TeachOIT: a Blog for People Who Teach with Technology

Instructors can request Fall 2012 Moodle courses in SPIRE starting on April 2 2012.  Requests for Fall 2012 SPARK courses will be approved under special circumstances. We recommend making the “moo-0ve” to Moodle now!

Moodle will replace SPARK (Blackboard Vista) as the LMS for campus-based courses at the end ofthis calendar year. While SPARK will be available for teaching purposes through 2012, we strongly recommend that instructors use Moodle with their Fall 2012 courses.

For more information about Moodle please see: http://moodle.oit.umass.edu/

April 2012 Moodle  Workshops & Events

Join us this April 2012 for one of our Moodle workshops and events:

• Moodle Preview session: April 3, 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
• Moodle Preview session: April 4, 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
• Moodle Preview session: April 5, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.
• Moodle Community Lunch: April 17, 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• Gradebook & Student Tracking in Moodle: April 18, 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. (Prerequisite: Prior experience with Moodle- workshop or consultation)
• Gradebook & Student Tracking in Moodle: April 19, 11:15 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Prerequisite: Prior experience with Moodle- workshop or consultation)

To register online, visit: https://etna.oit.umass.edu/public/workshops

OIT will also be offering Moodle Preview and other Moodle workshops later this semester and during the summer.

Interested in learning about Moodle but can’t make one of our workshop sessions?

Contact the Instructional Media Lab at 545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu to set up an individual consultation.

The SPARK to SPIRE Grade Upload process began just after at 11:59 pm on the evening of Monday, December 12.  Because grades are due Tuesday, December 27, grades will need to be posted in SPARK before 11:59 pm on Monday, December 26 in order to make the last grade transfer from SPARK to SPIRE. OIT staff will be offering several drop-in Grade Calculation clinics for instructors and TAs in LGRC A205:

• Tuesday, December 20: 10:00am – 2:00pm
• Wednesday, December 21: 12:30pm – 4:30pm
• Thursday, December 22: 9:30pm-2:00pm

We look forward to seeing you!  For additional information on registering for SPARK to SPIRE Grade Upload see: http://www.oit.umass.edu/spark/help/grade_upload/index.html

If you want to get a basic introduction to the Grade Upload process, or need help as you prepare your grades, contact the Instructional Media Lab at 545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu<mailto:instruct@oit.umass.edu>.

Best of luck with the end of your semester!

Helping you accomplish all of the things you need to do before breakfast remains the focus of many technologies. Some software helps us remain productive; to-do lists, notes, and all the other digital nags and sound effects that remind us what we should be doing, when we should be doing it, and where. And then there’s writing, which doesn’t jive well with the multitasking panic we often call “productivity”. Let’s take a look at a number of tools and strategies to help cut out the background noise of everyday life and get to writing.

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In Fall 2011 the UMass Amherst campus is switching from using eInstruction’s PRS clickers to i>clicker. Instructors will be pre-ordering i>clicker remotes through the Textbook Annex.

To stay up to date with announcements and information about the new i>clicker system please visit our new Audience Response System blog.

This August we will be offering introductory trainings to prepare folks for a smooth jump into the Fall 2011 semester. Join us for a hands-on workshop on setting up and using the i>clicker Audience Response System to pose questions and collect responses from your students

• Wednesday, August 10, 2011 at 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
• Thursday, August 18, 2011 at 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
• Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM

To register for a workshop, go to:
https://etna.oit.umass.edu/public/workshops/

The UMass Amherst campus is only supporting the i>clicker model 2, which has an LCD panel.
The cost for a new i>clicker2 remote will be $45.50 at the Textbook Annex. During the 2011/2012 academic year, UMass students who currently own an eInstruction PRS remote are eligible for a $10 rebate.

The Textbook Annex will not be buying back eInstruction PRS remotes.
We are setting-up a donation program for the old PRS devices (for those students who would like to give to a community cause), and will have donation boxes placed in locations around campus this fall.

Visit http://iclicker.com/dnn/Ordering/UMassAmherstRebate/tabid/257/Default.aspx to obtain your rebate.

The campus may be quiet during July… but our planning and preparations for the Fall 2012 Moodle Pilot continue to move forward.

If you are part of our Fall 2011 Moodle pilot, make sure to check out our upcoming Moodle workshops in August. In addition to startup and conversion workshops, we have sessions on setting up student groups, Moodle’s grade book, and it’s communication tools.

