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Category: CAT & Mouse: E-Learning

Published on Leave a comment on Can online note taking help to limit plagiarism?

Google Chrome offers a variety of extensions for taking notes on the web page you're browsing. After my own experiences (I still teach as an adjunct and taught online over 20 years before becoming the Distance Education Coordinator) and hearing stories from other educators, I am wondering if these online note taking services could help combat plagiarism.

Copying and pasting from online sources is so easy for students. Even if they go back and try to change a few words here and there, their work is usually flagged in such apps as Turnitin. If we make it easier for them to take notes on the materials, they would then have to write more of their own content for their papers and other assignments.

Here are 5 Chrome extensions, all with various features, that we can recommend to our students. They are Simple Notepad, Note anywhere, Mini Notepad, Note Board, and Chrome Notepad. Viveka Nagar reviewed these 5 features this past fall for I love free software.

Since it's not unusual for me to have sticky notes surrounding my computer screen and liberally posted across my desk and on walls, I tend to prefer the Note Anywhere add-on.  Here's a snapshot from their app store of what it may look like:

Note anywhere screen shot
Note anywhere screen shot

I invite you to experiment with some or all of these possibilities and let us know if you and your students find them useful.  Karen Nichols

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Published on 1 Comment on Microlecturing

Microlecturing is a short (1-3 minutes long) multi-media presentation used to engage learners. Jana Jab, co-founder of Edynco, has a concise but detailed article discussing when one would want to use microlectures and how to create them.

What can microlectures do?

  • provide a brief overview of a topic using key concepts
  • provide step-by-step instructions (i.e. how to solve a problem)
  • provide a personal introduction to a topic to engage your learners
  • provide a breakdown of a larger lecture into smaller more manageable pieces for your learners


How can one create a microlecture?

Of course, you can always come to CAT and use our Camtasia studio and receive expert support from Bart Everson--Happy Microlecturing!

Published on Leave a comment on Spritzing: A New Way to Speed Read

Spritz, a Boston-based tech company, is releasing to the general public a new app that allows you to speed read in a different way from other similar products that are currently available.

After a few years of research and development, they are ready to launch a wearable technology product for Samsung. This reader lines up the words to our actual way of reading (slightly left of center of each word) so that one's head isn't constantly moving as we read across and down a page.

image from spritzinc.com
image from spritzinc.com

I tried samples of three different speeds provided and found it difficult to concentrate. My mind wanted to wander--make associations with other texts, search memories. While I think this app could be extremely useful for technical reading, I'm not sure I would like to use it for literature or even non-literary fiction. Part of the "fun" of reading is savoring well-written prose or conjuring up delightful images of the characters and places described. At up to 1000 words a minute, there's no time for that!

Want to experience what it would feel like to "spritz"? Elite Daily offers samples as well as additional information. If you have a need for speed and are looking for time-saving measures, this might be the app for you! And if you decide to try it, please let us know what you think.

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Published on 1 Comment on Facilitating Online Discussions

Mia MacMeekin, who is an educator and lawyer, developed an Infographic with tips and best practices to facilitate online discussions. She writes:

The online discussion board has received differing reviews. Many believe it is a place that students simply write mini-papers, with little to no feedback. Others believe that it is a true learning tool for online courses.

Online Discussion Tips

You can read Mia MacMeekin’s Online Discussion Tips blog post on her An Ethical Island blog.

Published on Leave a comment on Trapped in an Inhospitable Alien Landscape!

How did CAT's Media Artist, Bart Everson, come to be trapped in this inhospitable alien landscape?

Don't be alarmed. We are just testing a new feature in our Camtasia Studio. We are in the process of installing a green screen, which can be used to drop just about any background you want behind you in your video.

Stop by some time and check it out.

Published on Leave a comment on I’ll have some MERLOT

According to the website, MERLOT, Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching, " is a free and open peer reviewed collection of online teaching and learning materials and faculty-developed services contributed and used by an international education community. "

A program of the California State University System, MERLOT is a great starting point for those interested in technology-infused classrooms as well as hybrid and online courses. It's also free and open--no corkscrew required.

One of a multitude of resources is a scholarly publication, JOLT, The Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. JOLT has a wonderful index so that you can easily search for specific topics (and you're highly likely to find them).

As one would expect, MERLOT is everywhere social media is as well. They've even developed a presentation on how to use the social networking features of MERLOT:

So when you have a few moments to unwind in the evening, get on your laptop and pour yourself a glass of, well you know, and be prepared to enjoy--Salut!

Published on Leave a comment on ICYMI–You’re invited to join ETC: Educational Technology Community

You’re invited to join ETC: Educational Technology Community

CAT is forming a Special Interest Group (SIG) for faculty interested in Educational Technology. The Educational Technology Community (ETC) is an interactive component of CAT’s Online Faculty Resource Center in Blackboard and will provide access to research and discussions on this topic. To join, simply email a request to Karen Nichols (knichola@xula.edu).

