Working with academic technology on the UP campus, I spend a lot of time immersed in both Office 365 and in accessibility issues around our use of technology and digital media. Office is at the core of our digital 21st-century teaching and learning – nearly everyone on campus depends on it to communicate, research, write,…Continue Reading Accessibility Tools in Office 365
Note: This piece was originally published on moodleuserguides.org Discussion forums are a mainstay of online and blended classes. Any learning technology that becomes ubiquitous is a fair target for critical interrogation (Death by PowerPoint comes to mind); discussion boards, too, have their fair share of detractors. A common criticism is that forums lead to rote,…Continue Reading How to Avoid Death By Discussion Forum
Let’s face it: In Portland, we’re very used to mild winters. When freezing temperatures bring snow and icy roads, those who commute tend to go into what could politely be called “panic mode”. When Old Man Winter strikes during the last two weeks of a term, “panic mode” is not an option. Knowing what technology…Continue Reading Beating the Snow With Tech
Moving assessments online has many potential benefits. For one, you can free up class time for more group or active learning activities. Out of class, LMS-based quizzing eliminates the chore of manually grading objective multiple choice, true or false, or match questions. (This last one alone is enough to pique the interest of many instructors.) Some faculty, however, are concerned that,…Continue Reading On Designing Online Assessment
We all depend on our networks for support. As humans we love to communicate, to share our experiences, to learn from others, and to influence and be influenced within our social spheres. This is equally as true for professional networks where we can talk shop with peers as it is for networks of family and…Continue Reading UP Tech Tip: Develop Your Personal Learning Network with Twitter
Educators use Microsoft Office to deliver a wide range of material — syllabi and other vital class documents in Word, slide decks in PowerPoint, and more. With Office 365 coming to campus, now is a great time for a reminder and refresher on the importance of creating documents that are accessible to a diverse audience. Creating documents in an…Continue Reading MS Office and Accessibility