Registration for the Fall Moodle Pilot closed on June 27th. There has been more demand for access to the pilot than we can currently accommodate, so we are not able to add any more new classes for the Fall. Moodle will be fully open for business in Spring 2012, so you will be able request your Spring 2012 Moodle course in mid-fall when the official Moodle Spring Request Form is available.

As we conclude the 2010-2011 academic year we wanted to assemble a collection of our resources related to digital storytelling and student video projects in anticipation of instructors who may want to use these next year. As always if this is something you are interested in exploring further we encourage you to contact the Instructional Media Lab at 545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu to set up an individual consultation.

Thinking about Digital Storytelling:

7 Things You Should Know about Digital Storytelling

Developing Digital Storytelling Projects with Students

Technical Guides:

iMove Video Tutorials

OIT’s iMovie ’09 Basics of Video Editing Guide

OIT’s GarageBand Digital Audio Basics Guide

OIT’s Final Cut Express – Intermediate Video Editing Guide

Further Reading:

Past TeachOIT posts on Digital Storytelling

TeachOIT posts reviewing different audio recording equipment

For anyone who works from more than one computer, synchronizing files is an important issue. If you can’t access the latest version of your grant proposal or the revised version of that syllabus; frustration is bound to ensue. Carrying files around on USB drives and emailing attachments to yourself are possible solutions, but there are a variety of web-based tools that provide better options for having constant access to the files you need.

Three Tools for Staying Synchronized:

• UDrive
• Google Docs
• Drop Box

UDrive – https://udrive.oit.umass.edu

UDrive is OIT’s file storage and sharing system. Users can save files to UDrive so that they can be accessed via any computer with an Internet connection. In addition to being a simple way to move files from one computer to another, UDrive can also be used to easily and securely share files with collaborators. By default UDrive offers 1 GB of storage space (additional space is available for instructors upon request). Regular users of UDrive should be sure to set up a “WebDAV” connection to drag-and-drop files directly between their computer and UDrive, which makes synchronizing files quick and easy. To learn more about UDrive, go to: http://www.oit.umass.edu/udrive/

GoogleDocs – https://docs.google.com/

GoogleDocs  is an online file storage and collaboration system provided by Google. Google Docs can be used to pass files back and forth, but its strength is the ability to edit them online. I regularly use GoogleDocs as a graduate student and as an instructor, for its online collaboration tools that allow me and collaborators to directly edit text, spreadsheets, and presentations directly in a web browser. Recent additions to Google Docs have added diagraming tools and a form/survey creator.

To learn more about Google Docs, check out this video: Google Docs in Plain English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRqUE6IHTEA

Dropbox – http://www.dropbox.com/

Dropbox is a commercial file storage and sharing system. Functionally, it is similar to UDrive, but it has many advantages in terms of usability and organization. It offers a simple program you can install on your computer to manage files and settings directly from your desktop, in addition to its web interface. Dropbox offers 2 GB of free storage with additional space available for a fee.

To learn more about Google, check out this video:: Dropbox in Plain English:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghKdYKZ1Sts

What do you use to keep your files synchronized?

Today we hosted our first Preview of Moodle, UMass Amherst’s new Learning Management System. (We have three more previews in the coming weeks if you’d like to attend one, check our workshop schedule.)

What is Moodle and when do I have to change?

Moodle is a widely-used open source learning management system (LMS), that can be used to deliver course content and host online learning activities. UMass Amherst is transitioning on-campus courses with an online component to Moodle by January 2013. Instructors can begin converting their courses to Moodle as soon as Fall 2011. SPARK will be available for teaching until the end of Fall 2012. More information about Moodle is available on the Moodle site: http://moodle.umass.edu.

Choosing Moodle

The campus did an evaluation of options for a new LMS after Blackboard Inc. announced that it would discontinue support for Blackboard Vista, the software behind SPARK. A committee of faculty and staff made a recommendation to the CIO and Provost in October 2010. The Provost and CIO chose Moodle because it offered more local control and the best opportunity for future growth and innovation. Details of the evaluation process and decision can be found on the Future LMS blog (http://blogs.umass.edu/futurelms).

Note that this conversion to Moodle applies only to on-campus courses at UMass Amherst. Continuing and Professional Education hosts its courses on UMassOnline’s own instance of Blackboard Vista. UMassOnline is currently evaluating its options and has not yet announced what they will be using.

Changing to Moodle

There will be limited spots in the Fall 2011 pilot. You can volunteer for this pilot by submitting a request via your Faculty Center in SPIRE. Courses will be selected for the pilot by the end of April 2011. Throughout the change to Moodle, OIT Academic Computing will be offering workshops and one-on-one consultations to help instructors convert their courses and get started using Moodle.

