June 2016
Here is the latest DCS news following an eventful conclusion to the spring semester and the beginning of a busy summer.
New DCS Pilots Announced
At the 2016 DCS Showcase, our Instructional Technologists demonstrated four exciting teaching tools that we will be piloting with Rutgers faculty over the 2016-17 academic year. We tossed around the CatchBox, a throwable microphone that can be used to encourage dialogue in large classrooms. We demonstrated Kaltura, a video recording tool that can be used to capture lectures. Our guests tried out Poll Everywhere, a web-based student response system that can be used for instant quizzes, Q&A, brainstorming, and more. Finally, we demonstrated Solstice wireless display sharing that is now available in select classrooms. To learn more about this year's pilots and how you can use them in your classes, visit the DCS Pilots page.
Active Learning Community Updates
The Active Learning Boot Camp was an exciting day of talks, discussions, demonstrations, and more. Visit the Boot Camp page to watch the keynote presentation, read summaries, find useful links, and more. Visit the brand new Learning Spaces page for information on the four active learning classrooms currently under construction. On our new Events page, you can get information about upcoming training sessions, room tours, and fall meetings as they are announced. Check back soon as the Active Learning pages continues to grow over the summer.
Request Video Conferencing Online
At last year's Showcase, we talked about video conferencing and different ways we were developing to use video chat in the classroom. Typically used to connect classes with remote guest lecturer or to enable instructors to teach while off campus, video conferencing enables faculty to expand course meetings beyond the four walls of the classroom. After successful partnerships with faculty over the last year, instructors can now learn about and request DCS video conferencing using a brand new video conference page.
Congratulations to Our Tech Point Winners
Join us in recognizing our top student employees for the Spring 2016 semester. This spring's Tech Point Winners are Jeff Wong (1st Place Busch), Isaac Chang (2nd Place Busch), Asher Malech (1st Place College Ave.), Roger Sheng (2nd Place College Ave.), Abi Singaram (1st Place Cook/Douglass), Aakash Patel (2nd Place Cook/Douglass), Lynne Richman (1st Place Help Desk), Kellie VanderMeer (2nd Place Help Desk), Andrew Lee (1st Place Livingston), and Zachariah Wong (2nd Place Livingston).
Kaltura, Poll Everywhere, and More Summer Workshops
This summer we are introducing new workshops centered around two DCS pilots, Kaltura and Poll Everywhere. As summer gives way to the fall semester, we are also offering training sessions designed to help prepare you for the start of classes. For more information and registration, visit our Workshops page.
Capturing Your Class with Kaltura
Wednesday June 29 at 10am
Kaltura is web-based tool that can be used to record presentations, including a video image of the presenter and PowerPoint slides or other presentation material. In this workshop DCS will discuss how Kaltura can be used to enhance your class and walk you through the steps of making your own video.
Student Engagement with Poll Everywhere
Friday July 29 at 1pm
Poll Everywhere is a student response system that enables students to take polls, ask questions, provide feedback, and more using their mobile devices. In this workshop, DCS will provide an introduction, discuss potential in-class uses, and walk you through the steps of creating and giving polls.
DCS Technology Training
Thursday September 1 at 1pm
Friday September 9 at 3:30pm
To enable faculty to prepare for upcoming classes, DCS holds training sessions around the start of the semester where instructors can learn about the technology in their classroom, get instruction on using it, and test out the equipment.
Intro to Macs
Thursday September 1 at 2:30pm
Friday September 9 at 2pm
This workshop is tailored towards instructors using the Digital Classroom Podium and anyone who would like an introduction to using a Mac computer. DCS will show you to the basics of navigating Mac's operating system, how to use popular applications, and useful tips and shortcuts.
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