innovations - city university of new york...cuny.edu) or kate lyons (clyons@ hostos.cuny.edu) to...

Articles.• EdTechInnovatorChase• What‘sNewinBlackboardEnhan-

ced• CUNYCATCommittee• SharingTechnology• CUNYeMall• TegrityLectureRecording

News and Events.• CelebrationofInnovation

• BronxEdTechShowcase

• iPadInitiative"iPOWs"

Workshops.• What‘sNewinBbEnhanced

• GradeCenter

• GradeCenterAdvanced

• ePortfolio

• BlogsandWikis

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O�ce of Educational Technology

Spring 2014, Issue 6

InnovationsInnovInnov

INSTRUCTOR/

INNOVATORS

winmedalsin

EdTech‘sown

Olympics

EdTech

Innovator

Chase

2014

Spring

www.hostos.cuny.edu/edtech

O�ce of Academic A�airs

Tofindoutexacttimesoftheworkshops,andtoregister,goto:http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/edtech/for-faculty/workshops/

BlackboardEssentialFeb6-3:30pmFeb19-3:30pm

March13-3:30pm

BlackboardGradeCenter

Feb13-3:30pmFeb26-3:30pm

Web2.0Apr10-3:30pm

WORKSHOPSFall

EdTechinvitesyoutoparticipateinaseriesofwork-

shopsaimedtohelpyoutakefulladvantageoftech-

nologytoolsandstrategiestoenhanceteachingand

learning.Theseworkshopsarecenteredonexperi-

encesacquiredthroughtheuseofdifferenttechnol-

ogiesintheclassroom,andwilldemonstratethepros

andtheconswhenusedintheeducationalsetting.

All sessions will be held in the Faculty Commons

(C-559) except some Smart Board Essentialswork-

shops,which arepostedon theonline registration

page.

CourseCopyandFileManagementApr3-3:30pm

GradeCenterAdvanced

Part1Jan29-2:00pm

Part2Feb6-2:00pm

AssessmentToolsMar6-3:30pm

Blogs,WikisandJournals

Mar27-3:30pm

BlackboardCollaborateMar20-3:30pm

ImproveYourCourseLook

Mar13-3:30pm

SmartRoomFeb3-11:00am

Feb11-3:30pm

Feb18-11:00am

Blackboard9EnhancedWhat’sNew

Feb5-3:30pm

page2

EDTECHINNOVATORCHASE

byCarlosGuevara

Technology adoption in the educationlandscape could become challenging

andhardtokeepupwithduetoconstantemergingtechnologytrends.AsTheEdu-cause Learning Initiative and NewMediaConsortiumpointoutonthe2013HorizonProject report, digitalmedia literacy’s im-portancewillcontinuetoriseineverydis-

ciplineandprofession;hencetheneedtofocusonrethinkingfacultytraining,aswellasincorporatingandrewardingnewformsofscholarlywork.EdTechhasbeenresearchingdifferentap-proachestoenhancetheinnovationadop-tion process. According to innovationadoption theories, successful technologyadoption efforts must give equal consid-eration to cognitive, emotional, and con-textual concerns (Straub, 2009). In thisrespect,EdTechisseekingtoleveragethepower of organizational culture levels tonurture a growing Innovator communityofpractice.

Theseelementsarepresentinvariousfac-ets, and are used as engaging factors tosupport the success of technology initia-tivesofferedbyEdTech.Thementor-men-tee approach, context-based technologytrainings, EdTech Innovation Celebration,andInnovatorChasearesomeexamplesofthe application of above-mentioned ele-

ments.Gamification is the process of applyinggameelementsandmechanicstoanactiv-itytohelpincreasingengagementthroughthe leveraging intrinsic and extrinsicmo-tivations. A Gartner Research report es-timated thatby2015,more than50%oforganizationsthatmanageinnovationpro-cesseswillgamifythoseprocesses.

