Information and Learning Management | Images | Audio | Video | Multimedia Presentation and Publishing | Visualization and Analysis Tools
Teaching with Learning Management Systems: Moodle, Sakai
Computer-mediated communication is increasingly commonplace on campus, propelled by widespread implementation of learning management systems. These systems include tools, such as discussion forums, wikis, and online resources and texts that allow instructors to push learning beyond classroom walls. Yet what are the most pedagogically sound ways to use these tools? In this workshop, faculty participants will explore the meaningful use of learning management systems both in and out of the classroom, drawing on their own and each other’s expertise. Working hands-on with a variety of learning management systems tools, participants will experience a student’s view and create a course in order to consider which tools are appropriate for which pedagogical contexts and when and how best to use these tools to help students learn. Participants will leave the workshop with learning-centered strategies for using learning management systems that are anchored in and integrated with their own classroom practices.
This workshop is available in either the Moodle or Sakai learning management system. After the workshop, participants will be able to continue working with their course for a limited amount of time, and will be able to export it to instance of the learning management system on their home campus.
Special thanks to Allegheny College for partnering with NITLE to pilot the Sakai version of this workshop for our community of participating colleges.
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Workshop Details
Technical requirements for host campus
Participant prerequisites: Participants are asked to bring a syllabus and materials (documents and other resources) for a current or planned course as well as other ideas and materials for using the course management system.
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Digital Repositories: Using DSpace
The proliferation of digital texts, images, datasets and other media presents a challenge for small colleges: how to store, organize, access, and distribute such materials. By combining cataloging and editorial workflow with community access, digital repositories offer a solution. This workshop will introduce the concept of institutional repositories through DSpace, an open-source digital repository system, engaging participants in interactive discussion of the definition, purpose, and framework of such repositories and how campuses can make use of and benefit from them.
Participants will work hands-on in DSpace to create and explore a digital repository. Participants will create communities and collections in DSpace and learn how to manage content, establish workflows, and record metadata. Rights management will also be touched upon. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of digital repositories, how they can be used to manage and make the most of digital materials, and the information they will need to start, organize, and manage a digital repository for their own campuses with DSpace.
Special thanks to Union College for partnering with NITLE to pilot this workshop for our community of participating colleges.
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Workshop Details
Technical requirements for host campus
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Technologies for Teaching Writing
Digital technology has changed the way we read, write, and communicate. Social software, with its emphasis on collective and collaborative writing online, has had significant impact on the context in which students learn to write and on the process itself. This workshop will examine the impact that digital tools have on the teaching of writing. Participants will learn about and how to use tools for
Participants will leave this workshop with an understanding of how digital technology fits into the writing process and the ability to use these tools both in teaching students and in their own writing.
Special thanks to Southwestern University and Lake Forest College for partnering with NITLE to pilot this workshop for our community of participating colleges.
Workshop Details
Technical requirements for host campus
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Visual Literacy: Tools for Teaching and Learning with Images
In our media-saturated culture, communication occurs just as much through images as through text. Data visualizations and graphics enhance our understanding of complex information as they draw upon our native ability to translate visual patterns and cues. A vast array of digital images, maps, and graphing options are available on the World Wide Web today, but arbitrary instructional use of images can confuse learners and reduce their understanding of subject content. This workshop provides an interdisciplinary survey of visual resources for education with a focus on open-access solutions for teaching. Participants will learn how to acquire and manage digital images and graphics with tools such as Flickr and ARTstor, and will consider related issues such as the visual learning style and copyright. Each participant will leave with a rich set of visual resources, new technology skills, and peer support within the NITLE Network.
Special thanks to both Elizabethtown College and Eugene Lang College for partnering with NITLE to pilot this workshop for our community of participating colleges.
Workshop details:
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Thanks to digital cameras, photo-sharing sites like Flickr, and Google Image Search, digital images are readily available. When using such images to teach, however, instructors sometimes find that available images need tweaking before they can be used successfully to support teaching goals or create the right learning moments. Digital image editing allows users to manipulate images to change their size and shape or improve their quality. In this workshop, participants will learn about basic scanning and still-image manipulation using Adobe Photoshop. Topics include basic color theory, terminology, image file types, document management tools, cropping and rotating images, basic and intermediate selection tools, drawing and painting tools, basic color correction, and type tools. Participants will gain an understanding of the mechanics of image and graphic editing and how to use these skills to design and structure material to address curricular and pedagogical needs.
