Texas Blackboard Users Conference (4/5) - New Developments on Blackboard

Readers,

Today is the first official day of the T-BUG conference! The opening session (breakfast) was amazing! Plus, they gave away an iPad during the breakfast session! :)

Blackboard Idea Exchange

Also, today I discovered that Blackboard has the Blackboard Idea Exchange (BIE). I hope to join the group soon.

BbWorld

This conference is coming up in July in New Orleans! I hope to submit a session proposal soon!

Also, here are some Blackboard Updates:

1- My Blackboard (an online social learning space similar to Facebook for students)

2 - Google Docs Integration

3 - Learning Project Repository (This is a great for academic departments who need to have embedded question for assessment purposes.)

4 - ePortfolio Updates

5 - Native Editor (You can download and upload documents without having to save separate copies on your system. I am not sure how this works, but we shall see!)

6 - Outcomes System (A tool to evaluate surveys and to post survey content.)

7 - The Blackboard Learn App (Our institution does not have access to this app yet.)

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Texas Blackboard Users Conference (3/5) - Conference Schedule & Our Session (Establishing Collaboration Opportunities in Your Online Class)

Readers,

Today, I have to examine the T-BUG schedule to figure out which sessions I plan to attend.

Here's the schedule: http://www.t-bug.org/2011TBUGprogram_dallas.pdf

I downloaded this PDF schedule to my iPad library for easy access (even without internet or 3G access - which can be VERY spotty in hotels).

Here are the session tracks:

UPGRADE:

Of interest to anyone who is going through an upgrade, about to go through an upgrade, or thinking 

about doing an upgrade.

SUPPORT:

Held Desk, Technology Teams, Student Support Staff,

Faculty Support Staff, Instructional Designers. Of i

nterest to anyone who supports Blackboard users.

TEACHING AND LEARNING:

Instructors, Adjuncts, Teaching Assistants, Course

Designers, Instructional Designers.  Of interest to

anyone who delivers or designs instructional contents.

VENDOR SHOWCASES:

Come see what the vendors are doing and how they 

collaborate with Blackboard to enhance your current

system

Here's our session:

Room: Longhorn IV

Establishing Collaboration Opportunities in Your Online 

Class 

Credence Baker, Tarleton State University
Jennifer T. Edwards, Tarleton State University

In this session, you’ll be introduced to several different free       

web-based tools that can be used to foster collaboration among 

students in your online class. Incorporating collaboration           

opportunities gives students a chance to sharpen their virtual-team 

skills, and allows you to provide students with real-time scaffolding 

and feedback, monitor progress, and keep track of who has      

contributed to a project

Processing Question: Every session seems very interesting! Which sessions should I attend?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Texas Blackboard Users Conference (2/5) - While I am Away from Campus...

Readers,

As I prepare to attend the T-BUG Conference, I have to prepare my face-to-face and online courses for my temporary transition from campus.

Here is my conference to do list for this week:

1 - Remember to bring my iPad and laptop (plus snacks).

2 - Remind students about the "Virtual Assignments" for this week in the daily class agenda that I post on the board before each class begins (while I take attendance).

3 - Post my weekly announcements/checklist for the online students.

4 - Remind students that they might experience a two-hour delay in my e-mail replies,  but I remind them about my Google Voice account.

5 - Create 50 Google Documents for the students to post their undergraduate research reflections.

**I never post a "out of office" message on my e-mail, nor on my voice mail, because usually I am able to respond to messages in a timely manner.**

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Texas Blackboard Users Conference (1/5) - Anticipation and Apprehension

Readers,

This week, I am excited about attending the "Texas Blackboard Users Group" Conference in Richardson, TX. However, I am slightly apprehensive about integrating Blackboard 9 in my online and hybrid courses, because our university is still in the pilot phase of the LMS integration period.

So, I plan to attend this conference with an OPEN mind and hopefully I will meet some individuals who can change my mind about Blackboard 9. This shall be interesting!

Also, I would like to formally thank Dr. Credence Baker for including me in this awesome opportunity! Here is some more information about T-BUG: http://www.t-bug.org/. 

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Student Affairs and Technology Series (4/4) - The Office of Academic Advising at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay

Readers,

I understand that this is a SHORT series, but I wanted to make sure that I highlighted Eric Stoller's Blog, Student Affairs and Technology (hosted by Inside Higher Ed).

Recently, he wrote a post titled, "#AcAdv: Social Media Spookiness & Strategy from UWGB". 

In his blog post, Stoller wrote, "The Office of Academic Advising at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay" has, according to Sanders, "taken to the social web in a big way since July. They've ditched safe and cautious, for risky and fun. This isn't a social web success story, it's a story on the reevaluation of current communication practices... daring to stand out, putting in the extra effort, not fearing failure."

