Paths to Our Mission: Path Two
Posted on May 7, 2009
Filed Under ETS Mission
Please take a little time to help us think critically about our organization and cite examples of where we are doing well and areas where improvement is needed. Please leave thoughts in the comment section below. I thank you in advance!
Supporting technology innovation and adoption to support teaching and learning
Related Resources
- Jun 18 2009: Paths to our Mission: Path Six (3)
- Jun 01 2009: Paths to our Mission: Path Five (1)
- May 18 2009: Paths to our Mission: Path Four (3)
- May 11 2009: Paths to Our Mission: Path Three (5)
- Apr 27 2009: Paths to Our Mission: Path One (16)
- Apr 23 2009: New Form of Organizational Reflection (0)
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We support technology adoption by creating videos that explain how technologies can be used to enrich teaching and learning. For example, Erin and Zac created a Flash animation to promote the use of the Blogs at Penn State platform for a variety of uses. Another example is the video, “7 Things You Need to Know about Grassroots Video” that we produced as an outcome of a hot team.
As part of the adoption process, we upload these videos to social media sites so they can be embedded and discussed on YouTube, shared through Twitter, and embedded in blog posts.
The Educational Gaming Commons works with faculty to stimulate research, application and education utilizing games, and virtual environments. By building games such as EcoRacer (http://gaming.psu.edu/ecoracer) and sponsoring Engagement Initiatives (http://gaming.psu.edu/2009GamingInitiative), the EGC promotes adoption of educational games, simulations, and virtual worlds.
The Technology Learning Assistant (TLA) program is a way for faculty to receive one-to-one consultations in their office in order to learn the mechanics of using the technologies we support.
We also assist faculty with incorporating Web 2.0 and social networking applications in with their traditional course management system, ANGEL, through seminars, short video tutorials, and other media.
The development of Blended Learning courses requires the investigation of better technologies for delivering the course. For thermodynamics, we explored freeware sketch programs such as Dia, Inkscape, Gimp and others and online tools such as Gliffy and Photoshop.com. We also explored MathML, Tablet PCs, the Leapfrog FlyFusion intelligent pen system, Wacom tablets and Breeze/Camtasia as methods of capturing math equations.
For symbolic logic, we developed a Mac keyboard utility to allow the easier input of logic symbols and multiple Word templates for students to use on homework assignments.
Marketing communications supports technology adoption in the following ways:
- Interviewing innovator and early-adopter faculty, then writing and recording success stories. Examples include pre-Symposium videos, podcasts on iTunes U, and articles on the Daily Buzz section of the Teaching and Learning with Technology Website.
- Producing print, online, and multimedia pieces to promote educational uses of new technologies and services. For example, ETS produces white papers that examine educational value of emerging technologies and service sheets that inform potential users about various services and products and their value to education.
- Creating documentation for new and existing technologies to help users learn the general uses of technology, then the best uses of technology. This eliminates one of the biggest obstacles to adoption, lack of understanding how to use it. Examples include being a key driver of the ANGEL documentation team.
- Working with other staff to advise, collaborate, and produce promotional items in all media forms for events such as the TLT Symposium.
- Presenting at events like the Penn State Web Conference to educate others on marketing/informational uses of social Internet tools and to promote what we do at ETS.