I wasn’t really sure how I was going to use the iPad we received from the FTI last year, as I tend to be more of a “traditional lecturer” than an “innovative interactor.” The most difficult course I teach is the undergraduate assessment course, which covers a multitude of topics related to screening, testing, evaluating skills and determining individualized education programs (IEPs) for children who have various forms of disabling conditions, primarily mental, learning or emotional disabilities. The worst part of this is that there are only so many hours in class time, and with so much to cover, it becomes impossible to do any really fun things in class…

One of the most important aspects of this course is teaching students to correctly administer the norm-referenced, standardized tests they are required to give, in order to achieve valid results. This requires some role playing, but when you have 37 students (yes, you read it correctly – 37 students in a 400 level course), individual role playing exercises become a zoo really quickly… But I needed to show the students how to administer these tests – particularly the Wide-Range Achievement and the Woodcock-Johnson Achievement tests. This is where my iPad became of great use!

I used my iPad to video-record myself administering both of those tests to students, and showed part of it in class, then put the rest of it onto OAKS so they could watch it in their own good time. When I did this, I realized that I could also add subsequent dialogue to the video, and headings, using the SPLICE App that we learned in the FTI last summer. Both of these Apps have been very useful to my courses in other ways this year, too. Not the least is recoding my graduate and distance education lectures so that I can post them on OAKS, in case students either missed the lecture live, or if they need a ‘refresher’ view!

As always, the FTI is, in my opinion, the best thing the College offers its faculty short of a paycheck! Many thanks for giving me this opportunity to learn and even be paid to do so!!! You guys are, to use a very overused phrase…. AWESOME!!! :>)

Evernote was one of the many tools shared at the 2012 summer Faculty Technology Institute. I began using it after the FTI to clip articles that are relevant to my teaching and research. I like it because it is easy to use and the resources are available across multiple platforms (unlike bookmarking webpages). Because of my new-found love of Evernote, I thought that it would be a good resource for students in a graduate course I was scheduled to teach in spring 2013 – MTLA 602: Critical Issues in Contemporary Education. I selected this course to introduce students to Evernote because their major project is to complete a literature review, and I thought that they could easily store relevant articles and websites in Evernote and share the folder with me so that I could track their progress.

During the first class, I provided a brief overview of Evernote and told students that I would be tracking their use of it during the semester. They were interested and willing to try something new. I planned to return to it throughout the semester to provide additional help. During the second class, I arranged for Jared Seay, the library liaison for Teacher Education to provide an overview of library resources that are useful in conducting literature reviews. During his presentation, Jared introduced students to Zotero, another web application that not only stores sources but also automatically formats the bibliographical information into discipline-specific format. In our case, this was APA. Sorry Evernote, but the students were hooked. I’m sure my experience is not unusual, but my students, undergraduate and graduate, do not find learning to use APA fun, rewarding or necessary. It is one of those things you hate to hear yourself saying as a teacher, but I do find myself saying, “I know it doesn’t make sense, but you just have to learn to do it.” It reminds me of my mother making me sit at the table until I finished my lima beans. So here was Zotero, formatting sources for students as well as storing and tagging, and Evernote, which may be better at storing and tagging, but it can’t do the one hated task: formatting into proper APA format. I allowed them to use either tool to complete their literature review.

At the end of the semester, I created a short survey for my students to have them evaluate both Evernote and Zotero. I asked them to rate their familiarity and experience with both tools and to provide ways in which they helped with research, what their downsides were, and if they would recommend using the tools. None of the students rated their familiarity or experience with Evernote very high. Several commented that it is probably a good tool, but they liked Zotero better. One student admitted to not liking technology in general. Their ratings of Zotero were more mixed. The two students who admitted to resisting technology, preferred reading and marking up paper copies of articles and making written notes. The other five students were moderately to very familiar with Zotero. They all liked how Zotero helped them assemble literature links, organize their material, work in a more environmentally friendly way, and properly cite sources. Their experience with Zotero was not without problems.

The students that used Zotero listed the following issues:

• Only able to download the link, not the entire article
• The plugin with Word on the Mac was confusing; instructions were hard to locate
• It had to be downloaded to a computer rather than working across platforms
• The version of APA is not the one most often required (Zotero uses 6; some journals still require 5)
• It was hard to keep track of notes and comments

In response to the question “Would you recommend that I continue using Zotero with future classes?” the five who used it enthusiastically said “yes!” and those who did not use it said it should be introduced and students can decide if they want to use it.

