Showing posts with label Technology in the Classroom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Technology in the Classroom. Show all posts

Monday, April 29, 2013

Connecting with Students via Facebook Groups - How Do YOU Do It?



Readers,

I enjoy connecting with students through social media (especially Facebook)! So, I tried a Facebook group for the FIRST time last spring and we definitely connected! The students asked questions about the course AND about life in general!

Connecting with Students
This was great for me, because I had a chance to connect with students and still complete my administrative duties each day. Most of my connections involved walking across campus and sending messages to the students via my iPhone.

Great for Time Management
Instead of sending e-mails via Exchange or Outlook to me, we actually decided to connect via our course Facebook group. This provided me with an instant notification AND I responded in a timely manner!

Intragroup Communication
Also, the students responded to one another's questions without me having to intervene. This was the most amazing part of the semester-long process, because they were able to become content generators.

I will definitely try this again!

Any questions?

Sincerely,

Millennial Professor

Friday, March 30, 2012

Save Your Data Week! - SanDisk Cruzer USB Drive

Readers,


Here is my favorite way to back up my data - SanDisk 64GB drive. I enjoy using this nifty drive to plug into my laptop computers.


I hang this drive on my Vera Bradley lanyard and my data is accessible on almost any computer.




I used this brand for the past 10 years and I LOVE it! SanDisk, if you ever want to host a giveaway on my blog, please let me know! ;)


Sincerely,


J. Edwards


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Save Your Data Week! - Where Do You Keep Your Academic Portfolio?


Readers,

I know that this might sounds crazy, but one night I had a weird dream about something happening to my academic portfolio which I kept at my office. So, I decided to relocate my academic portfolio to my home in a Rubbermaid container (to protect it from water, etc.).

Do you scan the items in your academic portfolio?

Do you keep multiple copies of your CV?

Do you have the original copies of your diplomas (which you probably have hanging in your office)?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Save Your Data Week! - iCloud by Apple

Readers,

Another way to back up your data is to use iCloud by Apple. Personally, I do not use iCloud for my e-mail, etc. because I do not want others to potentially have access to my e-mail. 

However, I really think that iCloud would be a great resource for some faculty and staff.


Do any of you use iCloud?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Save Your Data Week! - Using Google Docs!


Readers,

Now, I save almost everything in the "CLOUD". In fact, I use Google Docs for a lot of my research endeavors and writing assignments with students. Here's a neat video about Google Docs!


Do you use Google Docs?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards
Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Monday, March 26, 2012

Save Your Data Week! - Backing Up Your Data by Using 5 Methods (Printing EVERYTHING)



Readers,

Some "old school" professors actually print everything they create on the internet. This method costs their colleges and universities a wealth of money in paper and ink. Sometimes it is great to have that high level of reassurance that your research article or your notes are in print, but the paper can encounter many negative outcomes before it reaches its final destination (i.e. - water, wind, etc.).

Do any of you save everything in print?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Thursday, February 16, 2012

I Heart Google! - My 4th Most FAVORITE Google Product! (Google Maps)




Readers,

This week is dedicated to GOOGLE! It is "I Heart Google" week! Each day, I will feature a video focused on one of my favorite Google products! :) 

Today is focused on my THIRD MOST FAVORITE product! - Google Maps!

I use Google Maps to...

1 - Show students a historical monument or a building in the United States.
2 - Determine the amount of time it will take to walk between one building and other  when traveling with undergraduate students.
3 - Help students understand the importance of privacy and digital literacy when they are out the public arena.

What an amazing product! I love Google Maps!!

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Thursday, February 9, 2012

Save Your Data Week! Backing Up Your Data by Using 5 Methods (Your Office Computer)



Readers,

When I started working in higher education, I saved everything and I mean EVERYTHING on my office computer. This was GREAT for awhile and then I started working from home on the weekends (when I worked in student services). 

Unfortunately, I have heard HORROR stories from people who saved their information on office computers that proved to be unreliable for saving data.

Do you still save your data on the office computer?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Save Your Data Week! Backing Up Your Data by Using 5 Methods (External Hard Drives)


Readers,

Good morning! Here is one of my least favorite methods of backing up my data....external hard drives. I have lost a wealth of data on external hard drives! In fact, I dislike external hard drives so much that I often discourage my family members from purchasing such items. :)

However, I understand that many people like external hard drives. If they work for you, use them. However, I choose not to use these drives. :)



Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Save Your Data Week! Backing Up Your Data by Using 5 Methods (Cloud Computing Drives)




Readers,

Another method that I use for saving data is the CLOUD! To be specific, I use the Google cloud to back up my data! I have definitely consumed the Google Juice, because I rarely use Microsoft Word unless I have to submit an article to a journal. In fact, I have not installed the new version of Word (Word 2010) after purchasing it two years ago. :)

Here is some information about Google Docs - http://docs.google.com/ 

In addition, the Campus Technology Magazine published an article titled, "Sitting on Cloud Mine".

Sincerely,

J. Edwards


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Monday, February 6, 2012

Save Your Data Week! Backing Up Your Data by Using 5 Methods (USB Drives)


Readers,

I purchased by first USB drive from a Black Friday sale at Walmart in 2003. I was overjoyed with a wealth of emotion because I did not have to save everything on a large portable drive, zip disks, or readable/re-writable CDs/DVDs anymore! It was amazing and it only held 128 MBs! :) 

Unfortunately, that USB drive was not large enough to handle my data and each year I had to upgrade to a larger USB drive. I followed that method for the past 12 years and now I have a 64 GB drive to save my data from my classes and research.

