JimUBC

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  JimUBC 9:46 am on August 7, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Centre for Teaching and Learning – CTLT Summer Institute 

  Here’s a note for my fellow educators: The 2013 CTLT Summer Institute is coming. I hope to see you there.
  The following is from the official announcement.

  Date: August 20 – 22, September 3-6, 2013
  Time: 9:00 am – 4:00 pm
  Location: Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, UBC
  Seminar Room 2.22, Fraser River Room 2.27

  Join us for the 2013 CTLT Summer Institute! The seven-day Institute is made up of a series of instructional workshops, lectures and presentations that seek to help both new and experienced faculty members and graduate students improve their teaching.

  There will be opportunities to explore ideas and share strategies across a range of topics including:

  • assessment
  • metacognition
  • facilitative teaching
  • participatory learning
  • preparing for the upcoming Truth and Reconciliation Commission Day on September 18^th

  The Institute is open to all faculty, staff and graduate students in the UBC teaching community. Registration is free, so please register for each session you are interested in attending http://www.events.ctlt.ubc.ca/series/view/235

  For more information visit: http://institute.ctlt.ubc.ca

  Follow us on twitter: @UBC_CTLT

  Tweet with us: #CTLTin13

   

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  JimUBC 12:29 pm on July 10, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  PeerWise 

  
  Just a quick note for anyone using PeerWise.

  There is a session tomorrow at CTLT

  http://events.ctlt.ubc.ca./events/view/2679

  Paul Denny from The University of Auckland will be there.

  I’ll be going for sure.

   
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  JimUBC 4:18 am on June 14, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Surface Pro – Recommendations 

  A colleague at UBC wrote to say that she was going to get a Microsoft Surface Pro.  She asked if I had any thoughts or advice. I’ve had my Surface Pro for four months. Here is what I replied.

  Surface Pro 64 or 128
  The 64 is $899. The 128 is $999.  I got the 128.  For me this meant NOT having to manage space on the hard drive, or to think about using an extra memory card (that could have saved me $40 but would have meant a lot more thinking in terms of managing space).   If I had to do it again, I would make the same decision.

  You probably don’t need a display adapter for presentations
  The Surface Pro uses a Mini DisplayPort for connecting to a projector. This is the same as most MacBooks. This means that you probably don’t have to buy an adapter to connect to projectors if there is a connection that supports MacBooks. I understand that these are pretty common on campus. If you routinely connect your portable devices a monitor, that’s a different matter and you will need some kind of display adapter.

  Keyboard Cover
  I would definitely get a snap on cover – it is very convenient, protects the screen and reduces the sense of urgency around buying a special case for the Surface. If you get a Surface snap on cover, spend the extra $10 and get the Type Cover – I find it to be much more usable than the Touch Cover. I have both and I use the Touch Cover too, but the Type Cover is better for touch typing.

  Cases and bags
  If you have any kind of simple case that you can use now, don’t spend money on anything else until you’ve lived with your new Surface Pro for awhile.

  Extended Warranty and Accidental Damage Protection
  Consider getting Microsoft Complete

   
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  JimUBC 9:19 am on June 5, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Teaching in the Land of BYOD CTLT Institute 2013 follow up 

  Here is the mind map from the CTLT session on Teaching in the Land of BYOD

  You can click the mind map to see the full sized image and see the notes from the session.

  In the days leading up to my session I found myself in other presentations, there with my own devices and keenly aware of how I was using them. Sometimes I was deeply engaged, taking notes, following references, looking up related ideas following flights of fancy across the web. Sometimes I was looking at my schedule to see what was coming up next. And there were other times where I just had to put down my devices and participate with others in a discussion or activity.

  In those situations where I was passively receiving information and actively trying to interact with it my devices helped me to do that. I have probably always done this with pen and paper, and later laptops and tablets and in a pinch, my smartphone. In other situations where I was expected to actively contribute and even create content (especially with others) those personal devices were simply a hindrance.

  Does this reflect the typical learner’s experience in my classes?

