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Spring Track M - Faculty Inquiry Group: Tablet PCs and the 21st Century University Student |
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Spring Track General Requirements
This year, FDI is again offering alternative tracks that will meet during the spring semester. By attending the sessions that comprise a spring track, faculty can opt out of participating during the summer months and still meet the participation requirements to receive a computer.
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Track Requirements
(click on title to jump to a description and time listing) |
Required Short Course #1:
Required Short Courses #2 - #5:
Required Short Courses #6 - #7:
choose two (or more) of the following courses (once the TLT Group spring schedule is published in January, you will have the opportunity to change one or both these selections):
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Spring Track M Description
This spring-only track is ideal for faculty who would like to engage in a critical exploration of current pedagogical issues surrounding new educational technologies and the "digital native" students we are now "teaching." While the primary focus will be on the current and projected future impact of Tablet PCs, discussions and demonstrations will not be restricted to that technology and will also include such things as course "wikis" and "blogs." The overarching goal of Track M is to provide participants with an opportunity to reflect upon their own teaching practices as they relate to Tablet PCs. Those who select this track will join a multi-disciplinary cohort consisting of 8 to 12 faculty. Rather than solely focusing on acquiring new technological skills, the core activities of this track will be reading recent scholarship and attending presentations related to Tablet PCs and appropriate software. Opportunities to discuss this content with colleagues will be integral to this track, and participants will be encouraged to share their experiences with others in the cohort. Individual follow up activities and consultations may optionally be arranged.
While the initial set of readings will be supplied by FDI prior to the first cohort meeting, additional readings, guest lecturers, faculty speakers, and other events will be chosen based upon the topics, issues, pedagogies, and technologies the cohort would like to explore. Faculty in this track will also have the opportunity to participate in live, web-based events hosted by the Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) Group. These thought-provoking, interactive, online events cover a number of current topics and are led by nationally known speakers.
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Spring Track Individual Requirements
Those participating in this spring track will be asked to attend a total of seven meetings/workshops/events during the spring semester. There are three general requirement areas:
- Faculty participating in this track will be required to attend one of FDI’s Campus Resources sessions.
- The cohort will collectively meet four times during the spring semester. The first meeting will be Tuesday, January 29th from 10 to noon in 3060 Torgersen Hall. The remaining meetings will take place at the same time and location on February 12, February 26, and March 11.
- Participants are be asked to attend a total of two other “regular” FDI short courses and/or TLT events associated with Tablet PCs.
The table to the right summarizes these requirements. The table below details the requirements, with course descriptions, times and dates of the sessions, and links are provided to enroll into each one. If you plan to participate in this Tablet PC Faculty Inquiry Group, you must be able to attend the required sessions listed below. As always, it is possible to sign up for more than the seven required courses.
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Spring Track Course Listing
Required Session #1 - Campus Instructional Resources / Computer Security
choose one (or more) of the following courses: |
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- Monday, January 28
10am -
12pm
- Wednesday, January 30
3pm - 5pm
- Tuesday, February 5
10am - 12pm
- Thursday, February 14
10am - 12pm
- Wednesday, March 26
10am - 12pm
All sessions meet in 1100 Torgersen Hall (Torgersen Hall Lobby). All sessions are suitable for both Windows and Mac platforms. |
This short course will provide participants with an overview of the services and agencies that are in place at Virginia Tech to support the use of technology with instructional and research activities. Virginia Tech's security group will also present and provide strategies, suggestions, and access to software that will assist participants as they take steps to ensure the safety of the information on their computers and the computer systems at Virginia Tech.
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Required Sessions #2-5 - Cohort Meetings
(Participants should be able to make it to all four listed dates and times) |
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- 1/29/08
- 2/12/08
- 2/26/08
- 3/11/08
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All meetings Tuesdays from 10am - 12pm
The first meeting is in Torgersen 3060.