Workshop details:
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Proficiency in basic computer skills (opening and closing files, working with multiple windows and applications, navigating the file system)
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
With the advantages of portability, repeatability and constant availability, digital audio has a variety of uses for a liberal arts college. For example, it can facilitate language learning, oral histories, or biology field notes. This workshop helps participants to develop an understanding of sound recording and skills for creating, capturing, and editing quality digital sound for teaching and learning. Engaging in hands-on practice, participants learn to use an open-source sound editor such as Audacity or Garage Band. They will complete a digital audio project from start to finish, including storyboarding, scripting, recording, editing, and output. Participants will leave with a complete digital audio project and a plan for employing digital audio for teaching and learning.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
The next step after the digital audio workshop described above, this workshop offers more in-depth study of and hands-on experience with creating digital audio. Topics to be covered include an overview of available editing software, equipment needs, standards, recording tips, post-production, and delivery options. After this workshop, participants will be able to find the right equipment and environment to create digital audio, use editing software for audio sweetening, and output it to a variety of media, including mp3, wav, aac, podcasts, compact disks, and web pages.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
In order to create videos with better production quality, filmmakers must learn the art of videography – how cameras work, what shots mean, and how to control the environment to produce the best quality video. A natural partner for the digital video production workshops listed below, this workshop explores what it takes to produce usable raw video footage, including necessary equipment, movie-making techniques, video standards, and ways to avoid common mistakes. Participants will shoot video and engage in group critique of the footage. Participants will be able to enhance their digital video by improving their initial video capture.
Workshop Details
Technical requirements for host campus
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Digital Video Production: iMovie, Pinnacle, or Windows Movie Maker
This workshop helps participants make the most of the digital video medium by centering on digital video editing. Participants will gain a firm understanding of how to convert raw video footage to a finished project. Participants will edit and compress video for pedagogical use, and explore different delivery methods, such as the web, DVD, and VHS. Participants will leave with a complete video project and ideas for using this medium to enhance their instruction and promote active learning in and out of the classroom.
Workshop details
Workshop Options
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Proficiency in basic computer skills (opening and closing files, working with multiple windows and applications, navigating the file system).
Note for participants: While not a requirement, participants are encouraged to bring their own video/still cameras, or cameras loaned by their campus, and are also encouraged to bring media (images, music, video, etc.) that they would like to incorporate into their projects.
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Digital Video Production: Final Cut
While tools such as iMovie make movie-making easy for any user, Final Cut is for users who need more control in their video editing. This product, which has been used to edit feature films, allows users to complete complex digital video projects with a robust digital video editing technology. The introduction to Final Cut video editing covers basic digital video concepts, logging and capture techniques, basic editing, titling, and compression for web delivery or output back to tape. Participants will leave with the skills necessary to use Final Cut for producing quality digital video for use on the liberal arts campus.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Basic familiarity with a non-linear video editing application (e.g., iMovie, Premiere) suggested
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Advanced Video Production with Final Cut
Advanced Video Production with Final Cut is for those who have some experience with video applications but want to delve more deeply into the capabilities of Final Cut Studio. Topics include more advanced editing techniques, such as chroma key and picture in picture. This workshop will also introduce other parts of the Final Cut Studio suite, such as Motion for real-time motion graphics design and Soundtrack to create music tracks for video projects. Participants will leave with the skills necessary to produce high-quality digital videos for use on the liberal arts campus.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Participation in "Digital Video Production with Final Cut" or equivalent experience
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
In order to create videos with better production quality, filmmakers must learn the art of videography – how cameras work, what shots mean, and how to control the environment to produce the best quality video. The next step beyond the digital video production workshops listed above, this workshop offers additional emphasis on lighting, microphones, and techniques for assuring the highest possible quality of image and sound, as well as a more in-depth exploration of the underlying technology of the video camera. Participants will be able to enhance their digital video by improving their initial video capture.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Participation in "Digital Video Production with Final Cut" or equivalent experience
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Communicating with Digital Text and Images
Digital text and images offer powerful communication tools for faculty, staff and students, whether used to support instruction, student presentations, campus business, or co-curricular activities. Used together, text and images can enhance messages delivered face-to-face or via static media like posters or fliers; however, strong presentation skills are critical to harnessing their powerful potential for effective communication. Participants in this workshop will learn basic design principles, how to choose the appropriate tool for the context, how to think visually, and how to repurpose material for different contexts, such as a public lecture illustrated with PowerPoint slides or a poster publishing results of scientific work. Campuses may request this topic in one of two variations: PowerPoint or Adobe Creative Suite.