Back to Evernote. I worked with two graduate assistants on several projects this semester, and we used Evernote extensively. I asked them to conduct research for me in a number of areas, and Evernote was a very useful tool for saving articles and making notes on them. The graduate assistants determined that Evernote is better than Zotero for sharing documents and for casual reviewing of found documents. They used Zotero for citation purposes in their courses.

I find myself using Evernote exclusively. Zotero does not work using Chrome, which I prefer over Firefox and Safari, and I am comfortable with APA after many years of use. I am happy to have exposure to both tools and recommend that you introduce both tools to students, illustrating the strengths of each and how each may help in different phases of the research process.

I have been teaching in post-secondary education for over 17 years. I continue to seek out opportunities to learn, improve, and adapt my teaching strategies and delivery of content to engage the ever-changing college student and to incorporate new ways to enhance the learning process.

Such an opportunity was presented in the 2012 Faculty Technology Institute.  The FTI provided creative ideas and tools to enhance technology integration in the classroom. To fulfill the FTI training goal to infuse technology into courses, the use of AirSketch, Dropbox.com, iMovie, Prezi, GoodNotes, Twitter and Problem Based Learning (PBL) were used in my courses this past year.    Seeking new strategies to understand the attitudes, motivations, and approaches to learning by the new, young technology savvy generation has been an interesting challenge. By infusing more technology and using PBL for some assignments, students have been able to connect learning to real life situations and generate excellent discussions. Highlighted below are two strategies I learned at the FTI and implemented in my classes this year.

Thanks to the guidance from Teaching, Learning & Technology (TLT), I was able to develop a scope and sequence to implement the PBL approach in my First Year Experience class providing an interesting strategy for delivering course content.  Colleagues from HHP also implemented PBL and we surveyed the students before and after their experience to examine their perceptions and knowledge gained through the use of problem-based learning.

To implement the PBL approach, my freshman were given a global research question related to the courses main topic.  Throughout the semester students were asked to be prepared with information they gathered on their topics for each lecture and be able to discuss in class and during their group sessions.  Each group of four students was assigned a specific role/position to guide them in their research.  Lecture material was presented to accent and guide the students’ searches to answer the proposed question.  Students were given tasks to complete each week in their group sessions and as an instructor, I provided guidance on expectations of tasks to be accomplished.

One highlight for the students PBL experience was when professionals were invited to class and “role-played” specific positions and the students interviewed them.   The students were able to use the anecdotal information for their culminating research paper and presentation. My freshman class was receptive to the PBL approach as evident by a survey I administered. One of the strengths PBL offered was the structure requiring students to use critical thinking, prepare materials for each class and collaborate with classmates.  I was pleased with the results of my first PBL experience and will seek out more ways to use PBL in my classes.

Another highlight of the FTI training was finding ways to use Twitter.   Thanks to the FTI, I now have a twitter channel and engage in the world of “tweeting.” I began integrating Twitter inside and outside the classroom as it relates to concepts about the course material.  I’ve created a class Twitter account and the students tweet when they see something that relates to the course content outside the classroom. It could be an article, a link to a unique website, or a YouTube video.  Each week, at the beginning of class, I bring up the Twitter feed and we look at the interesting information posted. The students who tweeted the information, then share what they learned during class.  Students earn points for tweeting content-related information.   I also tweet new information each week that will provide students with new “quick bits” of information to accent course content.   Implementing PBL and Twitter has added new flavor to my classes.  I appreciate the FTI training for educating and providing new tools to enhance my teaching and providing an opportunity to share with other educators on campus.

Attending the Faculty Technology Institute 2012: Teaching the Tech Generation last summer was reminiscent of going to the Cooper River Bridge Pre-Race Expo. Or seeing Cirque de Soleil. Like the race expo, there was so much to see and try on- only the (free) merchandise was tech tools instead of running gear. Similar to Cirque de Soleil, the tech tools presented a lot of eye candy….

I was instantly engaged. But, a little overwhelmed. I needed to focus. I could relate to the tech generation students whose technology practices and identities were the focus of the institute. So much technology. So little time. What to focus my attention on? I remembered the advice of my mentor when I was a 6^th grade ELA teacher in Michigan and we attended the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Conference together: Just pick a couple of things to take away and implement immediately

So, I strategically approached the institute with this advice in mind. Pick a couple of ideas to take away from the smorgasbord of technologies and tools presented and start using them before I forget them. Which of the seemingly multiplying apps would be most useful to me tomorrow and also on a day-to-day basis?