EdTech is piloting the “EdTech InnovatorChase,” a gamified activity that seeks toshowcase the effort our faculty make totry new technologies and innovate theirteaching practices. This game also intro-

duces the concept of “digital badges,” torecognize an accomplishment or level ofproficiency. A digital badge is an onlinerepresentation of a skill you’ve earned ormastered.Thesebadgesalsotriggermoti-vationforlearningandachievement.

What the game’s aboutEach semester we celebrate our campusEdTech Innovators–everyonewho’susingtechnology to explore new pedagogicalapproaches.Weapplaudyouforbeingthefirst,fordevelopingbestpracticesyourself(because maybe you’re doing somethingnobody else has). For the epicwin, inno-vate in the most EdTech categories and(most importantly!) help your colleagueslevelup.Theultimateawardwillbeyours.

How to WinEarnthemostbadgeseachsemester.Levelupyourcurrentbadges.

Leader BoardLogintotheHostosSocialNetwork(http://commons.hostos.cuny.edu) to see yourcurrent achievements (badges) in yourProfilepage.Visit theLeaderBoard toseewho’s in thelead.

Gamifying academic technology adoption

page3

The Spring 2014 semester sees some big chang-es to Blackboard 9.1. The changes, brought

by the installation of Service Pack 13, or knownat CUNY as “Blackboard Enhanced,” includes anew look and some major new features that im-prove navigation, assessment options, grad-ing workflow and other functionality for faculty.

EdTech has scheduledworkshops to introduce fac-ulty to the features of Blackboard Enhanced in ad-ditiontoIntroductoryBlackboard,GradeCenter,As-sessmentandothertechnology-relatedpedagogicaltools. PleasevisittheEdTechWorkshopPage(page2inthisissuefortheworkshopschedule.TheCUNYBlackboardwebsite has video and pdf user guidescoveringBlackboardEnhancedfeatures.Youcanac-cessthesebygoingtowww.cuny.edu/blackboard, thengotoUserGuidesundertheCUNYBlackboardmenu.YoucanalsoreachthissitebyusingtheBlack-board9.1tabinBlackboard.PleaseexplorethenewBlackboard Enhanced and see howwell it fits yourteachingrequirements,betheyforclassroomoron-lineteaching.

Global Navigation MenuAbuttonatthetopoftheCoursepageopensupamenuthatal-lowsyoutoaccesstheenhancedCourseCalendar,theRetentionCenteraswellasyourcoursesandorganizationsfromwithinthecourse.Nomorehavingtogobackto“MyCourses”ontheBlack-boardpagewheneveryouwanttogotoanothercourse.

An Improved CalendarWith the rebuilt Blackboard calendar users can addpersonalevents,keeptrackofimportantcoursedates,andevenexporttothirdpartycalendarslikeOutlookorGoogleCalendar.Anitemwithaduedateisautomati-callyaddedtothecalendarsofallusersinthecourse.Instructorscanalsoupdateduedatesbysimplydrag-gingitemstonewcalendardays.

Blackboard ENHANCED: W h a t ’ s N e w ?

byGeorgeRosa

Discussion BoardWiththeimprovedDiscussionBoard,althepostsinathreadareshowninonepage.Also,anewfeaturecanbeimplementedthatrequiresstudentstopostanan-swertoathreadbeforetheycanreadtheotherposts.

page4

New Content EditorThenewContentEditordisplaysaneasytouseinterfacewithanimprovedMathEditorandbetterretainsformattingofMi-crosoftWordandDreamweaverdocuments.

Inline GradingThischange,oneofthemostantici-pated,allowstheinstructortomark-upandgradesubmittedassignmentdocumentsonline,withoutneedingto download them. Students canviewtheregradedassignmentswiththemarkups.Thegradeddocumentscanbedownloadedinpdfformat.

Item AnalysisTheItemAnalysisfeatureprovidesstatisticsfortestsandstudentperformanceonindividualquestionsinexams.AmongthedataitprovidesisDiscrimina-tion–howwellperformanceonaparticularquestionreflectsperformanceontheentiretest)aswellasquestionDifficultybasedonstudentperformance.

