Technology-Enhanced Classrooms are Growing in Number
Each year the College works closely with the Campus Teaching Facilities Committee to expand the number of technology-enhanced classrooms in buildings where Arts and Humanities faculty teach. The Teaching Facilities Committee has committed resources to improve the support available in lecture halls in Francis Scott Key, Marie Mount, Susquehanna, Skinner, and Jimenez and has provided audio-visual/computer carts for use in Francis Scott Key classrooms. This past year, three classrooms in Jimenez Hall were upgraded to provide computers and audio-visual equipment and the Teaching Facilities Committee committed funds to provide student support for the faculty using those rooms. In response to proposals from Arts and Humanities, the Teaching Facilities Committee is planning to provide carts and support for classrooms in Woods Hall, Susquehanna, and Art/Sociology. Chairs and Directors in Arts and Humanities have been invited to submit proposals for upgrades that would be completed during the summer of 2005. If you want to request upgrades for a general purpose classroom you use, be sure to tell your Chair. The proposals are due in the College by Monday, April 19. More information about the Classroom Support Project can be found at
Point, Click, Presto
Gretchen Jones, a SLLC faculty member who teaches a course on Japanese Fiction & Film, used the new Technology Classroom in Jimenez for the first time this past Fall. The classroom is ideal for teaching a course rich in media content. Like many of the language faculty using the rooms, Dr. Jones has been very pleased with how easily all of the components are integrated. Instead of dealing with plugs and cables, she merely walks into the room and operates everything via the computer at the stationary desk. When she was discussing how to write film reviews, she was able to quickly access an online site of real film reviews and point out all of the elements that were necessary. Images and film clips come to life on the big screen and assist in students retention of the material. The classroom lends itself to presenting material in new and interesting ways. In an e-mail to the Classroom Support group, Dr. Jones writes "I can see many possible uses of this technology and look forward to exploring this new avenue in the future. Thanks again for providing those of us who teach in Jimenez easier access to new technology; it is much appreciated."
Beware of Viruses- don’t open those attachments!
With all the new computer viruses appearing, we want to be sure that people do not open attachments that have an extension of .exe, .bat, .com, .pif, .scr, .mp3, or .zip (they should call x52104 about whether to open files with this extension). These attachments are usually associated with the viruses that are constantly bouncing around in our email. Also look out for files with a double extension (e.g. work.doc.pif) as these are almost always viruses. Please remember that even if you know the person listed as the sender of the message, when you see one of the above extensions -- DO NOT OPEN IT -- the person you know could either be infected or, more likely, their email address has been "spoofed" by the virus itself. You can view a full list of unsafe file extensions on Microsoft's support site.
Be careful out there folks!
Jon Boone
Teaching with Technology Conference, April 9, 2004
Technology is facilitating enhanced and meaningful teaching and learning experiences for NetGeneration learners. The Office of Information Technology, in conjunction with the Center for Teaching Excellence and the University of Maryland Libraries, is proud to present the 11th annual Teaching with Technology Conference, held to highlight innovative uses of technology in traditional and online classroom experiences. The conference is scheduled to take place on April 9, 2004 at McKeldin Library. If you are interested in hearing about the work of faculty, instructional technology professionals and graduate students in the area of teaching with technology, don't miss this conference. The keynote speaker is well-respected Dr. Vijay Kumar, Assistant Provost and Director of Academic Computing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). In addition, there will be three presentations given by ARHU faculty and teaching assistants, Matt Kirschenbaum (English), Clare Callaghan and Mary Beth Shea (Professional Writing), and Roberta Lavine. While UM faculty, staff and instructional support personnel can attend the conference for free, preregistration is required. For more information and pre-registration, visit http://www.oit.umd.edu/twt
Faculty Can Start Using WebCT now; Training is Not Required!
In the past, all new WebCT users were required to attend training before they could receive a WebCT site. This is no longer the case. As a potential user, you may now request a WebCT site without first attending a face-to-face training session. When you receive the course, you will also get a user manual that you may use to learn WebCT at your own convenience. Later, if you should decide that you would like to attend training, you may sign up for any of the five free 90 minute workshops offered by the OIT Teaching and Learning Support Group (TLS). These workshops are offered in June, August, and January. Should you not be able to attend a scheduled workshop, you may contact TLS and make an appointment for individual training. To request a WebCT site, go to http://www.courses.umd.edu/faculty_ckrequest.htm and fill out the online form.
If you have any questions about requesting a new site or have any questions regarding WebCT, please call or email any of the following TLS WebCT support staff:
Michael Cain, 5-8762,
Sharon Roushdy, 5-8820,
Jason White, 5-0746,
Paulette Robinson, 5-3011,
MERLOT- Peer-to-Peer Pedagogy
MERLOT, Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, is an online community where faculty, staff, and students from around the world can share online learning materials and pedagogy. MERLOT's mission is to improve the effectiveness of teaching and learning by providing access to peer-reviewed materials that can easily be incorporated into courses by faculty.
A faculty member can browse the content by subject or submit a search to find materials ranging in variety from Animations demonstrating Acoustics and Vibration to the full text of over three hundred treaties concerning Native American Indian tribes.