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Grants place profs on cutting edge of technology
September 06, 2007
While senior Krista Rajenan is studying away in Oaxaca, Mexico this semester, she’ll use a webcam and headset to participate in on campus class discussions of her social work field experience course.
Back here in Tacoma, the course’s professor, Mary Moran, visiting assistant professor of social work, will use an iPod to record class lectures and discussions. Moran and her class will use a second webcam and headset during two video podcasts with Rajenan, which are scheduled for later this semester.
“My goal is that she can be an active part in our field seminar here on campus,” Moran explained.
Last year, for the first time, a senior asked to complete the course while studying away in Oaxaca. Moran modified the course so it could be completed on Sakai. However, she could only connect with the student via email, so the student wasn’t able to benefit from the class discussions, Moran said.
When Rajenan proposed completing the course in a similar fashion, Moran began looking at how to better involve Rajenan in the class discussions. Moran applied for and received $940 from the Digital Media Center’s Small Grants Program to purchase webcams, headsets, an iPod and external iPod microphone.
Moran was among four faculty members who received funding for new technology through the grant program. Established three years ago, it supports faculty members seeking to integrate instructional technology into their courses. For this academic year, $5,000 was available to fund grants up to $1,000 each.
The other faculty members selected to receive funding are Ed Powell, assistant professor of music, Leon Reisberg, professor of education, and Greg Youtz, professor of music.
Powell received a grant to purchase a hard disk video camera and computer software to use in his conducting courses. The tiny camera records video directly to a hard disk, negating the need for tapes or disks.
Students in conducting courses are videotaped, and then the tape is used to help the student evaluate his or her skills. The music department currently records students using VHS tape, but the technology is cumbersome and outdated, Powell said.
The hard disk camera allows Powell to upload the video directly to his computer and add his own audio comments about the student’s conducting movements. He can then email the file directly to the student or upload it to Sakai.
“It turns out to be pretty slick,” he said. “It ends up being a little more work, but more convenient work and a lot more feedback for the student.”
Reisberg received funding to advance the use of SmartBoards in the School of Education. SmartBoards are interactive whiteboards used in elementary and secondary classrooms across the country to engage students and bring lessons to life.
The board has a touch sensitive surface, which displays and controls an attached computer, Reisberg explained. Anything written on the board can be saved and printed for later use.
The school purchased a SmartBoard last summer, and Reisberg attended a training session in Portland that covered the technology and educational uses of it. He will be instructing others on the effective use of the technology this year.
Finally, Youtz purchased musical composition software that was installed in the Morken Center’s Wiegand Multimedia Lab. The software was merged with the department’s electronic synthesizer hardware, creating a high-end music studio, he said.
The new set-up allows music students to compose electronic music that is “above and beyond that which can be produced in more commercial programs,” Youtz said. The new software is important because it puts PLU on an even playing field with comparable institutions in terms of the creative experiences and opportunities available to students.
Recipients of the grants were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including the innovative nature of the proposed technology, the overall impact on the applicant’s curriculum, the feasibility of the project and the benefit to other faculty, students and courses. The technology or educational technique also must be unavailable on campus or easily transferable from another source.
“My goal is that she can be an active part in our field seminar here on campus,” Moran explained.
Last year, for the first time, a senior asked to complete the course while studying away in Oaxaca. Moran modified the course so it could be completed on Sakai. However, she could only connect with the student via email, so the student wasn’t able to benefit from the class discussions, Moran said.
When Rajenan proposed completing the course in a similar fashion, Moran began looking at how to better involve Rajenan in the class discussions. Moran applied for and received $940 from the Digital Media Center’s Small Grants Program to purchase webcams, headsets, an iPod and external iPod microphone.
Moran was among four faculty members who received funding for new technology through the grant program. Established three years ago, it supports faculty members seeking to integrate instructional technology into their courses. For this academic year, $5,000 was available to fund grants up to $1,000 each.
The other faculty members selected to receive funding are Ed Powell, assistant professor of music, Leon Reisberg, professor of education, and Greg Youtz, professor of music.
Powell received a grant to purchase a hard disk video camera and computer software to use in his conducting courses. The tiny camera records video directly to a hard disk, negating the need for tapes or disks.
Students in conducting courses are videotaped, and then the tape is used to help the student evaluate his or her skills. The music department currently records students using VHS tape, but the technology is cumbersome and outdated, Powell said.
The hard disk camera allows Powell to upload the video directly to his computer and add his own audio comments about the student’s conducting movements. He can then email the file directly to the student or upload it to Sakai.
“It turns out to be pretty slick,” he said. “It ends up being a little more work, but more convenient work and a lot more feedback for the student.”
Reisberg received funding to advance the use of SmartBoards in the School of Education. SmartBoards are interactive whiteboards used in elementary and secondary classrooms across the country to engage students and bring lessons to life.
The board has a touch sensitive surface, which displays and controls an attached computer, Reisberg explained. Anything written on the board can be saved and printed for later use.
The school purchased a SmartBoard last summer, and Reisberg attended a training session in Portland that covered the technology and educational uses of it. He will be instructing others on the effective use of the technology this year.
Finally, Youtz purchased musical composition software that was installed in the Morken Center’s Wiegand Multimedia Lab. The software was merged with the department’s electronic synthesizer hardware, creating a high-end music studio, he said.
The new set-up allows music students to compose electronic music that is “above and beyond that which can be produced in more commercial programs,” Youtz said. The new software is important because it puts PLU on an even playing field with comparable institutions in terms of the creative experiences and opportunities available to students.
Recipients of the grants were chosen based on a variety of criteria, including the innovative nature of the proposed technology, the overall impact on the applicant’s curriculum, the feasibility of the project and the benefit to other faculty, students and courses. The technology or educational technique also must be unavailable on campus or easily transferable from another source.