Improved Test and Survey OptionsNow,whenusingtheTestOptionsforlaunch-ing a test,TestAvailability Exceptions canbedefinedforstudentsandgroups. Inaddition,whenandthekindofresultsdisplayedtostu-dentscanbespecified

Retention CenterFormallyreplacingtheEarlyWarningSystem,theRetentionCenterallowstheinstructortofollowat-riskstudents’grades,activities,misseddeadlinesandcourseaccessmoreeasily.

page5

byKateLyons

AstheFacultyLiaisontotheOfficeof EducationalTechnology,mem-

bershipontheCUNY-wideCommitteeonAcademicTechnology(CAT) isoneofmy responsibilities. CarlosGuevaraandIattendmonthlymeetingsofthecommittee,whichischairedbyGeorgeOtte,AssociateDeanofAcademicAf-fairs at CUNY’s School of ProfessionalStudies (he regularly blogs at http://purelyreactive.commons.gc.cuny.edu).

CATisdividedintomanysub-commit-tees,allofwhicharecomprisedmostlyofCATmembers,withsomeadditionaloutside guests. Each sub-committeetakes on projects or topics related toacademic technology initiatives thataffect all CUNY campuses. One sub-committeeworks with the group ad-ministering Blackboard, so that thefacultyvoiceguidesEducationalTech-nology decisions at CUNY. Anothergroup,headedbyMatthewGold,wasresponsible for the creation of theCUNY Academic Commons (http://

tionandpeer-review,thisgroup’sgoalistoensurethattheworkoffacultyinthesenew,emergingareasdoesn’tgounrecognized.Hostos faculty who are interested inEducational Technology policies bothat Hostos and CUNY should contactCarlos Guevara (cguevara@hostos.

cuny.edu) or Kate Lyons (clyons@hostos.cuny.edu) to help findways toparticipate.Westronglyencourageev-eryone’s voices to be heard on theseimportanttopics.

TocreateanaccountandparticipateintheCUNYAcademicCommonsgoto:

http://commons.gc.cuny.edu/

commons.gc.cuny.edu/), and forbringingthatprojecttothenextlevelwith the Commons in a Box (http://commonsinabox.org/) initiative. AllCUNY faculty and graduate studentsareencouragedtojointheAcademicCommons.

OverthelastyearI’veparticipatedontheSub-CommitteeforDigitalSchol-arshipandTeachingwithTechnology.Thelatestworkingdraftofourgroup’smission“istoensurethatinstitutionalframeworks support digital produc-tivity and scholarship in a variety ofways, including through the person-nel reviewandevaluationprocessatthe City University of New York.Wewill advocate for written guidelinesthat provide clear directions for ap-pointment, reappointment, merit in-creases, tenure, and promotion thattake into consideration the growingnumber of resources for evaluatingdigital scholarship and the creationofborn-digitalobjects”(ourmissionisnotavailablepubliclyonline).Astech-nology enables scholarship throughalternatemeansof creation,publica-

CATCOMMITTEEONACADEMICTECHNOLOGY

OneofCAT’sresponsibilitiesistheCUNYAcademicCommons,CUNY’sown

page6

tostudentslearningstyleandlearningpace. Itwill truly createpersonalizedlearningforeachstudent.Withoutthistechnology, helping every single stu-dentwouldsimplybeimpossibleinthetraditionalclassrooms.

References:http : / /www. ins idehighered.com/views/2013/04/04/adaptive-learning-could-reshape-higher-ed-instruction-essay

http://edgrowthadvisors.com/wp-con-tent/uploads/2013/03/Learning-to-Adapt-White-Paper_Education-Growth-Advisors_March-2013.pdf

Itis a fact that every student isuniqueandeachone learnsdif-ferently even when taught by thesameprofessor,inthesameclassroomand under the same circumstances.Somestudentsarefastlearnerswhileothers learn at different paces. Thishas been the case since the historyofeducationduetothefactthatitisoneprofessorfor20anduptosometimes300 students. However, adap-tivelearningmayremediateandshifthow content is delivered and createapersonalized learningenvironmentforeverystudent.

