Instructional Technologies Including Blackboard Collaborate, Adobe

Connect, and Insight

TA/LA Information Session 8.27.14

Ed Tech Advisor• New tool which shows Penn State-

supported resources

• ETA enables you to match pedagogical needs to education technology resources available at Penn State

• Includes info on "Help Me choose a Tool", "I'd Like To", "I'd Like My Students To", "Show Me All the Tools"

• More information: http://sites.psu.edu/eta/

• Help Me Choose a Tool I want:

• to disseminate information / deliver content to students.• to have online asynchronous conversations.• to have online synchronous conversations.• students to participate in class.• students to write and reflect.• students to collaborate outside of class.

Blackboard Collaborate• Used in World Campus courses

• Allows synchronous communication with and among students

• Real-time voice, document and whiteboard sharing (among other things)

• Sessions can be recorded which allows for viewing at a later time (useful for online education students)

• Better built-in accessibility features

• More resilient and more forgiving of slower internet connections

Image: Blackboard Collaborate

World Campus

Blackboard Collaborate • Students may find this tool beneficial for team project collaboration and can request their

own rooms

• Meeting space for Blackboard Collaborate may be requested by filling out an online form: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/public/roomrequest/index.php

• World Campus Helpdesk supported: http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/technical-support/contact-us

• Additional information: https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/public/bbcollaborate/collaborateintro.html

World Campus

VoiceThread• A web-based application which allows you to

place collections of media such as images, videos, documents, and presentations at the center of an asynchronous conversation. (Multimedia discussion forum).

• Unique interface

• Helps facilitate collaboration and asynchronous learning

• Now has ANGEL integration to make it easier to

students to access the tool. (In ANGEL>Add Content>External Tool>Tool Provider>VoiceThread

Residential and World Campus

VoiceThread• PSU and World Campus Helpdesk supported:

Penn State VoiceThread support: http://voicethread.psu.edu/support/

World Campus Technical support: http://student.worldcampus.psu.edu/technical-support/contact-us

• Additional information: http://voicethread.psu.edu/

Residential and World Campus

Adobe Connect• Used more for residential courses

• Allows synchronous communication with and among students

• Real-time voice, document and whiteboard sharing (among other things)

• Sessions can be recorded which allows for viewing at a later time

• Has a cleaner interface than Blackboard Collaborate (but has some technical and support issues associated with using it in World Campus courses)

• Does not require Java, but does function better when user downloads a browser plug-in

Residential

Adobe Connect • Mobile client available:

http://www.adobe.com/products/adobeconnect/mobile-meetings.html

• PSU supported:Help Resources: http://kb.its.psu.edu/article/1616;

• Additional information: http://adobeconnect.psu.edu/

Residential

Insight• Computer lab interactive control

software

• The teacher’s screen can be shown to all students

• Show a student’s screen to other students

• Poll students

• Testing: re-create "secure" testing environments

• Limit student activities on their computers

• Teachers can launch the browser, go to a website and the same website is displayed on the student computer

Residential

Insight• Run an application or a website on student computers

• Take control of selected student workstations

• View up to 256 student machines at the same time

• Send a message to any or all students

• Blank all student screens on the teacher channel and disable all student keyboards and mouse devices

• From the console, shutdown, logoff or restart selected student machines

• More information: http://www.faronics.com/assets/Insight.pdf

Residential

Information on Additional Tools: Online Education Tools Beyond Instruction• ANGEL: Support knowledge base

http://kb.its.psu.edu/cms/article/191

• Turnitin: Writing assessment toolkit http://turnitin.psu.edu/

• PSU WebApps: Provides access to several popular applicationshttp://clc.its.psu.edu/RemoteAccess/WebApps

• Lynda.com: Free video tutorials on a myriad of popular technologieshttp://lynda.psu.edu/

Thanks!• Questions?

• Presentation available at: http://www.slideshare.net/RondaReid/tala-technology-notes

Contact: Ronda Reid, rreid@ist.psu.edu