PowerPoint Presentation

ENGLISH 101:TECHNOLOGY WEBQUEST*This top picture is not set in the frame of the panel exactly well. But it is purposefully done in order to have it fill up the panel during the presentation. I lucked out finding the right picture that had a rounded fade at the bottom; it seems to work well with the background of the PowerPoint theme.1Incoming Freshmen

See and Feel Progress

(By Way of Chaos)

around Our Campus.

This is Not Just Physical,

Its Virtual:

"New School Year Brings New Website at UMass Boston"

DEVELOPMENTDiscuss: There is no doubt Incoming Freshmen See and Feel Progress (By Way of Chaos) around Our Campus. This is Not Just Physical, Its Virtual:

Article: Weve asked for a more modern website one that is easier to navigate, accessible, and better captures the UMass Boston experience.And after TWO YEARS of PLANNING, construction, and testing, UMass Boston is kicking off the 2011-2012 school year with a new site aimed at doing just that. The university launched a redesigned website on Aug. 25.

This means as its rolled out, its already outdated. I think this is why some of the newer technology is not represented on the opening page links.

*The ENT superimposed over the image of Healey Construction Site is a subliminal message of sorts: Although it is the Healey Construction Site, nothing is really being done to the actual library. The new ENTrance will look nice, but its a very expensive illusion! It has nothing to do with my presentation, but I wanted you to see my authorial intention! What we can do when we write these days!2UNITY (SORT OF)

Discuss: Before this unification navigating through UMBs websites was fairly confusing. And we didnt have just one password.

Now, things are a bit easier, but the front of our UMB website does not nearly begin to cover the virtual landscape of our campus.

Students still need to become comfortable with (and find easily online) eReserves, course wikis and Blackboards. Although placing email, WISER, Blackboard, and Library links have helped, they have not really streamlined everything. Its still a little chaotic to navigate until we become more familiar with how things work.

*This video clip was recorded using a free App from the Mac App store: Screen Recorder. Its set to autoplay and loop through PowerPoint settings.3A WebQuest to ORGANIZE the VIRTUAL CHAOSDivide UMB Online Spaces According to Function:

Discuss: I will design a WebQuest that helps to sort the chaos by organizing some of the most used online features UMB has to offer into three functions: Administrative, Resources and Productivity.

*Student email, though also a resource, is listed under the administrative category because of the way the university communicates. Checking email should be seen as a responsibility for students, to make sure they are kept updated about whats going on with the institution. 4The WebQuest Task:Hands-On Activities:Discuss: The students will be guided through a series of activities that engage them with the functions of each tool. And no one every really instructed me on how to go about posting on Blackboard, or to navigate WISER. It might have helped. I think it took me a semester or longer to figure everything out. Of course, that was a different time. And I know some students, for whatever reason, will not forward UMB email to a personal account. Interacting with these internet tools is important to the UMB experience, and I think there is a reason to slow things down and do go over some operational instructions.

These activities will have students practicing with the functions of each tool in order for students to see how they can use them. There will be just one task for each site visited, but I will ask them to view other things on the site as well.

5The WebQuest Task:Hands-On Activities:READ BULLETS6The WebQuest Task:Hands-On Activities:READ BULLETS

7The ProcessDiscuss: These activities will have students practicing with the functions of each tool in order for students to see how they will be using them. There will be just one task for each site visited, but I will ask them to view other things on the site as well.

Mostly there will be written out instructions. Which will guide students through the tasks step by step.

I might try to develop video tutorials using something Ive found online thats easy (and free): Screen Recorder. It helped me to make THIS in approximately 7 minutes: NEXT SLIDE8

*This video is an excerpt from a larger tutorial video on accessing the Blackboard discussion feature. And yes, I thought about how I could record desktop activity, searched for a program--via desktop recorder in a search field--in the Mac App store, downloaded/setup the FREE program, and recorded the process of logging into Blackboard all in seven minutes. It was fun.9EvaluationDiscuss: Do we need to evaluate a tutorial? Is that even fair? I think the best I can do is give full credit based on completion. And likely count it towards participation.

Still: Both students and teachers can see if tasks like Blackboard posts and wiki customization are completed because they have an online paper trail so to speak. Otherwise, I can ask students to report back their findings, such as the library book call numbers, and ask them to print out the first page of their degree audit. But I am not sure if thats important. What I really need students to do will have a product I can access online.

I will likely just have a checklist for students to compare their work to, and pass in when completed. Maybe I will ask for some artifacts that can not be produced online, but Im not sure yet.10

Discuss: My first plan is to book a computer lab here on campus and do the WebQuest on an overhead with each student sat at their own computer. If this is not possible I will assign it for homework. My goal is to have the whole thing take about 40 minutes.11

Thank You.*This top picture is not set in the frame of the panel exactly well. But it is purposefully done in order to have it fill up the panel during the presentation. I lucked out finding the right picture that had a rounded fade at the bottom; it seems to work well with the background of the PowerPoint theme.12