I currently serve as a co-editor of the Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy (with Margaret Hagood, TEDU). We collectively adjudicate 250+ peer-reviewed manuscripts a year, and keeping track of our manuscript tracking is almost as challenging as reading and responding to the manuscripts themselves. However, with the professional development offered at the 2012 Faculty Technology Institute last summer, ongoing assistance and insights from our super-savvy tech liaison, Mendi Benigni, and our wicked smart and efficient administrative assistant, Meg Manuel, we have set up a system that utilizes multiple tech tools to help organize, share and collaboratively respond to hundreds of manuscripts and related documents.

For this blog entry, I will zoom in on my use of GoodNotes, an app that I was introduced to at the FTI. GoodNotes allows users to download pdfs, annotate the documents, organize docs in files and share your notes with others. I started with the free app, but once I had hit my two “notebook” limit for saving documents, I shelled out the $4.99 so I could save an unlimited amount of notebooks (pdf’s).  Users can save multiple documents within one notebook if, for instance, needing to respond to students’ work, all assignments could go in the same notebook and users may have two notebooks available at all times (users can delete a notebook at any time).

Since I prefer to save each manuscript separately, the upgraded app was a no-brainer. The free app has all of the capabilities of the $4.99 app as far as annotation.

Basically, from start to finish, this is how it goes with GoodNotes:

• When users  touch on the pdf on the iPad from downloading context, an “Open in Goodnotes” option is given.
• Users are then given an option to start a new notebook, or if a notebook is already open, the pdf can be opened at the bottom of that notebook.
• Users can either write with a stylus, fingertip, or in a text box. Text boxes   can be stretched to fit any size/shape and moved  around on the pdf.

• Users can also highlight text as part of reading or highlight comments to ensure they are easy to find when returning to the document later. I always highlight my comments so that I can locate them later when drafting decision letters.
• Users can view pdfs a single page at a time or flip to the navigation tool where all the pages can be seen at one time (along with highlights and comments). Like all iPad apps, users can zoom in as much as desired. GoodNotes saves instantaneously so writing is never lost before it has been saved.
• PDFs can be exported (either a page or the whole notebook) with or without notes with collaborators via email, iTunes, Dropbox or other external apps on the iPad.  Printing wirelessly is easy.
• Filing documents is user-friendly-through selecting “edit” and then exporting, moving, duplicating or deleting files.

In short, GoodNotes is user-friendly and time-efficient. If you decide to try it out, I’m confident you’ll have a GoodTime with GoodNotes! GoodLuck!

Here are the steps:

1. Create the initial diagrams or documents in GoodNotes.  This will allow you to use the Line Tool and the Shapes Tool.  In can also write out some of the instructions or expectations in the document as well.

2. Export the GoodNotes notebook as a PDF to Dropbox.

3. Go into Dropbox and open the newly created PDF.

4. Choose “Open In” and choose AirSketch.

5. Present in the classroom wireless via AirSketch.

    

For a full set of instructions on how to complete these steps see our tutorial at http://goo.gl/9EXVw

GoodNotes has a fully functional free version.  The full version is available for $4.99

AirSketch has a majorly hindered free version.  The full version is available for $9.99

In my final year at Purdue before coming to the College of Charleston, I was walking down the hallway of the Health and Kinesiology building.   I saw a retired professor who came back to the building daily to exercise.  He was peering into a classroom, shaking his head, and grumbling.  “Tony, what’s up?” I asked him.   Tony turned from the window with a scowl on his face and said, “Too much doggone technology. Doesn’t anybody just teach anymore?… Just too much darn technology…”  In mid rant, I stooped and peered through the glass slot in the door to see the professor using…an overhead projector!

I suppose that each of us has a different perspective about technology use in the classroom, which is why I was so excited to be involved in the summer 2012 FTI.

After participating in summer 2012 FTI I left with several great ideas for using technology in the classroom.  I immediately started using the GoodNotes app in my lectures, because it allowed me to put much less information on my slides and to use my stylus on the iPad to fill in the missing information.

