TLT Community Hubs

The release of the new Blog software (Movable Type 4.2) at Penn State includes updated portfolio templates. If you want a WYSIWYG template or want to combine a portfolio and a blog, check out the Penn State Portfolio page for more details
http://portfolio.psu.edu/blogbuild

As a pilot, I thought the instructional uses of some common tools could be explored throughout the semester. We will start with PowerPoint because it is actually still a controversial tool. Some people despise it, but others can't live without it. But the fact is that PowerPoint is probably here to stay, so maybe it's worth exploring its use in the classroom in more depth.

The first question is:read more

Digital Commons has posted our Fall workshop schedule, which you can find at the DC website: http://digitalcommons.psu.edu/workshops
These workshops include popular topics from last semester (iMovie basics, Garageband for Podcasting, Final Cut Pro Pt.1 & 2), and some new topics including Introduction to Digital Media Publishing, and Using the Digital Commons Studio.
We are continuously adding new workshops, and most can also be conducted in the classroom or online. Those who would like to request an on-demand workshop can go to our request form: http://digitalcommons.psu.edu/ondemand

A new online course on teaching with innovative technologies will be available this fall. Although the course is offered through the School of Nursing, it is open to graduate students in any major.
NURS 597B: Technological Innovations in Teaching and Learning
Instructor: Dr. Dee McGonigle
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Registration for ITS Seminars taking place in September opens on Aug 25 (next Monday). As always you can register at http://its.psu.edu/training/
Note that some seminars are now offered "via Adobe Connect," meaning you can watch a live stream from a computer at another location. Information on using Adobe Connect can be found at http://meeting.psu.edu/quickstart

From the ANGEL Faculty Listserv
Faculty who want to start using Penn State’s Course Management System, ANGEL, but are not sure where to start can attend a free workshop entitled “ANGEL: Start Using ANGEL in Your Course Right Away.” The workshop is offered on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2:00-4:00 p.m. in 116 Wagner Building, University Park. For details and to register, visit the ITS Training Services site at http://its.psu.edu/training/.
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If you want to provide training for your students in multimedia technologies such as podcasting, video, audio, Photoshop or other media technology for your students, you can request an "on demand training session" at
http://digitalcommons.psu.edu/ondemand
Just log in with your Penn State ID, and fill in the request form.

The following services were recently upgraded
1) Adobe Connect (formerly Breeze) service was upgraded on July 30. Feature changes were fairly minor although there is now an option to download and edit recorded sessions in Flash video.
You can read more at http://meeting.psu.edu/node/452. The page includes information on virtual sessions for the new features.
2) The interface for the Turnitin was upgraded Aug 7. You can read more at http://tlt.its.psu.edu/turnitin/.
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If you're wondering how to maximize ANGEL, you may want to use and monitor ANGEL Shorts page
http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/angel/ (click "ANGELShorts" at the top)
These are 1-2 page documents explaining a feature of ANGEL like the Report tab, publishing grades, Learning Object Respositories, the Action Editor and more.

The portfolios for those who completed the TWT portfolio this summer have been posted at http://ets.tlt.psu.edu/twt/portfolios in the Summer 2008 section.
Congratulations to all the successful candidates.