arts and Sciences, Fine Arts, Engineering, Business, Education, and Health Professions will be participating.

iLearn on an iPad

2010-04-26T14:26:00.000-07:00

Come see a demonstration of using Apple's new iPad or the iTouch for elearning such as accessing Blackboard via the new Mobile Learning app, using the StudyMate app to view the interactive self-assessment activities, viewing library resources, and more.

This is open to faculty, staff and students and will be held in the Wireless Learning Space at the Media Resources Center on April 29th at 1pm.

ReBoot Camp starting at MRC

2010-01-07T09:17:00.000-08:00

Thirteen Wichita State faculty will be attending five days of Reboot Camp, beginning January 11th. They will be converting a course from face-to-face to online delivery.

MRC Staff and others will provide tips and insight on how to transfer their content to an online class. ReBoot campers will learn more about Blackboard and other online tools.

Tegrity Updates

2009-12-23T10:01:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the new features in Tegrity's December update.

Tegrity Connect - lets students exchange knowledge with other students in real-time.

New iPhone application - newly designed native iPhone application with media rich interface supporting the search and review of class recordings.

Major Performance Enhancements - index thumbnails load up to 800% faster, and search results appear up to 400% faster.

Usability Enhancements - clearer indication of "Pause" and "No Audio" on the Tegrity recorder and shorter URL's for class recording links.

Upgraded Tegrity Recorder for Mac - enhancements include full 64-bit Snow Leopard support, the ability to upload recordings in the background, and auto-updates.

Improved Windows 7 support - support for 64-bit machines running Windows 7.

To learn more about Tegrity, visit the our Tegrity information page.

elearning Spring training dates announced.

2009-12-16T06:59:00.000-08:00

The elearning Resource Hub has announed their spring 2010 training dates. We will be offering many of our traditional Blackboard trainings, but also some new trainings including using an iPhone or iTouch in the classroom.

Please visit the elearning Resource Hub and click on Events Calendar to see the entire schedule and information on how to sign up.

Don't Be Caught Off Guard by H1N1

2009-09-29T07:54:00.000-07:00

The elearning Resources Hub is offering a four training sessions to help professors be prepared if the H1N1 virus comes to the Wichita State campus and causes lengthy time away for professors or students. The sessions will help professors learn ways to continue to teach their class online. All sessions will be held in the Wireless Learning Space at the Media Resources Center. You are invited to bring your lunch if you woud like.

Resources to Teach if H1N1 Strikes - Thursday, October 8th 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
- Learn about tools available for teaching and learning online.

Nuts and Bolts of Blackboard - Thursday, October 15th 12:00 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
- Learn about Online Posting documents, navigating the Grade Center, managing announcements and more.
Assessment and Grading Online - Thursday, October 22nd 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
- Learn about Quizzing, LockDown Browser (for secure testing), SafeAssignment (for academic integrity), Self and Peer Assessment, StudyMate (for student self-assessment activities) and using the Grade Center.

Lecturing and Communication Tools - Thursday, October 29th 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
- Learn about Tegrity (for lecture recording), Wimba Pronto (for text and voice chat), Discussion Board (for asynchronous communication) and more.

To register, log in to myWSU, select the Help for Faculty/Staff tab, click on Blackboard/elearning Training Registration, then click Schedule in the Training Opportunities box and select the session you wish to attend and click Submit.

Tegrity Updates

2009-08-28T14:31:00.001-07:00

Tegrity Campus 2.0 has been updated and there are new features now available that we wanted to make you aware of. Some of these include:

Video for Macs
- Mac users can now record video along with their screen recording in a Tegrity lecture.

Ability to send questions to the professor
- Students can easily flag and email a specific point in a lecture (and an associated question) to their professor or fellow student. The recipient simply clicks the attached link to start the playback at that point.

Tegrity Bookmarks
- Tegrity Bookmarks enable students to “set” bookmarks during class by clicking a single key on their iPods, iPhones, browser-enabled cell phones or regular browsers. Students can set bookmarks to denote “action items” for later review, referencing specific points they didn’t understand or information that seemed critical for a test. Later, when reviewing classes with Tegrity Campus, the student can easily navigate to these bookmarks, check them off after review, and set new ones.
Instructors can also set bookmarks to highlight key points for the entire class, for example, to flag items to be tested. By setting public bookmarks, students and instructors can collaborate around the content, creating a content (class)-centric discussion board.

Improved student recording workflow
- Not only can students record with Tegrity, but the instructor controls whether student recordings can be viewed by the Professor alone, the entire class, or only a portion of the class. This degree of personalization is only possible with Tegrity dataset integration.

Twitter from the elearning Resource Hub

2009-08-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

The elearning Resource Hub now has a Twitter site where you can follow us for Blackboard/Tegrity services updates, training/event notices, and more!

Go to http://www.twitter.com/elearninghub for view tweets, follow us, or subscribe to an RSS feed.

StudyMate Assessment Tool Licensed for Blackboard

2009-08-07T11:51:00.001-07:00

StudyMate Class Server and StudyMate author have been licenses for use with Blackboard. The solution is one of many licensed from Respondus which includes an offline test/survey manager tool for Blackboard as well as Respondus LockDown Browser.

For more information on StudyMate or Respondus including sessions and access visit http://www.wichita.edu/elearning.