Participants in taking the PowerPoint version of this workshop will learn how to give effective oral presentations, using PowerPoint and its capabilities to support their communications goals. This workshop will focus on best practices for the tool, the pedagogy of presentations, good presentation skills, and common mistakes. Participants will learn how to go beyond the linear slide presentation to more interactive slideshows; how to incorporate a variety of media, such as images, audio, video, and links to online sources; and how to use PowerPoint to support class discussion or student projects. Finally, participants will consider the cognitive limits of PowerPoint and how best to employ it for teaching and learning.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Proficiency in basic computer skills (opening and closing files, working with multiple windows and applications, navigating the file system). Participants are encouraged to come with a specific presentation in mind to develop, as well as materials to use in its development (text files, digital images).
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Faculty who collaborate with students on research projects and presentations need to teach them how to make well-designed posters that effectively integrate visual images to teach a lesson. The tools in Adobe Creative Suite—Illustrator, Photoshop, and InDesign—can help faculty members and their student collaborators create posters and other materials that use text and graphics to educate and communicate. In this version of "Communicating with Digital Text and Images," workshop participants will learn how to choose the appropriate tools for their needs and how best to fit their content to a variety of delivery modes.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Introduction to Web Development
The advent of the Internet heralded the information age, in which colleges have begun to break free from the constraints of traditional publishing systems. Faculty and staff can now publish course materials and scholarship online, guide students to higher levels of academic performance by connecting them with public audiences, and share and build knowledge and information across campuses and beyond. Web authoring tools like Macromedia DreamWeaver make web development easier by providing users with an interface that allows them to compose directly in HTML (hypertext markup language) or by using a design editor similar to word processors such as MS Word. This workshop introduces basic web authoring with Macromedia Dreamweaver, covering basic web graphics, design issues, and how to read html. Participants will learn by working on their own projects and will leave with the ability to compose web pages directly or for publishing through course or content management systems.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Ability to navigate the web using a browser; ideas and materials for the development of a website for educational purposes.
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
The next step after "Introduction to Web Development" (above), this workshop will cover advanced aspects of Macromedia DreamWeaver including Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), design layout with or without tables, and DreamWeaver templates. Participants will also explore how to include other content in their web pages, such as multimedia, XML, searches, and RSS feeds. Finally, participants will consider efficient site management for individuals or groups. After this workshop, participants will be able to create and maintain moderately complex web sites for pedagogical or informational uses on campus.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Participation in "Introduction to Web Development" the equivalent training or experience with Macromedia DreamWeaver or an equivalent web editor.
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Database-Driven Project Design
Database-driven projects allow for the dynamic presentation of content and user interaction with online resources. Such design allows for learner-centered pedagogy and active learning. This workshop will consider the practical and pedagogical aspects of how to design database-driven websites using technologies included in the popular LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) application suite. By working on their own projects, participants will learn how to use SQL queries and basic PHP commands to create dynamic online resources. Participants will leave with a basic understanding of database-driven web design and a template for continuing to develop their own projects.
Workshop details
Notes for campuses requesting this workshop: The workshop can be tailored as needed to cover technologies such as PERL, Access, Microsoft SQL Server, ASP and Java Script.
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Familiarity with structured data, such as might be attained by having developed any relational database, and experience with web development are highly recommended.