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Required Sessions #6 & #7 -- Other Courses
choose two (or more) of the following courses: |
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A Survey of Emerging Web 2.0 Technologies: Engaging Students with Technology to Build a Community of Practice
- Thursday, Feburary 14
10am - 12pm
3080 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
- Wednesday, March 26
10am - 12pm
1120 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
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With the emergence of dozens of compelling Web 2.0 applications in recent months, FDI has had several requests to offer a short course highlighting the most compelling of those that have clear applicability for teaching, research, and outreach. Briefly, Web 2.0 applications are distinctly different from earlier applications of the web in that they don’t simply link information together. They link people together; people who are able to share, trade, and collaborate via the internet. The survey provided by this short course will highlight tools that enable this linking of people. Participants will have time to explore and discuss each tool and will leave the session with a list of tools and resources to apply immediately and explore over time. Social networking, data aggregation, data “mashing”, blogs, wikis, RSS, and more will be discussed during this session.
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An Introduction to the Tablet PC
- Monday, March 10
3pm - 5pm
3060 Torgersen Hall
Windows
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Have you ever seen anyone try to balance a laptop on one arm while typing with the other? Tablet PCs are a new type of computer that enables users to be much more portable than ever before. "The Tablet PC's compact, convertible design allows you to comfortably use your computer in small spaces even while standing up. Tablet PCs also include wireless Internet support and a long battery life." In addition to a hands-on exploration of the "ink"-enabled features of Microsoft Office and the Windows operating system, this short course will showcase a number of classroom-based software tools that are exceptionally well-suited for the tablet. This short course is for anyone that wants to make better use of their Tablet or is considering the purchase of one. Although Tablet PCs will be provided, those that own one are encouraged to bring it to this session.
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DyKnow: Utilizing Tablet PCs to Increase Student Engagement and Organization
- Monday, February 11
3pm - 5pm
3060 Torgersen Hall
Windows
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Are you searching for a tool that will help you foster greater interaction with your students and take advantage of the capabilities of tablet computing? This short course will focus on DyKnow which offers a toolset which increases interaction through collaborative note taking, student response tools, content replay, and anywhere, anytime access. Participants will learn about DyKnow through hands-on pedagogical examples. Participants will also interact as students using the DyKnow software suite. Faculty planning to use DyKnow during the spring 2008 or fall 2008 semesters are encouraged to attend; however, any faculty member wishing to see how technology can help students concentrate their note-taking on solving problems, clarifying concepts, and making connections is welcome to attend. Participants are also encouraged to bring their own tablet to use during this session. To learn more about DyKnow, please visit http://www.dyknow.com.
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"From the Other Side of the Podium": Student Panel Discussion
- Thursday, February 21
3pm - 5pm
1100 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
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How do our students learn best? When are they the most motivated and engaged? How might we present our content to enhance student learning? This panel, comprised of both graduate and undergraduate students from a variety of disciplines, serves as an opportunity for faculty members to interact with VT students to discover details about their generational culture, their epistemological perspectives, and their educational values. The panel participants will provide anecdotal evidence regarding what educational methodologies have most (and least!) inspired, motivated, and engaged them to perform, interact, and learn.
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Microsoft OneNote: A Tool for In-Class Collaboration
- Wednesday, March 26
10am - 12pm
3060 Torgersen Hall
Windows
- Monday, March 31
3pm - 5pm
3060 Torgersen Hall
Windows
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OneNote is a product from Microsoft which makes it easier for faculty and students to perform research and share information with colleagues. With an interface that is similar to Microsoft Word's, OneNote is a tool that is intended to help you gather, organize, and use notes more effectively. As a note-taking tool, OneNote accepts typed or handwritten (if you have a tablet PC) input, and it is exceptionally easy to cut, paste, and freely place text and objects from other applications. With advanced searching capabilities, it is easy to find and recall information that you have collected. OneNote will work on desktop and laptop computers; however, OneNote will hold exceptional interest for those that have chosen a laptop or tablet to make themselves more portable (in the classroom, in the lab, or in the field) and this particular session will focus on Tablet use of OneNote. This short course will provide an overview and introduction to Microsoft OneNote, and hands-on activities will be an integral part of this session. To learn more about OneNote, please visit http://www.onenote.com - this site offers a "top ten" list of the ways OneNote will benefit academics.
