Software
POSER and DAZStudio: Easy 3D Worlds and Figures
The terms “3D” and “easy” rarely go together. Modeling environments or characters in 3D programs is often time consuming and frustrating and the learning curve for most programs doesn’t seem worth the effort. Trying to incorporate 3D modeling or scenes into a class project can seem nearly impossible because it takes all semester for student [...]
3 Tips for Interactive Web Conference Design
Faculty and staff at the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) have been using web conferencing software for the delivery of live lectures in online courses and web-based orientation and information sessions for the past three years. As more folks at Penn start using web conferencing tools, I wanted to share some of what [...]
Online Workshop Teaching: Shouting down a deep well
On Monday I taught my first hands-on workshop completely online using Penn Libraries’ new Adobe Connect room. I chose to teach Excel Pivot Tables under the logic that anyone interested in pivot tables would be comfortable enough with juggling multiple windows and handling sound problems. This was a good assumption – the seven participants handled [...]
9/25 Engaging Students Through Technology Symposium
Friday, Sept. 25, 2009, 10:30 am to 3 pm
It’s not a coincidence that our symposium has the same name as this blog! Several regular bloggers here are involved and we hope all of you will join us.
Explore teaching with new media through faculty insights, hands-on exploration of four technologies and an overview of new [...]
You don’t have to be sick in order to use technology for teaching.
This summer I’ve been involved in planning for how we’ll continue teaching in the event of a large outbreak of H1N1 – the dreaded Swine Flu. I’ve been asked to document how teachers can use technology as a substitute for some of the activities that would otherwise be carried out in the classroom.
It’s no surprise [...]
Wolfram Alpha – not a “homework killer”, but something to watch
If you read technology news, or even the Chronicle of Higher Education, you may have heard of Wolfram Alpha, a free online tool that is somewhere between a search engine, a database, and a computer algebra system. The launch of Wolfram Alpha in mid-May of this year was met with much fanfare in certain circles, [...]
Online Mashup Voting – Now through April 30
Something fun to share – our annual mashup contest has taken off this year with 33 entries, and for the first time, we are taking online votes and all entries are linked there with descriptions. Online voting closes on April 30 at 10 am.At our awards event this Thursday, we will award prizes to the [...]
Free services for student-generated web sites
Many instructors want to get their students involved in contributing content to web sites for class projects; in some cases, they want the students to build a site from scratch. IT support staff (such as myself) are typically reluctant to provision resources on University systems for such projects. Setting up and maintaining sites can consume [...]
Zack Lesser’s Comments on Teaching with Technology
I want to draw everyone’s attention to a recent Almanac article that Zack Lesser, an Assistant Professor in the English Department, wrote about how he chose to use technology in the classroom. Dr. Lesser calls on all of us to think first about why we would use technology before we get excited about the [...]
Second Life and Virtual Worlds
Several Penn folks from different schools have been meeting every so often to discuss Second Life and other virtual worlds. Here at the Weigle Information Commons, we have rented some space on a library-focused island – this SL space looks much like the real commons with a central conference area suitable for a class or [...]
