The addition of photo rosters to SPIRE last semester has been a personal boon to me in terms of learning my students’ names as quickly as possible. The catch is that the photos of students aren’t always the best depiction of how they currently look (they’re usually taken during their freshman orientation). I’ve taken to using a pen on the…
Category: Technology Survival Guide
SPARK Access for TAs, Co-Instructors & Guests
Confused about how to get your teaching assistant, co-instructor, instructional staff, or a guest speaker into SPARK? Check out our freshly revised website about SPARK access so you will know the necessary steps for getting these people into your SPARK course as well as what level of access they will have. http://www.oit.umass.edu/spark/access/index.html Questions about the…
Creating Study tools with StudyMate
StudyMate™ is a Windows-based product that allows instructors to create Flash-based learning activities and games based on the material for your course. Using Studymate you can build flash cards, multiple choice quizzes, matching, and even crossword style activities. Instructors who use SPARK may be particularly interested in StudyMate as a tool to build study materials…
New SPIRE Features for Instructors
You are most likely familiar with SPIRE as the place to go to see your class rosters and submit grades at the end of the semester, but more and more feature keep getting added into SPIRE. Over the summer OIT added a variety of new tools that can help you with managing your courses. Some…
From the Instructional Media Lab: Recording and Editing Digital Audio
Whether recording a lecture, an interview, or a concert, making digital recordings can be a simple and easy endeavor, provided you have the right tools.
Access to Atomic Learning Renewed
For those who haven’t checked out Atomic Learning, it is a great collection of video tutorials on a huge range of software. Whether you’re looking to learn more about a specific program, or want a helpful reference to send your students to, Atomic Learning is a key resource to be aware of. Check out our…
From the Instructional Media Lab: Basic Troubleshooting
Before trying to troubleshoot a computer problem, take a deep breath. Relax! Most computer problems seem more serious than they are simply because you were not expecting them. Taking a step back and assessing the situation without viewing the problem as catastrophic will help.
From the Instructional Media Lab: Converting Analog Audio to Digital
Whether you’re digitizing audio for archives, making mp3s of your record albums, or hoping to add taped interviews to that documentary video you’re making, converting audio from analog format (i.e., cassette tape, vinyl record, etc…) usually requires format-specific audio equipment.
From the Instructional Media Lab: How to Learn New Technologies
Learning new technologies becomes increasingly more important as computers change and new software is released. Students and faculty are constantly introduced to new technologies and expected to become familiar with them quickly.
From the Instructional Media Lab: Presenting Information Effectively
Can technology really make learning easier? While there may never be a catch-all technology solution that will make learning easier for everyone in the classroom, there are some general principles to follow when designing instructional presentations that can at least help. The following suggestions are meant to cut across both technology-meager and technology-rich environments, and…
Voices from the Instructional Media Lab
Starting this week will be the first of what we hope to be a regular series of posts from our intrepid graduate students in the Instructional Media Lab. Through these posts we hope to shed light on some of the key issues in teaching with technology that our consultants see every day, as well as…
Online Software Tutorials at Atomic Learning
Atomic Learning provides a vast collection of short video tutorials about software. These videos cover everything from Word and Photoshop to Access and SPSS; at levels from basics to advanced. The University has a site license which provides everyone on campus free access to these videos. The current license expires on May 31, 2008, so…