Devoting time to each student inneed in a large classroom is simplynot feasible. Since not all studentslearnatthesamepace,deliveringthesamecurriculumatthesametimetostudents will not drive improved orbetter results to those studentswhoneed additional time to grasp theconceptsandmoveonwith the restoftheclass.Consequently,somestu-dents will stay behind the learningcurve and fail because they cannotkeep upwith thework. To alleviatethis situation, it is when technologyplaysahugeroleandadaptivelearn-ing comes into play. It is an educa-tional method that uses comput-ers as interactive teaching devices.Computers adapt the presentationof educationalmaterials to student’slearninglevelsaccordingtostudents’answer. This allows a personalizededucation for almostevery student’s

needsoratleastthisisthepromise.

How does adaptive learning soft-ware know each student’ curricularneeds and how does it decide thecontentitdeliverstostudents?Well,itbasicallyprofilesstudentsastheyinteractwiththesoftware. It learnshowstudentsbehavebasedonthevastamountofdataitcollectsfromstudents’answers. Thus, ifstudentsdemonstrate mastery of a subject,adaptivelearningpresentsstudentswithadifferentandmoreadvancedcontent.Ontheotherhand,ifastu-

dentstrugglewiththecontentpres-ent to her/him, the software keepsreinforcingthematerialuntilthestu-dentlearnsitandisabletocontinuethruthecurriculum.Thistechnologyisgreatbecause studentswill learnthematerialattheirownpaceinde-pendentlyoftheirlearningspeed.

Adaptive learning technology willrevolutionize the teaching andlearningexperienceforboth,facultyand students. Nowadays, studentsstillhavetoadapttothecurriculumto keep up with the course mate-rial. Nonetheless,adaptivelearningturns this concept around becauseit adapts thecurriculumto the stu-dents’ learning styles and learningspeed.In a nutshell, adaptive learningpromises to improve student learn-ingbyadaptingcurriculumcontent

ADAPTIVE LEARNING: what is it; how does it work?

byWilfredoRodríguez

page7

Tegrityisafullyautomatedlecturecap-ture solution used in traditional, hy-

brid,‘flipped classes” andonline coursesto record lessons, lectures, and skills. Itswhole range of features and robustnessmakesstudytimeeasierandallowscon-tent access to every Hostos student al-mostimmediately.Itisaneasytouseso-lution,wheneveryouwanttoshareyourlecturematerialswithyourstudents.

Edtech is conducting aTegritypilot andexploring the new and improveTegrity/LMS (LearningManagementSystem) so-lutionusingtheBlackboardenvironmentwecurrentlyuse.Thismeansthatintegra-tionwill bring seamless production anddeliveryofanycontentyoumaywanttosharewillbeaccessibletoyourstudentsin a familiar environment. Students willhave thechance to reviewcoursemate-rials asmany times theywill like to. Re-cordedcoursematerialsareaccessedbyjustclickinga linkandareavailableonlytoregisteredstudents.Inthemeantime,whileweareexploringthenewwayofusingTegrity.YoucanuseTegritynow.Youjustneeda laptopwiththesoftwareinstalledandamicrophone.TomakeitmoreinteractiveyoumaywanttouseaSmartClassroom.C593AhasthesoftwareandisreadyforyoutorecordasessionusingTegrityatthistime.Whetheryouareinsidetheclassroomorout, Tegrity Recorder makes recordingyour lectures or supplementary coursecontent easy. Click a button to start re-

Step 6: Click on ‘’RECORD A CLASS’’. An-otherdialogboxwill appear that informsyouwhenyouclickthat,therecordingwillstart.Thescreenwillgoblackforafewsec-onds.Whenthescreenreappears,youarenowrecordingyourclasssessionandatoolbarwillappearinthestatusbarsectionofyourscreen.

