Faculty Workshop

Mike Ramirez, Kim Humerickhouse, and I presented to the faculty on web 2.0 resources. We had fun and the faculty was engaged trying out the new sites. These were some the resources we shared - Internet Resources.  Check out these resources to add to your toolbox.


                    

Conference Friday April 15

Went to a wonderful conference Friday, KAPCOTE. Dr. Marlysue Holmquist and Marla Elmquist from Bethany College did a nice job of presenting innovative ideas they are doing in their education department partnering with K-12 teachers.  Some was confirmation of things we are doing and some new ideas to investigate.  Mike Rameriz and I presented as a fill for a presenter who was sick.  We had fun.  Mike is fun to present with.

Vendors!

The process of purchasing equipment for a district or university can be complicated or simple.  I have found that some vendors play games bashing their competitor and try to tell you what you want instead of listening to what you have specified is needed.  One such company new to the area is CSS.  Their sales person is a prime example of treating you like you are an idiot and he is smarter than you and needs to tell you what you need.  In the end, it is what the customer wants that is important.  Some vendors are great at consulting and supplying information without being condescending.  These are the vendors that one should deal with.  Companies such as CSS aren't interested in what is best for the organization but merely looking to sell you items you don't need.

iPevo Follow-Up

Yes!  Got my iPevo today!  Awesome!  Works great with Windows 7 and Mac.  Easy to set up and the controls are easy.  Used it with Skype and took pictures.  Very clear picture on documents and small enough to take.   Well worth the cost.

LMS

LMS (Learning Management Systems)

The question for many institutes is what is the best LMS?  There are many popular systems being used such as Blackboard, Angel (now owned by Blackboard and phasing out in the next few years), Desire to Learn, Moodle, and many more not to mention the proprietary systems developed by individual institutions.  My personal experience has been with three of these.  Blackboard, Moodle, and the institutes own system. 

Currently I am an doctoral student with NorthCentral Unversity out of Arizona.  Their own online system is not the best and is often hard to find information.  Compared to Blackboard, it is as good with fewer clicks than Blackboard.  Capella uses a modified version of Blackboard and it is one of the worse systems I have ever used.  I teach with Blackboard at the community college.  Blackboard over the years has not changed much and is one of the most cumbersome systems I have used.  Students have too many clicks to get the information they need and the limitations are many.  I have been using Moodle for the past 10 years and found it to be the most logical and sequential systems.  The capabilities are many as well as the ability to customize the look and feel of the site. 

So what system is best?  This is what my research will be on from the perspective of the instructor, student, and the IT people.

iPevo

I have ordered one of these new inexpensive document cameras, iPevo, $69.  The Apple guy at the Mace conference said it was great.  Will let everyone know how it works after I get it.

Wireless

If you think people are confused about wireless - think of the birds.