   
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  JimUBC 3:34 pm on May 25, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Teaching in the Land of BYOD – CTLT Institute Thursday May 30th 2013 

  I’ve had several interesting conversations on this topic, and found some great material. The registration is full, but I’ve found out that there is physically room for many more in the facility so if you are interested, please come.

  CTLT in 2013 on Thursday May 30th, 2013 12:00 – 1:00 pm

  Introduction

  How has teaching changed in the context of extremely portable devices like smart phones and tablets?

  • How do you measure engagement?
  • How can you teach in a room without walls?
  • How can you leverage the technology?

  For over thirty years I’ve worked on the premise that technology can be a great place to start a conversation. Let’s hope that this new trend is not the end of conversation. Please join us for a lively discussion of how this phenomenon is impacting you, your students, and your practice, with the view to coming up with practical ways to be part of this ever changing landscape.

  Please add links to any material you feel is related to this discussion in the comments – Thanks!

   
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  JimUBC 1:17 am on May 24, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Vancouver HTML5 Gaming Workshop & a Yeti Sunday May 26, 2013 

  Vancouver HTML5 Gaming Workshop & a Yeti

  This workshop is presented by Vancouver Polyglot {Un}conference, Startup Weekend Vancouver and Microsoft Canada!

  With advances brought to us by HTML5, modern browsers and free libraries like CreateJS, we can create games and rich interactive experiences more easily than before. In this workshop, we will show how you can use HTML5 to build games and interactive experiences today (with plenty of demos to pull apart). Then we will show how you can take those HTML5 games and migrate them to Windows 8 to take advantage of monetization opportunities with over 60 million potential users.

  You do not have to have deep experience with either HTML5 or Windows 8 but a fundamental knowledge of HTML, CSS and JavaScript will be helpful. Although, you will need Windows 8 and the Visual Studio Express for Windows 8 to take advantage of the hands-on time.

   
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  JimUBC 2:41 pm on May 8, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  What are they doing when they nod off? 

   

  Years ago I came to understand that people bring their world into a classroom. If they are tired or distracted, that comes with them too and sometimes, no matter what I do, people will nod off. I include in that concept the idea the people have wandered off, away from the moment in the classroom. People will succumb to whatever exigencies of life are a higher priority. I understand that. Still, at least in my situation, I think that most people have chosen to be in the room at that time, to participate in a face-to-face learning situation. And to do that they have physically extricated themselves from their day-to-day life to be there. I owe it to them to make it worthwhile.

   

  I hope that you will explore this idea with me

  More…

   
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  JimUBC 1:40 pm on May 2, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Word® 2013/2007 Quick Start 

  Doing a one day session about Microsoft Word on Tuesday at Robson Square.

  Details here: Word® 2013/2007 Quick Start

  Overview:

  If you are an experienced user of earlier versions of Microsoft Word, then making the initial transition to Word 2010/2007 is easy, until you try to do familiar things like formatting and extensive editing. In this course we uncover the mysteries of the new fluent user interface (the Ribbon) to help you to do what you have always done like create and edit text, format with styles and outlines, check grammar and spelling. We also explore new ways to be productive with shapes, smart art, quick parts, references and more. (We will look at Word 2013 too).

  — more Word® 2013/2007 Quick Start

   
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  JimUBC 10:25 pm on May 1, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  Teaching in the Land of BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) 

  Join me at the 2013 CTLT Institute (Centre for Learning and Teaching Technology) on Thursday May 30th, 2013 12:00 – 1:00 pm

  How has teaching changed in the context of extremely portable devices like smart phones and tablets?

  • How do you measure engagement?
  • How can you teach in a room without walls?
  • How can you leverage the technology?

  For over thirty years I’ve worked on the premise that technology can be a great place to start a conversation. Let’s hope that this new trend is not the end of conversation. Please join us for a lively discussion of how this phenomenon is impacting you, your students, and your practice, with the view to coming up with practical ways to be part of this ever changing landscape.

  Please add links to any material you feel is related to this discussion in the comments – Thanks!

   
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  JimUBC 11:42 am on April 24, 2013 Permalink | Reply  

  HTML5 

  HTML5 2: The Semantic Web IP491W13A