I hate to leave my USB drives in the classroom or even in my office and now I wear a Vera Bradley lanyard. To keep myself motivated, I wear a lanyard that matches my Vera Bradley bag of the year.




Here are some pictures!
Sincerely,

J. Edwards


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Friday, February 3, 2012

Google+ Emphasis Week - Add Me on Google Plus & Just Wait for Google Hangout Week!!!



Readers,

Good afternoon! I just realized that I did not tell all of you how to find me on Google Plus. Here's my profile - https://plus.google.com/u/0/102077616196800013627/posts

I will definitely place you in one of my circles! :) Also, here's a teaser for the upcoming Google Hangouts Week!!!



Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Friday, January 13, 2012

Tech Tip Week! - Using Voicethreads in Online Courses


Readers,

I am actively looking for a free or low-cost software that would enable me to record my lectures and sync the recording with the Power Point slides for each lecture in the online class.



Do you use Voicethread?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Thursday, January 12, 2012

Tech Tip Week! - Run Your Profile Through Socio Clean

Readers,

Greetings! I am too excited about sharing this next blog post with you for today's TECH TIP!

I enjoy posting on Facebook and Twitter, but sometimes social networking website users need to "check" their profiles for potentially negative information.

Recently, the Texas Social Media Research Institute (TSMRI) contributed a post to their blog titled, "Give Your Social Media Account a Check-Up".

Using Socioclean, you can post the link to your social networking profile and the website will "grade" your profile.


Enjoy! What GRADE did you social networking profile receive?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards


Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Tech Tip Week! - A Great Guide for University Research, Teaching, and Impacts Activities


Readers,

I use Twitter on a daily basis! As an avid Twitter user, I was very pleased to find this comprehensive guide for academics who use Twitter.

"Using Twitter in University Research, Teaching, and Impact Activities: A Guide for Academics and Researchers"

  1. Setting up your Twitter account
  2. Useful Twitter terminology
  3. Tweeting styles
  4. Building up your followers
  5. Using Twitter for research projects
  6. Using Twitter in departments
  7. Using Twitter alongside blogging
  8. Using Twitter in teaching
  9. Related Resources


Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tech Tip Week! - Digital Textbooks/Free Resource - Sponsored By: CommTechProf/Millennial Professor

Readers,

I hope you are having an amazing morning!

I am a huge fan of digital textbooks (e-textbooks) and here is a great, FREE resource that you can use to either supplement OR replace your existing textbook.



Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Monday, January 9, 2012

Tech Tip Week! - Printing Power Point Slides/Green Printing - Sponsored By: CommTechProf/Millennial Professor


Readers,

Good morning!

Here is the first Tech Tip of the Week! This tech tip is from The Ohio State University and it is titled, "Format Your Power Point Slides in PDF so Students Can Use Them"

I always save my power point sides in PDF format (six on one page) OR I use Google Presentations. Through Google Presentations, the students can save or print the file in almost any file format.


Here is the video that I created about printing from a Google Presentation a few semesters ago.


Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Monday, December 26, 2011

The Year in Review - Top 10 Millennial Professor Blog Posts in 2011!




Readers,


This has been an amazing and exciting, yet tiring year! This week, we will review several TOP TEN lists that are focused on higher education! Today's list is focused on the Millennial Professor blog!

Monday - Top 10 Millennial Professor Blog Posts in 2011

Tuesday - Top 10 Higher Education News Stories in 2011

Wednesday - Top 10 Technology Trends in 2011 (and projections for 2012)

Thursday - Top 10 Education Technology Apps for Higher Education in 2011

Friday - Top 10 Wired Campus Blog Posts in 2011 & Freebie Friday!

Here are the Top 10 Millennial Professor Blog Posts in 2011:

By the way, THANKS for visiting our blog this year! We had 7,087 visits and 10,297 pageviews!

#1 - How to Cheat on Blackboard (1,078 views)







#8 - Netflix in the Classroom? (108 Views)



Enjoy! Thanks for all of your views this year! :)

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Monday, August 15, 2011

Teaching Organizational Communication Online - Summer Reflection


Readers,


I enjoy teaching Organizational Communication online every summer. This opportunity enables me to interact with students from our three campuses (Fort Worth, Stephenville, and Waco) and TAMU Central Texas through the internet. I value this experience because each of the students in the course brings a wealth of diversity to the virtual classroom.


This year, we created an online training and development handbook for non-profit organizations and small businesses who are interested in using social media for communication within their organization. Very interesting project.


We used Google Documents to create the 10 sections of the handbook. The students focused on Google Documents, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, Instant Messenger, and other social media technologies. 


Social Media Conference 2011 - 12.2.2011 - The Texas Social Media Research Institute


The handbook will debut at the Social Media Conference at Tarleton State University on Friday, December 2, 2011. I think it will be a great, free resource for organizations who are interested in using social media. :)


Also, service learning projects are usually not incorporated in online courses and I think it will be a great opportunity for other professors who are interested in service learning in the online classroom.


Enjoy!


Sincerely,


J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41
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Monday, July 11, 2011

E-Books and Education - Rules from the U.S. Department of Education

Readers,


Recently, the United States Department of Education issued new rules on e-reader technologies for higher education institutions -  

Does your institution require students to use e-readers? It will be interesting to see how these rules affect K-12 schools, many of which are phasing out textbooks in their classrooms.




Sincerely,

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.
Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41