For me, use of the GoodNotes app in this fashion had two primary benefits. First, it prevented the students head-down-scribble with each new slide… that is, the students trying to write down everything on each slide (this despite my posting slides on OAKS).  The students didn’t have much to write because my slide only had a few bullet-point prompts for me or a question that I could ask to stimulate the discussion.   Second, being able to write the information in on the PowerPoint slide helped me greatly with my pacing and ability to place emphasis on important information.  I could trace the line on a graph in a bright color, circle an important anatomical structure, or check off the bullet points as I covered them.  Several students commented favorably on the GoodNotes/stylus combination in their written comments on the student evaluations.

My only complaint about using the GoodNotes app was that my iPad connection to the classroom computer was made with a very short cable (GoodNotes requires the iPad to be connected to the projector).  I felt like I spent too much time with my back turned to part of the class.  However, after soliciting some help from Mendi at TLT and going through some trial and error (you have to use the right WIFI/browser combination), I started using the AirSketch app.  Airsketch (which is a wireless whiteboard app and doesn’t require the user to be wired to the projector) allows me to walk around the classroom with my iPad…and when I draw on the PowerPoint slide with my stylus, it automatically shows on the screen. Magical stuff for an old Luddite like me!

The primary downside of AirSketch for me…I found some difficulty getting the PowerPoints to load easily.  There is likely an easier way to manage this than the clunky method I developed, but the process of getting the presentations into AirSketch was not as simple and intuitive like most of the iPad work I have done.  The upside is tremendous.  I can roam the aisles, engage students in class, check to make sure they are following classroom technology rules, etc.  Students really seem to perk up when you walk down the aisle and stand next to them while you are speaking. It is also good way to engage some of the quieter students as they seem more willing to answer questions when you are standing close by.

A minor downside of both GoodNotes and Airsketch is that you lose the PowerPoint animation. Some of my old slides would not work because there was information, typically brought in later in an animation, that blocked other info on the slide. (This is because the PowerPoints must first be converted to PDFs to be used by the apps)  The loss of animation is a minor annoyance compared with the positives I outlined above.

Overall FTI was a great experience for me. I often wondered why I would need an iPad, now I am rarely seen without it.  I use it for taking notes at meetings, for accessing old minutes or agendas at faculty meetings, and doing everything I can do on my desktop—except type quickly!  Maybe with some practice, I will increase my speed and accuracy?

Originally posted: http://goo.gl/3eE5B

So how can you take advantage of the QR codes without opening yourself up to malware?

1) Know where you’re going — Choose a QR code reader that allows you to preview the URL that sits behind the QR code before you go to it.  If the link appears suspicious then don’t go to it, just hit Cancel.

• Unfurlr –  for both iOS and Android devices.  This app displays the full URL of the site behind the code and gives you a rating on trustworthiness, reliability, privacy and child safety.
• Norton Snap –  for iOS.  This app, brought to you by Norton Antivirus, also shows you the URL in advance and flags the site as Safe or Unsafe or Unsure.

Both of these apps should help you be a safer consumer of QR codes.

2) Inspect the QR code to make sure it’s not a sticker:  If you are looking at a sign or poster with a QR code make sure that a sticker hasn’t been placed over the original QR code.  Malicious QR code stickers are occasionally pasted over a legit QR code on signs and posters from trusted sources.  If you see a sticker it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s malicious, just be more cautious and use one of the apps above.

3) Don’t auto download apps: If you are scanning for an app don’t download it from the QR code.  Get the name of the app and download it directly through a reliable store (iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, etc.)

It’s important to note that this is a new phenomenon and not a rampent problem.  But with all things internet, it’s better to be cautious.  Follow these tips and enjoy QR codes.  They really are fun.

Resources:

Norton Snap – https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/norton-snap-qr-code-reader/id471928808?mt=8

Unfurlr – http://unfurlr.com/

How to Protect Yourself from Malicious QR Codes (Hyphenet)

http://www.hyphenet.com/blog/2012/01/11/protect-yourself-from-malicious-qr-codes/

How to Protect Yourself from Malious QR codes (Netsecurity)

http://netsecurity.about.com/od/securityadvisorie1/a/How-To-Protect-Yourself-From-Malicious-QR-Codes.htm

• Record a student presentation or teaching demonstration.  Use the annotation tools or voiceover tools (not available in all programs) to point out areas for improvement.
• Record a physical activity and use the annotations to point our body position, areas of good or bad form and areas for improvement.
• Record a demonstration and use the annotation tools to highlight or point out important steps or specific features of the demonstration.
• Have students record themselves demonstrating a competency or giving a presentation then have them self-evaluate using the annotation tools and turn the evaluation in to you.
• Record and evaluate a dramatic performance.