Once there, you’ll see resources not only for faculty who are designing and teaching online and hybrid courses, but information for adding content to Blackboard for your face to face courses, accessibility resources, etc. In addition, there will be a Discussion section for posting questions and comments as well as an Announcements area where you will receive information on the latest innovations in ed tech, recommendations by your colleagues and other items of interest.

In addition, virtual meetings will be set up using Blackboard Collaborate where we can meet to share and discuss any ideas or perhaps get advice on challenges.

So if you’re interested in Educational Technology, please feel free to join us. The first virtual meeting of ETC will take place on Thursday, February 6 from 2:30pm-3:30pm using Blackboard Collaborate. The link and instructions will be posted in the Announcements section of CAT’s Online Faculty Resource Center. To join ETC, simply email a request to Karen Nichols (knichola@xula.edu). This will be a great opportunity for you to experience how Bb Collaborate works and to start sharing ideas!

Published on Leave a comment on Advantages of Teaching Online

Teaching online has several positive aspects. Here are a few taken from the Teaching and Learning Online:  Communication, Community and Assessment, a handbook for UMass faculty published by the University of Massachusetts:

Teaching online courses can

  • Offer the opportunity to think about teaching in new ways:  Online teaching can allow you to experiment with techniques only available in online environments, such as threaded discussions and webliographies
  • Provide ideas and techniques to implement in traditional courses:  Online email discussions, a frequently-used practice in online learning, can be incorporated into traditional courses to facilitate group work.  Other techniques, such as web-based course calendars and sample papers posted on the internet (with student permission) can easily be incorporated into a traditional course.
  • Expand the reach of the curriculum:  Online teaching can expand existing curriculum to students on a regional, national, and international level.
  • Professional satisfaction:  Teaching online can be a enormously rewarding experience for teachers.  Teachers often cite the diversity of students in online courses as one of the most rewarding aspects of teaching online.
  • Instructor convenience:  Teaching online can offer teachers conveniences not available in traditional classroom settings; for example, at-home office hours and flexible work schedules.

I would like to add to the above advantages that teaching online can provide research and collaboration opportunities.  In addition, the online faculty at Xavier is a very collegiate and congenial group and working with them is another source of satisfaction!

It's interesting to read more of the University of Massachusetts' Teaching and Learning Online Handbook.

Published on Leave a comment on 10 Tips for Effective eLearning

Katie Lepi, who writes regularly for Edudemic, wrote an article listing 10 tips for effective eLearning. She writes:

Teaching online involves all the difficulties of teaching in person, with a few extra wrenches thrown in. Navigating the path of online learning can sometimes be rough, so the makers of the handy infographic below put together ten ‘links’ that make the ‘chain of e-Learning’ to help guide you on the online teaching path.

The-Chain-of-Successful-eLearning-Infographic

Want to read more? Read the entire article, "10 Tips for Effective eLearning," which is posted on the Edudemic website.

Published on Leave a comment on Gadgets and Apps for our New Year’s Resolutions

Happy New Year!
Some of us at this time resolve to live healthier lives during this upcoming year. I thought I would share with you a couple of amusing gadgets available to help us keep our New Year's resolutions as well as a few apps that you may actually find useful and/or interesting.

TechCrunch has created the Happifork. The Happifork monitors how you're eating--speed and amount of food you are trying to eat at one time. If you have too much food on the Happifork, it will shake off the food until it reaches a more optimal amount for you to eat in one bite. I surely wouldn't want to use this gadget at a public place!

Have you heard about Google's talking shoe? Based on your movement (or non-movement) these shoes have attitude and aren't afraid to let you know what they're "thinking." While they can be "encouraging" during a brisk walk or workout, they seem to me to be more of a novelty than a real help to people who are trying to stay on task and move more in the new year. Decide for yourself:

Finally, Molly Kimball, a registered dietician who posts for nola.com, has made a few recommendations that you may find useful in your quest for a healthier lifestyle.
Find Me Gluten-Free, Map My Run and My Fitness Pal are among the ones she suggests. Check out her article and see all of them.

I have a few New Year's resolutions for 2014 and among them are to do a better job of buying locally and to actively be more compassionate. I've found a few sites to help me keep them. Good Eggs not only allows you to place your orders online, but will deliver your groceries to you either to a central meeting place or actually to your home. Most of our locally-grown produce is from the Northshore area and so delivery into New Orleans is usually twice a week. I've also become very interested in the Charter for Compassion as well as Sister Jane Remson's blog "Think About It-Pray About It-Act on It" which gives you the opportunity to be active by contacting your senator about an important issue for example.

Have you made any resolutions for the new year? If so, please share what you're doing and if you've found an app or gadget that is helping you.