Love This Message: “This stuff is too easy not to use”

This is from a post by Scott McLeod on the Tech Learning Blog and on his Dangerously Irrelevant Blog.  Here is the conclusion of the post in which he described a workshop that he did for faculty entitled: “Fun With Audio.”

“This stuff is getting too easy not to use. Faculty members …don’t tend to be very tech-savvy. With the right approach, however, we can get them using, and thus exposing future educators to, these tools. My audio demonstration took about eight minutes, I never mentioned the word ‘podcast,’ and I had a ton of questions and interest at the end.

We can do this. Share the love, share your knowledge: adopt a professor today.” 

I can’t wait to hear about next month’s workshop on ”YouTube QuickCapture!“

MediaNotes is Coming

CALI is making Blue Mango’s MediaNotes software – (http://www.medianotes-app.com ) available to law schools. The full-featured version is free to faculty, librarians, staff, and $20 for students. While it won’t be officially launched until AALS conference in January, you can get it by visiting http://www.cali.org/tools/medianotes (You must use your CALI web credentials to login). MediaNotes is avideo/audio tagging application which allows you to easily analyze and annotate video/audio performances. CALI will also be providing webspace for students and faculty to share these videos.

Revisiting My Goals

It’s the end of the fall semester.  These were my 3 goals:

1. Increase the use of Web 2.0 tools (blogs, wikis, etc.) among the faculty
2. Increase the use of distance learning tools (videoconferencing, webconferencing, TWEN, podcasting, webcasting, etc.) as alternatives to in class learning
3. Increase the use of existing technology in the classrooms (smartboards, document cameras, CPS, lcd projectors, etc.) to enhance student learning and class participation .

How did I do??

Goal 1:  Last spring, we had 0 bloggers. Currently we have 4 bloggers and 1 who used TWEN for a class blog.

• Law of the Land  -Professor Patty Salkin is the author of this blog. This weblog is designed to provide a forum for the discussion of current laws, policies and decisions that affect the use of land.  It highlights new court decisions, new state and federal laws and policies, and actions at the local government level that guide and/or impact land use and community development. Her blog receives over 1000 hits a week and is read by over 200 subscribers.
• Best Practices for Legal Education - Professor Mary Lynch is the editor and a frequent contributor to this blog.  This blog was created as a web-based place to capture and tout the ideas, models and experiments arising from the publication of the Carnegie Report and Best Practices for Legal Education book and from the media’s response thereto. 
• Under The Robes - Professor Rosemary Queenan created this blog for her Fall 2007 Introduction to Lawyering course. The information contained on this blog was compiled in part from a blog created by Asst. Prof. of Law and the Director of the Legal Research and Writing Program and other Legal Writing Faculty at Western New England College School of Law. 
• Same-Sex Unions in the Conflict of Laws -Professor Stephen Clark is the author of this blog. This website/blog focuses on the issue of interjurisdictional recognition of same-sex unions and serves as a clearinghouse for information on this topic.
• Donna Young’s Gender and Work Course – password-protected blog in TWEN – each week led by a different student

 Goal #2: Last spring, we had 10 classes podcast and this fall 145 classes were recorded (in addition to the Dean’s Evidence class and the school events). One professor even recorded a pre-semester class. We no longer record on cassette.  All audio is recorded digitally.

Last spring, we had 30 classes taught using TWEN.  This fall  we had about 50. 

We will be applying to be included in itunesU and are considering Adobe Connect to host streaming content of classes.

We will be videoconferencing the Gov’t & Ethics course to 10 students in Washington DC using the new equipment in Dean Alexander.  We plan to have the new equipment set up in E115 soon.

Goal#3 – This one is hard to measure …It seems that more professors are using document cameras, Internet resources(such as YouTube videos), and ppt.  More professors have their own laptops that they can bring to the classroom. 

CPS usage has not expanded and the whiteboards are not yet installed.

Yes– we are making progress and will continue to move ahead!!