Here's their Facebook account: https://www.facebook.com/uwgbadvising

Here's their Facebook account: http://www.twitter.com/advising/

Here's one of their most recent Youtube videos:

Processing Question: Since this department is currently using Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, how could they use Foursquare or Blogger to reach students?

Here's shoutout to Eric for having such a terrific blog! - Follow Eric Stoller on Twitter @EricStoller

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Student Affairs and Technology Series (3/4) - Journal of Technology in Student Affairs

Readers,

One of my first short articles was published in the Journal of Technology in Student Affairs (A Student Affairs E-Journal). I have always been a HUGE fan of this online publication, because it provided great (easy-to-understand) tips for student affairs professionals!

Their most recent issue was published in Summer 2011 and here are the articles:

Rethinking Facebook: A Tool to Promote Student Engagement

Technologically Capable Armed Forces: Attributes of Graduates of the National Defense University of Malaysia

The Use of an Online Social Networking to Introduce and Connect Newly Admitted International Students

Are They Listening? Social Media on Campuses of Higher Education

College Cyberbulling: The Virtual Bathroom Wall

Processing Question - Which article was your favorite?

Enjoy!

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Student Affairs and Technology Series (2/4) - Student Affairs and Youtube! (University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio)

Readers,

This is an amazing Youtube channel from the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. They are VERY creative and a few of them attended my conference session at TACUSPA!

Here are two of the most recent Youtube podcast episodes:

They had a GREAT Chili Cook Off Program!

Here are the results!

Processing Question - How does your student affairs or academic department use Youtube?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Student Affairs and Technology Series (1/4) - Social Media Technology in Student Affairs Departments in Texas (Presented at the TACUSPA Conference)

Readers,

Last month, I was fortunate to attend the Texas Association of College and University Student Personnel Administrators in Austin, TX. I learned a WEALTH of new information about student affairs and higher education. I strive to stay abreast of new developments and research in the student affairs field.

This week, I will focus on STUDENT AFFAIRS and TECHNOLOGY (one of my favorite topics). I am thankful to have been selected to present a session on student affairs and technology at the conference! A week prior to the conference, I dispersed an informal survey on Facebook to the TACUSPA membership on Facebook to gather responses focused on HOW different higher education institutions integrate technology in their courses and WHICH technologies they integrate in their departments!

Here is the presentation:

Processing Question: What was the most interesting aspect of the presentation?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 31/31): Series Reflection & Great Ideas for Integrating Adobe Products in Higher Education" Mini-Contest

Readers,


Unfortunately, this is the last post in the "31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education" series. It has been an AMAZING series though which I reflected on my academic and student affairs experiences in higher education. I have not been able to combine both of my interests in such a way in a LONG time.


I am EXCITED about planning next semester's classes and integrating the Adobe Creative Suite in the course creation process for the Social Networking course. 


Today, I am switching back to the weekly series. However, starting on Tuesday, November 15th, I will start a "Great Ideas for Integrating Adobe Products in Higher Education" Mini-Contest with the "Communication in Higher Education: Life on the Tenure Track at a Teaching Institution" blog (http://www.commhighered.com/).

"Great Ideas for Teaching with Adobe Products" Mini-Contest. 

Participants:
Faculty, Staff, and Students are encouraged to submit an idea! We encourage ideas focused on (but not limited to) the following:
- Classroom Ideas (Face-to-Face or Hybrid)
- Student Activities/Student Affairs
- Student Organizations
- Admissions and Recruitment
- Campus-Wide Events
- Supplemental Instruction
- Learning Communities
- Online Instruction/E-Training


Voting Period
The readers will vote on the best entries from Monday, December 5th to Friday, December 9th. The WINNER of the contest will receive a copy of the CS5.5 Master Collection!


Sincerely,


J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 30/31): Adobe Apps for Grofessors-on-the-Go

Readers,

I know that this is one of my last posts in this series, but I wanted to highlight Adobe Apps. Yes, we use computers ALL OF THE TIME, but for some professors-on-the-go continual computer access is a luxury! As a result, a few of us use iPods and iPads as a supplement to our office and home computer.



Adobe Carousel - Use this app to get consistent, high-quality results on computer and the iDevice using the Adobe Photoshop Lightroom software.



Adobe Color Lava for Photoshop CS5 - Use this app to create custom colors for Photoshop.



Adobe Eazel for Photoshop CS5 - Use this app to create beautiful paintings on your iPad!



Adobe Nav for Photoshop CS5 - Use this app to navigate around your computer's CS5 software.



Adobe Photoshop Express - Use this app to QUICKLY edit and share photos from your mobile device. :) My husband uses this one! :) 


Processing Question - Are you using one of these apps? What do you think? Which one of the apps is your favorite?