While we are exploring possible conversion processes for some portions of courses, there is currently no way to automatically migrate a course from SPARK to Moodle in its entirety. Some manual migration by instructors will be necessary in order to best fit Moodle’s unique structure.

In the near-term, OIT Academic Computing staff are available to give demonstrations of Moodle to departments or groups. To schedule a departmental presentation, please contact the Instructional Media Lab (instruct@oit.umass.edu | 545-2823).

Timeline for the Transition to Moodle

2011 Spring Limited pilot of Moodle (8 classes).

2011 Summer Content conversion and training for Fall 2011 Moodle Pilot.

2011 Fall Pilot semester of Moodle (limited number of classes)

2012 Spring First semester on Moodle (voluntary).

2012 Summer Content conversion and training for final exit from Blackboard Vista (SPARK).

2012 Fall Last semester for teaching in Blackboard Vista (SPARK).

2013 Spring Blackboard Vista (SPARK) closed to teaching.

Further Reading

• UMass Amherst’s Moodle Site
• From WebCT to SPARK to Moodle – History of LMS use at UMass Amherst (PDF)
• 7 Things to Remember about Moodle (PDF)

Google Docs has recently released two major additions that continue to make it one of the most powerful collaboration tools on the web. If you haven’t tried Google Docs yet, do yourself a favor and spend an hour exploring it. If you already use it, take a moment to check out these two new big features:

Integrated Discussion

Borrowing from the functionality of Google Wave, new Google Docs now have the option of a discussion page where authors can have an asynchronous conversation about the document they are editing. The feature effectively adds the Discussion Page feature offered by many wiki tools, which lets you separate the planning of your document from its production.

Check out this video about the new discussion feature:

Collaboration via Microsoft Office (Google Cloud Connect)

This is a big addition for those more comfortable with the look and features of the standard Microsoft Office suite. Google Cloud Connect is an add-on for Microsoft Office (Currently only available for Windows) that allows you edit GoogleDocs through the Microsoft Office interface. This effectively gives you the benefits of sharing and storing your files in the cloud, but use the tools and the interface in Microsoft Office with which you may be more comfortable.

Check out this video about Google Cloud Connect:

As Facebook continues to grow in popularity the potential for your personal data to be compromised is ever-increasing. What many Facebook users may not realize is that when you access Facebook through a network connection that other people share (such as in a coffee shop or at an airport) there is the potential that nefarious people can intercept your login information, access your Facebook account, and view the private data you have shared there. This security hole was made particularly glaring with the release of Firesheep, a browser add-on to Firefox that specifically allows even unskilled, would-be hackers to steal the login information of other users on a wi-fi network.

Facebook has responded by providing the option for a secure connection known as HTTPS that makes it significantly harder for people to intercept your information as it is being sent back and forth. To enable this feature, access your Account Settings page and under Account Security, choose Browse Facebook on a secure connection (https) whenever possible.

This February, Academic Computing is offering workshops on a range of instructional technology topics, including:

• Designing Effective Presentations
• PowerPoint Basics for Mac and Windows
• Keynote Basics
• Managing Citations with Zotero
• Using GoogleDocs for Collaboration
• Turnitin in SPARK: Originality Reports on Student Papers
• Grade Book Management in SPARK
• Basic Digital Storytelling with iMovie and GarageBand
• Advanced Digital Storytelling with Final Cut Express

Most sessions are only 50 or 75 minutes long!

To view the full schedule and register online, please visit: https://etna.oit.umass.edu/public/workshops

Interested in training, but none of the scheduled times work for you? Contact the Instructional Media Lab (545-2823) to set up a one-on-one consultation.

Professor Nat Turner reminded me about this great YouTube video you might enjoy on education paradigms:

Hello!

This January, Academic Computing is offering technology workshops for faculty and instructors on basic technologies for teaching and research, audio and video production, and building course websites with SPARK.

Many of these workshops are hands-on sessions where you can learn new technologies while working with content from your own courses.

For the workshop schedule, descriptions, and online registration, visit:
https://etna.oit.umass.edu/public/workshops

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Workshop topics include:

Academic Tools and Emerging Technologies

Our “Overview of Emerging Technologies” is a survey of recent technologies finding their way into the classroom. Check out our new workshop on using Zotero to manage references and citations.

Audio and Video Media Production

Learn how to record your lectures or develop tutorials with Camtasia, a popular “screencasting” program. Check out our new workshop on using Apple’s iLife suite (iPhoto, iMovie, and GarageBand) to create media you can use in lectures, or join us for a discussion on developing digital storytelling projects with students.