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
DVDs offer an alternative to web publishing that allow users to view or work with material offline. While iDVD allows basic DVD creation, some users need more control in their DVD production. This workshop will cover the advanced capabilities of DVD Studio Pro, such as MPG2 compression, workspaces (Basic, Extended, and Advanced), creating menus (still and motion), themes, chapter markers, working with audio, multiple tracks (audio, video, and subtitle), and output to DVD. Participants will leave this workshop with a complete DVD project and the ability to create high-quality DVDs for all their projects.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Proficiency with Final Cut (or similar video editing application) and Photoshop
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
The Internet now hosts a variety of interactive mapping tools that offer innovative ways to visualize and query spatial information. With examples drawn from the humanities to the sciences, this workshop provides an introduction to web-mapping as a resource for instruction and research. Participants will learn how to find, evaluate, and use tools for viewing and mapping data that are free, easy to use, and have intrinsic value to education; they will also learn how to customize two and three-dimensional maps with their own data. This workshop is appropriate to anyone looking for ways to incorporate digital mapping into their instructional activities without incurring the training and costs of GIS software. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of modern web-mapping technology, skills to find and evaluate digital maps and data viewers, new pedagogical ideas, and on-going access to workshop materials and updates developed by NITLE.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: none
Recommendations: We recommend Visual Literacy: Using Images for Teaching and Learning as a "lead-in" workshop to Web-Mapping.
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Teaching Science with Simulations
Enabling students to create higher-order explanations for their observations is a foremost challenge in science education. Toward this goal, instructors balance the dual responsibility of rendering complex ideas and jargon comprehensible to a broad learning audience while teaching that audience the scientific method. Growing numbers of faculty members support model-facilitated instruction as an effective way to disseminate scientific knowledge and foster inquiry-based learning in the classroom. In this workshop, participants will share their experience using models to teach science within and across disciplines. Group discussions and presentations will focus on model applications in relation to training investment, appropriate use, and learning outcomes. Participants will leave with an overview of open-source and commercial modeling software, as well as model-based lesson plans, and new collaborative opportunities.
This workshop will appeal to faculty and technologists interested in selecting and using simulation models to foster student comprehension of complex systems and those seeking a thought-provoking exchange of ideas for lesson-planning.
Workshop Details
Technical requirements for host campus
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Infrastructure costs, hazardous materials, and space requirements make science labs a challenging proposition, yet hands-on experimentation is essential for learning in the sciences. Due to advances in multi-media design, computing technology, and platforms for Internet-based collaboration and data use, virtual laboratories now offer an important supplement or viable alternative to live science labs. Features like three-dimensional presentations and animation or virtual instrumentation and analysis allow students to gain a broader science experience without the costs of a live lab.
In this workshop, participants will explore options for teaching in a virtual science laboratory, including available open-source and commercial exercises, while engaging in a meaningful conversation on virtual methodology and its impact on learning. Faculty will particularly benefit from the opportunity to present their activities in this realm and to acquire new ideas from colleagues representing a spectrum of disciplines and institutions. Expected products of this workshop include an overview of currently available virtual lab activities, sources, and concepts for appropriate lab design.
Workshop Details
Technical requirements for host campus
Participant prerequisites: none
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)
Introduction to SPSS for Statistical Analysis for Social Sciences
Computer-assisted data management and the ready availability of large datasets make statistical analysis in the information age possible for faculty and students alike. SPSS (originally Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), one of the most widely used tools for statistical analysis in social science, has also become more user-friendly. This basic introduction to SPSS will focus on the principles of good data analysis and preparation of hypotheses, as well as on the specific features of the software. Participants will get hands-on practice with the software and may have time to work on their own projects. After this workshop, participants will be able to use SPSS to manage and analyze both individually-produced data and large existing datasets for teaching and research.
Workshop details
Technical requirements for host campus:
Participant prerequisites: Participants should be familiar with the principles and practices of statistical analysis as practiced in the social science disciplines.
Bring this workshop to your campus: guidelines on requesting Workshops To Go (includes explanation of hosting options)