Sincerely,


J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 29/31): Integrating Adobe Captivate in our University's Learning Management System

Readers,

After writing yesterday's post, I wanted to discover MORE about integrating Adobe Captivate in our university's Learning Management System, Blackboard.

Here's a great post from the Captivate blog titled, "Distributing Adobe Captivate Courses through LMS" - http://blogs.adobe.com/captivate/2011/09/distributing-adobe-captivate-courses-through-lms.html


Here's a great video from the Adobe E-Learning Youtube Channel titled, "Configure Captivate Projects for LMS":

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 28/31): Migrating Your Learning Materials with Adobe Captivate 5

Readers,

Next semester, I am teaching a Social Networking in our Communication Studies Department. I am one of those CRAZY people that tries to integrate education technology in every course and I plan to integrate Adobe Captivate in my course. This should be an easy embed/upload into Blackboard (at least I hope).

Here is a great Adobe Acrobat file of slides titled, "Migrating Your Learning Materials with Adobe Captivate 5".

Processing Question: Do you use Adobe Captivate? What do you think of the program? Does it work well in your online and/or hybrid classes?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards 

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 27/31): Creating Virtual Tours for Your Classroom and/or Academic Building

Readers,

Here is one of my favorite entries in the 2011 Educators' Choice Awards competition, the Harold B. Lee Library Virtual Tour. This tour (and similar virtual tours) would be an incredible resource for academic and student services departments who wish to provide prospective and online students with a glimpse into their building.

Here are the subsequent videos in the tour: 

HBLL Virtual Tour - Level 1

HBLL Virtual Tour - Level 2

Processing Question - Does your department or campus have a virtual tour? How do the students react to the virtual tour?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 26/31): Creating Fillable Forms in Adobe Acrobat X Professional (A Great Classroom/Departmental Tool)

Readers,

Usually, we use Google Forms or Microsoft Word to create fillable forms for departmental events and services. Now, we have the option to use Adobe Acrobat X Professional to create the forms. I LOVE the crisp nature of Adobe Acrobat forms and I look forward to using these forms for our next conference and/or departmental event!

Here's a great video focused on Adobe Acrobat X Professional and creating fillable forms:

Processing Question - How can you use the fillable forms feature in your classroom or department?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 25/31): Creating Lesson Plans, Streamlining Classroom/Administrative Tasks with Adobe Acrobat X Pro

Hi everyone!

I like to STREAMLINE almost everything in my face-to-face and hybrid classrooms. When I use the word "streamline", I am referring to optimal automation in responding to students, creating assignments, making transitions from semester to semester, etc.

Adobe Acrobat X Pro can be used to generate lesson plans and streamline classroom/administrative tasks.

Generating Lesson Plans

Check out the Adobe Education Exchange's "Guide to Generating Lesson Plans with Adobe Acrobat X Pro": http://edexchange.adobe.com/posts/a8db182766

Here's the Description: Planning daily coursework for your students can be a daunting task. When you create forms in Acrobat, you automate lesson planning and save valuable time. In this guide, learn how to create custom lesson-plan forms with which you can quickly map out your teaching plan for your students.


Streamlining Administrative Tasks
Check out the Adobe Education Exchange's "Guide to Generating Lesson Plans with Adobe Acrobat X Pro":
http://edexchange.adobe.com/posts/3a5773839e


Here's the Description: Communication and Collaboration, Technology Operations and Concepts

Additional Ways to Use Adobe Acrobat X Pro to STREAMLINE Your Classroom:

- Typing and Organizing Icebreakers

- Creating Lesson Plans

- Organizing Science Labs (Experiments)

- Organizing Class Announcements

You can TRY Adobe Acrobat X Pro for Education for FREE here - http://www.adobe.com/education/products/acrobatpro/index.html


You can PURCHASE Adobe Acrobat X Pro here - LINK


Processing Question - Any additional ideas?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 24/31): e-Portfolios and Higher Education (Highlighting Student Work and Performing Program Assessment)

Readers,


I am pleased to announce that MY STUDENTS READ MY BLOG! Here's the interesting aspect, they connect some of my blog posts to the classroom discussion. They have been particularly interested in e-portfolios and how they can be used in their job and internship searches.

They are excited about the Adobe Acrobat e-Portfolio system. I plan to explore the system next semester. Also, we could integrate the e-portfolio system in our departmental assessment each semester. 

Here is a great video focused on e-Portfolios and how they are used in higher education institutions in California. 

Processing Question - Does your institution use e-Portfolios? Which system do you use? How do your students react to the system? Will they have access to the system after they graduate from your institution? <- This is a BIG question for our students.

