jkarianjah September 27th, 2007
Lee LeFever on Del.icio.us, which is a social bookmarking website that makes sharing information so much easier.
You can also create similar groups with Searchles. Check out this video on how to create a TV channel with feeds from blip.tv ,MySpace and other social networking websites.
Laura Blankenship September 26th, 2007
Another fun-filled episode. We talk email, lolcats, Google book and infoboards.
Relevant links:
Google books text feature (try using the text select feature on this page)
Laura Blankenship September 26th, 2007
For those of you unable to attend last week’s presentation on social software, here are a few resources from the talk:
Laura Blankenship September 26th, 2007
Following up on Catherine’s post about Google presentations, here’s a video that explains the basic concept and why using something like Google docs is way better than emailing documents around.
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/eRqUE6IHTEA" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
aharding September 20th, 2007
The scanning documentation is now up, which means you can read about various scanning techniques to your heart’s content. Topics covered include basics of scanning, how to scan into Adobe Acrobat, and how to scan photographs. To reach this documentation, you can click on “How-To” in the top navigation and then on the various sub-pages about different kinds of scanning.
Catherine Farman September 18th, 2007
I am a devoted evangelist of free office applications that chip away at the hegemony of Microsoft Office. Last week while on duty here in the New Media Lab, a fellow student asked me if I knew where she could get the new Microsoft Office for her Mac- and I encouraged her to instead try a couple of these free, open source office programs. On a college campus, where the faculty and staff use Microsoft Office and the students who interact with them cannot or do not want to pay for such expensive software, free programs such as OpenOffice (for Windows and Mac) and my personal fave, NeoOffice for the Mac, are vital for those sharing projects, papers, and presentations inside and outside of class.
I have used Google Documents for about a year now, and find it has many advantages over desktop applications- I can backup my papers there; create documents quickly for notes on-the-go; convert files quickly online to PDF, Word, and other file types; and I have found it useful for filling out forms or writing reports for projects and professors that I wish to share immediately through email. I’ve even helped friends write resumes and papers through the sharing features; I read and mark up places for change, and the other person sees it immediately as a revision. In short, I love Google Docs- so when I saw today that Google Presentations had just been introduced, I gave it a try to see if it would win me over just as Docs has done. I’ve presented my findings in- what else?- a Google ‘powerpoint’ file that I am now sharing here in this blog. The first few slides are me messing around, seeing what I can do with the app- and the last couple list what I found to be the strengths and weaknesses in the app.
The coolest feature I’ve found is something anyone reading this can use right now: integrated Google Talk, right alongside the presentation. Viewers and the presenter(s) can interact online as the powerpoint unfolds. You can join in just by viewing the presentation- so go there now and let me know your thoughts.
Laura Blankenship September 14th, 2007
I’m very excited to be bringing to campus some wonderfully innovative teachers and researchers to talk about social software, Steven Greenlaw, Jean-Claude Bradley, and Jim Groom. I’ve been reading Steven Greenlaw’s blog, Pedablogy, for a number of years now. He writes about his thoughts on teaching, often right in the midst of a sticky situation (see 9/11’s entry, for example). I also met Jean-Claude Bradley via his blog and he has come to Bryn Mawr before to talk about his use of tablets. He’s been pushing the Web 2.0 envelope for quite a while now, using blogs and wikis to track research and interact with students as well as working with Second Life. Jim Groom also keeps an amazing blog. I first ran into him via a talk he gave on open source software in Academia and found what he had to say fascinating. He will likely be joining us virtually, but I think his energy will come through over the Internet.
If you’re a part of the Bryn Mawr community or going to be in the area, please feel free to come hear these three people discuss their use of Web 2.0 tools. It’s in Dalton Hall, room 20 from 2:30-4:00 on September 19th. There will, of course, be refreshments and probably a reminder or two.
Laura Blankenship September 13th, 2007
Today Mark and I talked to Leslie Madsen-Brooks from the University of California-Davis and Jerome Delacroix, a member of the editorial board for Citizendium, a wiki encyclopedia project that seeks to remedy some of the problems with Wikipedia. Their approach is to have contributors use their real names and to have an actual editorial process. They seek to get academics involved as much as possible but are open to amateur contributions as well. This conversation arose out of a blog post by Madsen-Brooks where she questioned the “gatekeeperesque” stance Citizendium has taken and its effect on marginalized groups such as women and minorities. We discuss Citizendium’s editorial process and goals as well as the issues raised by Madsen-Brooks. It’s an interesting conversation. Take a listen.
Other links:
Laura Blankenship September 10th, 2007
The schedule is up. It will probably go through a few minor changes this week as students’ schedules continue to shuffle. If you want to make sure you receive assistance, it’s best to make an appointment. Please email nml@brynmawr.edu to do so. As always, students, faculty and staff are more than welcome to use the lab on their own whenever Guild is open.
Laura Blankenship September 8th, 2007
This week, Mark and I talk to Shannon Hauser, a Sophomore at University of Mary Washington who blogs at Loaded Learning. She participated in a Freshman Seminar that incorporated blogging and also works for the Division of Teaching and Learning Technology at UMW. She talks about how blogging has enhanced her education and taken it beyond the classroom. Enjoy! (21 mb file)
ETC@BMC
Educational Technology at Bryn Mawr College.
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