These are just a few ideas.  I’m sure that your imagination can come up with more.

While there are many online and computer-based applications that allow you to annotate video (YouTube and VoiceThread to name a few), this article will focus on two mobile apps:  Coach’s Eye and Coach My Video.  Before we go on, you can tell by the names that these two apps were created with a very specific purpose in mind, coaching and pointing out areas of improvement for athletes.  However, the tools offered by these apps can be used for a myriad of uses in different subject matters so don’t judge an app by it’s name.

Coach’s Eye – iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch ($4.99) and Android ($1.99)

Coach’s Eye produces a video that can contain both drawn and audio annotations.  The final output is a video.  Works best for delayed feedback where the video voiceover will be the primary means of feedback.

Capture:

Coach’s Eye allows you to record directly into the app using the device’s built-in camera or import videos already on your mobile device.  It uses video only.

Analysis Features:

• Slow motion playback
• Drawing tools include rectangle, circle, straight line, free-draw line, free-draw arrow.
• Has a flywheel or scroll wheel at the bottom of the video allows you to advance the video frame-by-frame.
• Allows both drawing and voice-over annotation on the video.  This is great for giving voice-based feedback to a student or for the student to use during self evaluation.  One negative is that the only part of the video that is captured in the annotation is what occurs when you click on the “record” button. Therefore you must have the record button pressed for the entire playback if you want to annotate at multiple points in the video.
• Zoom – if you zoom in on the mobile device during annotation the software captures that zoom.

Sharing

There are many sharing options however, depending upon the size of the video, not all will work.  You can share via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Text message, Email or the Camera Roll on the device.   When sharing it appears that you can set it to public or private so that the video is not available for public view, however, I did not test this.

Coach My Video – iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch (free)

Coach My Video produces a still image that contains the drawn annotations.  The final output is an image.  Works best for live or real-time feedback and for comparison feedback.

Capture:

Coach My Video allows you to record directly into the app using the device’s built-in camera or import videos already on your mobile device.  You can also use still images from the device.  You can also pull videos from the web easily using the URL as long as it’s an mp4 or an mov.

 Analysis Features:

• Slow motion playback.
• Drawing tools include rectangle, circle, straight line, free-draw line.
• When drawing angles the software will calculate the angle.
• Has both a fly-wheel for fast advance and a frame-by-frame advance button.
• Has a three-second rewind button.
• Can run two videos side-by-side for comparison.  You can then control the playback together or separately.
• Zoom

Sharing:

The sharing options are more limited.  Once you have marked up a frame of the video(s) you press a capture button that will create an image of the video frame.  This image can be emailed or saved back to your mobile device.

Final Thoughts:

So after that which one do I like better?  Well I guess that depends upon what I’m trying to accomplish.  The side-by-side feature in Coach My Video offers some great comparison opportunities especially if you can talk to the student in person while reviewing the video.  Plus the angle calculation opens a few possibilities in math and science.  The voiceover feature of Coach’s Eye offers great opportunities for self-reflection and for instructor feedback that can be viewed at a later date and is probably best for presentation evaluation.  Since Coach My Video is free it’s easy to add them both to your mobile app collection.

Coach My Video:  http://www.coachmyvideo.mobi/

Coach’s Eye:  http://www.coachseye.com/

Uses:

Use it to:

• Skype for research or interviews
• record your lectures for online or blended learning courses
• record yourself teaching for assessment or reflection
• record student presentations or public speaking

Specs

While the Swivl can work with Flip cameras and small still cameras it’s true power comes when partnered with an iPhone or iPod Touch.  Using one of these iOS devices enables you to use the microphone and the remote control on the tracker.    The Swivl does NOT support the iPad.  While it will work with the iPad I think the device is a bit too heavy to work fully with the device.  Likewise it is not meant to work with a full sized video camera, only a flip cam or regular point-and-shoot camera with video capabilities.   You can use an Android device to record but there is no app so it will not utilize the microphone or remote control.

Swivl will sit on a table or will fit onto any standard tripod.

The Swivl comes in two varieties:  the standard and the Swivl-it.  The Swivl comes with the the swiveling device plus the wireless mic and remote for $179.  The Swivl-it excludes the wireless mic and remote and is $129.  Either way it’s a great price to get you into classroom recording.

http://www.swivl.com/