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 23/31): Using Adobe Connect in the Virtual and Hybrid Classroom Environment

Readers,


Here's another post focused on Adobe Connect. I started using the software over the summer to attend webinars via my iPad or iPod Touch. Through these mobile devices, I can connect with colleagues virtually from almost anywhere via a 3G connection to discover new concepts about the higher education classroom.


Lately, I started thinking of ways to integrate Adobe Connect into my online and hybrid classrooms. I think the experience would be valuable for both my students and myself. However, I am not sure if this software can be integrated with Blackboard. I know that Blackboard uses Wimba, but Wimba seems very complicated and difficult to use. I hope to discover more details about both types of online software soon.


Purdue University uses Adobe Connect Professional to provide their professors and students with virtual, yet interactive experiences. Here's a glimpse into their interactive online learning environment.

Processing Question - If your higher education institution cannot afford Adobe Connect, how can you provide your students with these virtual, interactive experiences?


Sincerely,


J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 22/31): Providing Students with National and International Presentation Experiences without Leaving the Campus

Readers,

Over the past few semesters, our department (Communication Studies) has started to focused on providing our students with REAL experiences (interactive, out-of-the classroom experiences focused on classroom content) for our students. For example, I teach Organizational Communication and Intercultural Communication. We have a conference every fall semester to showcase our students' work and also to provide students with critical thinking experiences (especially when presenting information to an audience and answering their questions).

Adobe Connect would be the PERFECT outlet for our students to reach a larger audience without the manpower and financial overhead it takes to plan a large conference. We could advertise the monthly sessions via the Communication Studies Department's Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/TarletonCOMSDept) and Twitter page (http://www.twitter.com/TarletonSpeech/).

Here is an example of how the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health disperses research through informative lectures delivered around the world via Adobe Connect.

Processing Question - What are some ADDITIONAL ways that Adobe Connect can be used in the classroom setting?

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 21/31): Single Edition - An Academic E-Publisher's Dream!

Readers,

I am too excited to announce an amazing feature for InDesign users! Recently at Adobe's MAX Technology conference in Los Angeles, the company debuted their new tool, "Single Edition".

This e-publishing software enables users (and our students) to create apps for iOS devices from files created with Indesign CS5.5 (i.e. - interactive books, brochures, magazines, etc.). Here's the neat thing - this software enables the novice designer to create e-reader iPad applications without ANY coding experience required. This software option would be available for slightly under $400 per application.

This might be great option for academic departments who need to publish an alumni magazine or a student-based magazine. I know that some faculty members in my department would probably be very excited about this opportunity!

Single Edition for iPad will be available late November. Read more about the software here - http://campustechnology.com/articles/2011/10/05/adobe-intros-ipad-app-creator-for-indesign.aspx 

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

Freebie Friday! - Visit Officemax.com OR OfficeMax and Save 20% Off Your Entire Purchase!

Readers,

Since many academic and student affairs department budgets for office supplies are small this year AND you might want purchase a few post-it notes for your home, please TAKE ADVANTAGE of this great offer!

From October 30th to November 5th, you can save 20% on ALL of your purchases from Office Max! This deal is available online AND offline!

Here's the link to the coupon: LINK

Here's my list (also great for Christmas gifts):


- Post It Notes
- Mechanical Pencils
- Colored File Folders
- Wireless Mouse
- Sandisk Drive
- K-Cups (We have a new machine in the office and I think that I will give everyone K-cup gifts this year!) - 

Please feel free to redistribute the link!!! :)

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 20/31): 20+ Beautiful Logos for your Inspiration

Readers,


Yesterday, I introduced a few logos that I designed for our Communication Department. However, it is time for YOU to become creative as well! Check out this list (and display) for 20 Beautiful Logos for your Inspiration. I was definitely inspired and I hope to design a logo soon.

http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/20-beautiful-logos-for-your-inspiration

Here is a website focused on logos: http://tasteofink.com/gallery/logos


If you (or your students) designed a logo for your department (or student organization), please send me an e-mail because I would like to post your information and the logo graphic on this blog post! :) 


Have an wonderful day!


Sincerely,


Dr. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41

31 Spooky Ways to Integrate Adobe Software in Higher Education (Post 19/31): Two Logos I Designed for My Department & Logo Contest Idea!

Readers,

I use InDesign for almost anything that involves creativity and a computer. This ranges from flyers and brochures to picture modification and logo creation. Speaking of logos, I spent a few hours this summer making the logo for the Texas Social Media Research Institute & the Social Media Conference.

These were fun to make and I hope to have an opportunity to become creative over the Christmas break as well (when I do not have to grade papers). :) 

Here's an idea for your classes: You could sponsor a logo contest for the students in your department. You might receive some logos and additional ideas that you did not anticipate receiving from your creative students! 

Sincerely,

J. Edwards

Millennial Professor - Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Become a fan of Millennial Professor on Facebook - http://goo.gl/gnN41