Course Sites in SPARK

SPARK provides an easy way to build a course website that is available only to students registered for your class. In addition to posting basic course information, we offer sessions on SPARK’s tools for discussions, online quizzes, and customizing the design of your course.

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We can also present any of our workshops specifically for your department. Call us at 545-2823 for details.

Questions? Contact the Instructional Media Lab at 545-2823 | instruct@oit.umass.edu

CIO John Dubach has made the formal announcement about our new LMS system to replace the current Blackboard Vista system we call SPARK:

To the Amherst campus faculty:

I am writing today with information concerning an important change the campus will be making in its instructional technology over the next two years. As outlined in previous emails, the Blackboard company will
cease support for the current system behind SPARK, Blackboard Vista, in January 2013. Over the past seven months, a committee of faculty and staff has been evaluating options for the next learning management system (LMS) on campus. Based on their evaluations and further discussion in Academic Affairs and OIT, the Provost and I have decided that UMass Amherst will move to Moodle, an open-source LMS, over the next two years.

While recognizing that the transition to Moodle will be more complicated than moving to the alternative Blackboard product for both the faculty and the support staff, I believe Moodle better positions the campus for the longer timeframe. We did well in WebCT and its derivatives for approximately fifteen years, but the direction Blackboard has taken does not, in my opinion, offer a strong positive future relative to the needs of the campus. Moodle offers us opportunities for more local control and innovation. To use a geographic analogy, I see moving to the Blackboard product as moving deeper into a “box canyon”; going to Moodle may require some effort to get out of the canyon now, but will place us on a more expansive fertile plain for future benefit.

SPARK currently supports more than 1,100 instructors working in over 2,100 classes involving more than 23,000 students (each of whom likely is taking several SPARK classes). Converting to an open-source product such as Moodle will be a lengthy and complex project, requiring some reorganization within Academic Computing and elsewhere in OIT as well as the establishment of new oversight and advisory procedures. We are in the process of developing a transition plan and hope to be able to put out at least the first steps in such a plan to the campus over the next few weeks. Fred Zinn and Bo Mack of OIT will be leading the transition with Fred focusing on the application and Bo on the technical underpinnings.

Blackboard Vista will remain in service until the end of Fall 2012. In Spring 2011, OIT will operate a very limited pilot in Moodle to assess its features and determine what needs to be adjusted in order for it to match, and in some cases surpass, the features of the current Blackboard Vista system. Faculty interested in participating in the pilot and evaluations should contact Fred Zinn via email at futurelms@oit.umass.edu. Updates on the pilot and the development process will be posted on the Future LMS blog
(http://blogs.umass.edu/futurelms).

I recognize the continuing concern over possible divergence of direction between the campus and UMassOnline (UMOL) regarding choice of LMS platforms. Unfortunately, we felt the urgency to make a decision for the campus did not allow us to await completion of UMOL’s review. I am confident that UMOL understands the dilemma of faculty who wish to teach in both systems so that, whatever direction UMOL takes regarding a LMS, they will work closely with us to make the transition between those worlds as seamless as possible.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the Provost and myself to thank the Future LMS Committee for their efforts in our review of LMS possibilities. We recognize the magnitude of the effort and also feel that the level of review was appropriate and highly informative.

John Dubach
Chief Information Officer

We have been receiving reports of the SPARK Gradebook loading as a blank screen. This is easily fixable by clearing the “cache” from your web browser.

Below are the steps for clearing your cache for the 3 most common browsers:

To clear the cache in Firefox:
1. In Firefox, click on “Tools” in the top menu, and select “Clear Recent History…”
2. In the “Clear Recent History” window, make sure the “Details” box is expanded, and un-check everything except for “Cache.”
3. Click “Clear Now.”
4. Quit Firefox and log back into Spark. Your grade book should be visible.

To clear the cache in Internet Explorer:
1. In Internet Explorer, click “Tools” at the top menu and select “Internet Options.”
2. In the “General” tab, there is button under “Browser History” labeled “Delete…” Click this.
3. In the “Delete Browsing History” window, un-check all the boxes except for “Temporary Internet Files.” Click “Delete” at the bottom of the window.
4. Click OK in the “Internet Options” Window.
5. Quit Internet Explorer and log back into SPARK. Your grade book should be visible.

To clear the cache in Safari:
1. In Safari, click “Safari” at the top menu and select “Empty cache”
2. Click “Empty”
3. Quit Safari and log back into SPARK. Your grade book should be visible.

Questions? Contact the Instructional Media Lab at 545-2823 or instruct@oit.umass.edu.