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Social Networking and the 21st Century Student
- Wednesday, February 6
10am - 12pm
3080 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
- Thursday, Februrary 7
3pm - 5pm
3080 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
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You know who they are, walking across campus, stepping lively to the beat of their iPods; sitting beneath a tree or on a bench, fingers flying across their laptops or thumbs worrying the text pads on their cell phones; excusing themselves, red-faced, as their cell phones interrupt your class. They're wireless and connected, always engaged and entertained; they're our students, the Millennials. This workshop considers our undergraduate student culture - their attitudes toward learning, technology, social networking, and the future - and the challenges of meeting our curricular standards in light of this student culture. This discussion-rich session will enable us to share our experiences with and explore the implications of teaching the technologically savvy students of the 21st century.
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Tablet PCs in the Classroom
- Monday, March 17
3pm - 5 pm
3060 Torgersen Hall
Windows
- Wednesday, March 19
10am - 12pm
3060 Torgersen Hall
Windows
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Are you considering getting a Tablet PC, or are you a current Tablet PC-user, and would like to have a clear sense of realistic applications of tablet technologies that can have a meaningful and positive impact on learning in a variety instructional settings? This short course will provide a survey of software tools and strategies that can help you make the most of the Tablet PC in the classroom. While there will be some hands-on, the focus of this session will be on pedagogy and the variety of software and tools associated with teaching, learning and the Tablet PC. Coupled with this focus on tools and pedagogy will be a pragmatic discussion regarding technical concerns surround the use of Tablet PCs in a Virginia Tech classroom. Although Tablet PCs will be provided, those that own one are encouraged to bring it to this session.
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Teaching Using Technology: Faculty Panel Discussion
- Wednesday, March 19
3pm - 5pm
1100 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
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This short course provides an opportunity for faculty at Virginia Tech to see how their colleagues have utilized technology to solve pedagogical problems. Our Faculty Panel will include colleagues from a diversity of disciplines who will explain and provide examples of their approaches to using technology in their courses. Their frank discussion concerning the process of developing class activities for face-to-face as well as blended and online class environments will include the following: problems encountered, time investment, pedagogical concerns, copyright issues, changes to the student-professor relationship, and support avenues available on our campus. Uses of technology in and outside of class (with both large and small enrollments) will be highlighted throughout. This panel will provide invaluable, real-life insight from those who have had success applying technology in their courses.
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Teaching with the Tablet PC: A Panel Discussion of Faculty
- Monday, March 24
3pm - 5pm
3060 Torgersen Hall
Windows
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Virginia Tech faculty may well have heard that the Department of Engineering Education has a TabletPC requirement for all of its incoming students. Some faculty, however, may be unaware that a growing number of their colleagues use the TabletPC in their classrooms even if their students don't yet own these computers. TabletPCs have enhanced (and, yes, changed) teaching, research, and service all over campus. Presenters in this session are recruited from a diverse cross-section of academic activity and they use their Tablets in a myriad of ways, but they are universally enthusiastic about this technology. While each panelist will offer a short presentation highlighting their own applications of Tablet technologies, group discussion and dialogue will be hallmarks of this session.
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Technology as Vehicle…
- Wednesday, February 13
10am - 12pm
3080 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
- Thursday, February 14
3pm - 5pm
3080 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
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When faced with institutional and curricular goals, instructional priorities tend to lean closer toward content management and further away from significant epistemological concerns. This session offers an illustration of various online methodologies, which serve to facilitate content management while upholding the constructivist principles of student agency, a problematized curriculum, and cooperative problem-solving.
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Wikis in Higher Education
- Monday, February 11
3pm - 5pm
1120 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
- Thursday, March 27
3pm - 5pm
1120 Torgersen Hall
Windows/Macintosh
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Have you explored wikis and wonder if these technologies could hold value for you in the courses you teach? Might a wiki be useful way to collaborate with colleagues and students on research projects? A wiki is similar to a blog; however, ownership of the wiki is distributed to numerous individuals who collectively add and edit web-accessible content. In addition to defining key concepts and related terminology, this short course will provide an overview of the ways in which wikis are being used in higher education and beyond, and examples, both at Virginia Tech and on the web, will be provided. An exploration of the technologies used to create wikis will be a key component of this session, and participants will leave the short course with knowledge of the resources on campus that support wiki creation and development. This short course will provide participants with everything they need to know to start their own wiki.
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