by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies How would you prepare to visit a foreign country where English is not the primary language? How would you prepare to take along children? How do your ideas about preparing to travel compare to how you prepare to use digital tools? Does the analogy extend to how you
Category: Integrating Technology
8 Reasons Why Your LMS is Awesome for Teaching and Learning (Yes, Eight)
by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies This week, I learned about digital literacies.* My workshop leader was Jade Davis, the Manager of Digital Projects at Columbia University Library. Right at the beginning of the workshop, she stated why she loves the LMS. I have previously expressed skepticism about the LMS. Dr. Davis helped crystallize how
Searching for Tributaries of Digital Fluency
Digital fluency is a 2018 buzzword among those who likely also said words like disruption, MOOC, future, digital natives, etc. etc. You know. The “glaze or blaze” words of higher education. Thanks to a workshop with Lee Skallerup-Bessette, I learned to rethink “digital fluency” with the familiar metaphor of the tributary.
Podcasting by Design
by Nathan Loewen, Department of Religious Studies Podcasts are cool. Podcasts are the new Twitter. By that, I mean podcasts may be one of the “next things” in higher education. They are a great way to invite people into discovery through conversation. Both the Twitter-sphere and the world of podcasts are resplendent with people wanting to
Texthelp Technology Solutions for Reading, Writing, Language Learning, and Math
by Melissa Green, Emerging Technology and Accessibility The Faculty Technology Showcase is a great place to learn how faculty are using technology to enhance learning, conduct research, and increase professional productivity. This year’s Showcase also marks the launch of the Texthelp tools now freely available to UA students, faculty, staff, and departments. Texthelp offers a
HASTAC Recap: The Role of Archives in Instruction
by Paul Fess, Department of English Last month I had the opportunity to attend the annual HASTAC conference through the generous support of the Arts & Sciences Dean’s Office and the Department of English Similar to Nathan Loewen’s description of his experience at this conference, I found it to be an enlightening, refreshing event, comprised
Why We Use Slack in the MA in Religion in Culture
In this post from Studying Religion in Culture, Mike Altman explains how the Department of Religious Studies uses Slack to connect with its graduate students.
Blackboard Testing Tips for Finals Week
Grades Here are some end-of-semester themed tutorials to assist you in wrapping up this Fall 2017 semester: Submitting Grades to myBama from Blackboard Non-Attendance Grading in myBama How to Download a Copy of the Grade Center from Blackboard Testing The FRC has also prepared some Testing Tips for instructors and students who will be using Blackboard
Roll Data! Teaching with Datasets
by Vincent F. Scalfani, University Libraries You may be aware of the rich information resources that UA Libraries provides to the campus community. For example, UA Libraries provides access to over 3 million print volumes, 1.5 million electronic books, and 200,000 electronic journals. These resources are easily discoverable from our Scout database and our E-Journals
Who is Allowed to Do That? DUO at UA
by Dean Townsley, Department of Physics and Astronomy Passwords are often the basis for authentication. Who is allowed to set the grades of the students in a course? The instructor. Well, at least anyone who knows the instructor’s password. The difference between those two is the essence of authentication and highlights the importance of DUO,