New Digital Assessment Tool: GradeMark

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Karen Skibba

A new online tool called “GradeMark” is now available to UW-Whitewater instructors! GradeMark allows instructors to more easily and quickly provide “digital” (rather than handwritten) feedback and grades on student papers and assignments. GradeMark is a digital assessment tool that is part of the Turnitin suite. Both OriginalityCheck for plagiarism detection and GradeMark tools are integrated in the dropbox of Desire2Learn (D2L).

Using GradeMark, instructors may electronically edit, provide customized comments, and grade papers utilizing time-saving drag-and-drop tools, including:

QuickMarks: Standard editing marks and comments for composition format, punctuation, and usage.
General Comments: Instructor personal comments that can be linked to any word, paragraph, or point in the document. Comments may be stored and used again.
Comments Lists: View all QuickMarks and comments for the document in one location.

Watch this video to learn more:

For detailed instructions, please visit the GradeMark wiki. Attend the LTC workshop on the Turninin Suite (register at http://signup.uww.edu) or schedule a personal consultation with a member of the Learning Technology Center.

StudyMate Author: Easily Create Educational Games and Activities

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Karen Skibba

The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to invite faculty and instructional staff to attend the next free session in the Snackable Series “Technology – One Byte at a Time.” In the “Snackable Series” sessions, a specific learning technology is spotlighted. The next sessions will be held February 15 and 16, 2012 and focus on the use of StudyMate Author. Please bring your lunch and join your peers on the following days:

StudyMate Author
Wednesday, February 15, 2012: Noon to 1 p.m.
Thursday, February 16, 2012: 11 a.m. to Noon (join via Webinar or in-person)
iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

StudyMate Author is a software tool that instructors can use to create interactive Flash-based activities and games. A dozen activities are available to engage students with course content in an individualized way. Activities include challenge games, flash cards, crossword puzzles, and quizzes. Students have fun and learn at the same time.

Registration is also open for upcoming Snackable sessions on Turnitin Suite (March 14 and 15) and Distance Education Room (April 18 and 19). To submit ideas for future topics for the “Snackable Series”, please e-mail the UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center at ltc@uww.edu.

Register Now for LTC Winterim Sessions on Active Learning

Posted on December 9, 2011 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

This two-day Winterim series focuses on strategies for using technology to engage students through active learning. Attendance for both days is free of charge and includes lunch and refreshments. Sign up today using your UW-Whitewater Net ID at: https://signup.uww.edu. The workshops are listed under “iCIT-LTC Training.” You can register for either the January 11, 2012 Regional Faculty Conference on Active Learning or the January 12, 2012 Desire2Learn (D2L) Workshop, or you can register for both.

Using Technology to Promote Active Learning
Join us on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) for the 2012 UW-System Southeast Regional Conference! The keynote and sessions on mobile learning and planning for the future of education will be given by Dr. Curtis Bonk, an expert on active learning. A myriad of technologies and pedagogical strategies used to promote active learning will be showcased. Instructors from UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside, UW Colleges, and UW-Whitewater will share their best practices in the use of interactive activities and games, student-created video, ePortfolio, social media, and mobile technology for teaching and learning. UW-Whitewater instructors currently have access to priority registration. Secure your spot today, seating is limited! For more information and the event schedule, visit: http://geturl.uww.edu/15a

Desire2Learn (D2L) Winterim Workshop
This workshop will be held on Thursday, January 12, 2012 (9:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.). The “What’s New” and “How-To” sessions will help you solve challenges with quizzing, discussions, managing content, plagiarism detection, and assessment using the new rubric tool. Participants can attend all day or register for individual sessions. Lunch and refreshments sponsored by the LEARN Center. To view the full-day schedule, visit: Winterim 2012 Workshop Schedule.

Explore How to Use Technology to Promote Active Learning

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Renee Pfeifer-Luckett

Save the dates: January 11 and 12, 2012!