Step7:Whenyouarefinished recording,pushtheSTOPBUTTON.Adialogboxwillappearaskingifyouwishtoperformvari-ousfunctions.Thereare3optionsUPLOAD,PREVIEW,and,DELETEchooseaccordinglyclickon‘’YES’’touploadyouwillseeawin-dowthatsaystherecordingwillbeupload-edlaterclickonOK.

cording,clickagaintopauseorstop,andTegritytakescareoftherest.Recordingsare automatically uploaded to a TegrityServerandyoucanaccessthecontentbyclickingonahyperlink.

StepbystepinstructionstorecordaTeg-ritysession:

Step 1: To start PowerPoint, go to theStartmenubuttonandselectPrograms>MicrosoftOffice >PowerPoint.

Step 2: Once PowerPoint isopen Click on the Tegrity icononthestatusbar

Step 3: Select the folder from the drop-downlist

Step 4: Create a title for your recording.Note:Donot leavethedateandtimeasthe title. You will not be able to distin-guishonerecording fromanother if thisisnotchanged.

Step5:Check theaudio‘’SETTINGS’’.Youcan tell if the microphone is working ifthegreenlineismovinginthewindow.Ifnot,clickon‘’SETTINGS’’andclickonthedownarrownexttodefaultaudiosourceand select your microphone. Then clickonSAVEandCLOSEBUTTON.

RECORDINGYOURLECTURESWITH

byIberPoma

page8

The CUNY eMALL is a virtual shop-ping plaza where merchants offer a

variety of discounts and other promo-tional programs on goods and servicestoCUNY faculty and staff.Toaccess theeMallyoumustlogintotheCUNYportal.VisitCUNYeMall foradditionalsoftwarepurchasesincludingfreeMicrosoftOfficeforfacultyandstaff,andforfreeanti-virusMcAfeesoftware.

Forspecialcomputeroffers, logintotheCUNY Portal, click on the CUNY eMall

icononyourleftandclickComputers/Of-ficeSupplies:

Dell8%offonanyDimensionorInspironsys-

temwitha3or4yearwarranty5%offanyDimensionorInspironsystemwitha1or2yearwarrantyAdditional discounts on OptiPlex andLatitudesystems

Academic pricing on software and pe-ripherals Additional seasonal promo-tions!Also,beawareofDell’sMonthlyMemberFlyersandseasonalpromotionslistedintheCUNYeMall.AppleApple continuously has different offersthatapplytotheCUNYcommunity.LogontotheCUNYeMall tokeepcurrentornavigatetothebelowurlsforspecificof-fers.• http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects/EducationIndividualCustom?qprm=18847&type=higherEd• http://www.apple.com/educa-tion/promos/indiv.html

screenandthendownloadyour freesoft-ware!

Microsoft TheCUNYCommunityisnowofferedLE-GALcopiesofpopularMicrosoftsoftwareincludingOfficeatadiscountofupto75%off!

SymantecTheCUNYCommunityisnowentitledtofreecopiesofSymantecAntivirussoftwareforpersonaluse.FreeAntivirusSoftware

forFaculty,Staff,&StudentsAvailablefordownloadwithintheCUNYeMall

McAfee VirusScan versions for MAC andWindowscomputersareavailable for free

download to use on your personal com-puters.

Step1:Log-intotheCUNYPortal.

Step2:ClickontheCUNYemalliconwhichappearsunderthetoplogo

Step3:FromtheCUNYemall,clickonthewordSOFTWARE

Step4:ClickonthewordMcAfeeSoftware

Step5:IntheProductSearchBoxintheup-perright,enterMCAFEE

Step6:SelectthecorrectMcAfeeVirusScanforyourcomputer.ClickAddToCart.Step7:Youwillbebrought toyourshop-pingcart.NoticethepriceisFree!ClickonCheckOuttocompleteyour“purchase.”

Step8:Youwill receiveyourPurchaseRe-ceipt in an e-mail to the e-mail addressused to register in theCUNYPortal. Fromhereyouwill clickon theDownloadOnlylink and your computer will begin thedownload process. We recommend thatyou download directly to a flash drive orcopythedownloadtoaflashdrive.

Pleasenote that youmayonlydownloadthesoftwareonceanditmustbeforyourexclusivepersonaluse.

Step 9: Once the download is complete,you can log-out of the CUNY Portal andexityourbrowser.

byFranciscoOrdóñez

free software from CUNY with

Love

page9

C559

718319-7915

Monday-Friday

9:00amto5:30pm

edtech@hostos.cuny.edu

WilfredoRodríguezCoordinatorofEdTechwrodriguez@hostos.cuny.eduliasonfor:BSS,Education,Mathematics

CarlosGuevaraDirectorofEdTechcguevara@hostos.cuny.edu

GeorgeRosaInstructionalDesignSpecialistgrosa@hostos.cuny.eduliaisonfor:Business,English,NaturalSciences,WritingCenter

IberPomaCoordinatorofStudentServicesipoma@hostos.cuny.eduliaisonfor:Counseling,Library

We support theuseof technology in teachingand learning.We strive toenhance facultyde-velopment,providestudentswithahighlevelofcomputer literacy,andfosteronlineeducation.ThroughcollaborationwithAcademicComput-ing,weempower faculty, serve students, andcreateasupportiveenvironmentforalltypesoflearners.Andwework tomake technologyanintegralpartoftheacademicwebsitesandde-velopavarietyofspecialtyapplications.

FranciscoOrdóñezInstructionalDesignSpecialistfordonez@hostos.cuny.eduliaison:AlliedHealth,Humanities,LanguageandCognition,CLIP

AlexRosadoLabAssistantalrosado@hostos.cuny.edu

http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/edtech

FacultyLearningCommons(FLC)Staff

WHOWEARE

Educational Technology Leadership Council

AlliedHealthProf.PetalLeuWaisSeeProf.MaryManning

EducationProf.MichaelGossettProf.ShereseMitchell

LanguageandCognitionProf.NormaLlorenzdePeñaProf.MildredRabry

BusinessProf.GeorgeCheng

MathematicsProf.TanvirPrince

CounselingMr.FabianWander

BSSProf.FelipePimentelProf.AmyRamson

HumanitiesProf.CatherineLewis-Cannon

NaturalSciencesProf.FlorHenderson

http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/edtech/about-edtech/

Educational Technology Leadership Council

(ETLC)

Chairperson,EdTechLeadershipCouncilclyons@hostos.cuny.eduhttp://www.hostos.cuny.edu/etlc

KateLyons

EnglishProf.AnneLoveringRounds

LibraryProf.KateLyons

http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/etlc

ThisyeartheBronxTechnologyShowcasewilltakeplaceonMay9thatBronxCommunityCollege,.SponsoredbyHostos

EdTechandtheeducationaltechnologydepartmentsofLehmanandBronxCommunityColleges.TheShowcasefeatures

guestspeakers,presentationsbyfacultyfromthe3collegesaswellasothercampuses,andarafflewithvaluableprizes.

WatchfortheCallforPresentationsinyourHostosemail.

Celebrationof

Technology,

Spring2014is

tentativelysched-

uledforApril9.

Pleasewatchyour

Hostosemailfor

newsandupdates

aboutthisevent.

Hostos facultyareparticipating inan initiativeaimedat foster-

ingiPaduseinclassroomteachingandlearningatHostos.The

AcademicComputing Officewill soonhave60 iPadAirs trans-

portabletoclassroomsin2“iPOWs”(iPadsonWheelscarts). In

thefuturetheseiPOWswillbeavailablethroughtheonlineTech-

nologyLabReservationSystem, similar to reserving theCOWs,

mediacartsandSmartrooms.

NEWSandEVENTS

George Rosa - Editor-in-Chief, Contributor, Layout ArtCarlos Guevara - Senior Editor, Contributor Editors, Contributors - Kate Lyons, Francisco Ordóñez, Iber Poma, Wilfredo Rodríguez

InnovationsInnov

Wednesday, April 9 -

Celebration of

Technology

Friday, May 9 - Bronx Educational Technology Showcase

Hostos iPad Pilot Initiative

CelebrationofTechnology,Fall2013

iPOWcartwithiPads