The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to announce a two-day Winterim series focusing on a variety of technologies to promote active learning.

On January 11, 2012 join other UW-System faculty and instructional staff to attend the 2012 UW-System Southeast Regional Faculty Showcase demonstrating how a myriad of technologies and pedagogical strategies are used to promote active learning. Instructors from UW-Milwaukee, UW-Parkside, UW Colleges, and UW-Whitewater will share their best practices in the use of interactive activities and games, student-created video, ePortfolio, social media, and mobile technology for teaching and learning. The keynote speaker is Dr. Curtis Bonk, renowned expert on educational technology and active learning, will present “Stretching the Edges of Technology-Enhanced Teaching: From Tinkering to Tottering to Totally Extreme Learning.” This opportunity to learn about teaching techniques is sponsored by the UW System Learning and Technology Development Council (LTDC). The UW-Whitewater College of Letters and Sciences also generously supports our keynote speaker session.

On day two, January 12, 2012, the LTC will sponsor an all-day workshop for faculty and instructional staff on the basics of using Desire2Learn (D2L). Watch for more details or sign up now at: signup.uww.edu.

Learn about Student Response Systems (Clickers)

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Karen Skibba

The next sessions will be held November 16 and 17 and focus on the use of Student Response System (Clickers). Ben Bestic, from Turning Technologies will lead the session and discuss classroom use of clicker keypads and the ResponseWare “clicker app.”

Please join your peers on the following days to learn about Student Response Systems:

Student Response System “Clickers”
Wednesday, 11/16: Noon to 1 pm
Thursday, 11/17: 11 am to Noon
iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

Use of a student response system can transform a standard PowerPoint lecture into a powerful, interactive presentation that engages students in interactive learning. Through the use of a clicker keypad, or the new clicker mobile app, student responses can be captured and immediately displayed from within your PowerPoint presentation.

To submit ideas for future topics for the “Snackable Series”, please e-mail the UW-Whitewater Learning Technology Center at ltc@uww.edu.

Instructors’ Imaginations Ignited: Second Life at UW-W

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Karen Skibba

Learn about the innovative use of Second Life in higher education and learn about the work of a year-long, cross-disciplinary learning community of UW-Whitewater instructors focused on leveraging Second Life in their courses.

Day: Wednesday, Oct. 12
Time: Noon – 1 pm
Location: UC 275A

During this LEARN Center session, instructors involved in the Second Life Learning Community will discuss how they experimented with instructional strategies to leverage the use of Second Life in their coursework. Examples of actual course activities will be showcased and key success factors learned, ideas, strategies, and tools used by the learning community will also be shared. The learning community work was made possible through a UW System Curricular Redesign Grant administered through the Learning Technology Development Council.

Details at: http://www.uww.edu/learn/ws1112.php
Please register no later than October 11.

To reserve a place, please contact the LEARN Center:
262-472-5242 or learn@uww.edu (learn@uww.edu)
Register online at: http://signup.uww.edu using your Net-ID
The workshop is listed under “LEARN Center.”

Learn About D2L Rubrics

Posted on October 6, 2011 by Karen Skibba

The Learning Technology Center (LTC) is pleased to invite faculty and instructional staff to attend the next free session in the Snackable Series “Technology – One Byte at a Time.” In the “Snackable Series” sessions, a specific learning technology is spotlighted. The next sessions will be held October 19 and 20 and focus on the use of D2L Rubrics. Please bring your lunch and join your peers on the following days to learn about D2L Rubrics:

Desire2Learn’s Rubric Tool
Wednesday, 10/19: Noon to 1 pm
Thursday, 10/20: 11 am to Noon
iCIT Training Center, McGraw 112

D2L Rubrics are a useful tool for Instructors to provide clear criteria to students regarding what is expected for an assignment as well as effectively communicate feedback on why a grade was given. Most often formatted as a grid, a rubric can be organized in a variety of ways and reflect an infinite number of grading schemes.