The Buzz | The Educational Technology Center

The Buzz

The Buzz is a collection of the latest trends in technology intended to show faculty the various ways technology is being used enhance teaching. Many of these resources link to tools that can be utilized for online communication and collaboration, and articles that discuss benefits of using these tools.

Northeastern faculty iPad projects: Creative Industries Program (Gaming)

Mark Sivak is using an iPad to assist in curriculum design and creation of apps and workshops in games. His goal: to allow groups of students to explore course topic pairs in context. Students are using applications such as Cut the Rope, Angry Birds, and Bejeweled 2 in class to explore the coordination of geometry and linear algebra with respect to game development. The course also uses apps to look at principles of calculus and physics to illustrate position, velocity, acceleration, and randomness.

Students in Mark's course, GAME3300 Game Interface Design, are using the iPad to learn about human-computer interaction and information display and processing. Several app games including “Strategery”, “Puerto Rico”, and “UNO” are being used. Students also created a paper prototype of a touch interface for a board game based on the touch interactions of the iPad. Read his blog posts about the project.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/mobilelearning/use-scenarios/#mark_sivak

Posted on 01/23/2012

ipad, mobile learning, teaching tool

Northeastern faculty iPad projects: Physical Therapy

Alycia Markowski, Associate Clinical Professor in the Physical Therapy Department, is integrating an iPad2 into a capstone course for Senior Doctor of Physical Therapy students participating in the development and implementation of the Emerald Health and Wellness Research Program. Students are using the Explain Everything app to facilitate the production of podcast episodes that explore topics related to health and wellness and streamline ergonomic student assessment of worksite participants. Read her blogs about the project.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/mobilelearning/use-scenarios/#alycia_markowski

Posted on 01/23/2012

ipad, mobile learning, teaching tool

Northeastern faculty iPad projects: Writing Center

Neal Lerner, Associate Professor in the Department of English and Director of the Writing Center, is incorporating the iPad2 into the writing tutoring services offered at Northeastern University's Writing Center. Writing Center staff are collaborating with students without physical barriers; sharing comments, investigating resources, and brainstorming ideas with various apps and functions made available on the iPad. Recorded session feedback is captured with pictures and screenshots and then shared with the student for later review. Read blog posts about his project.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/mobilelearning/use-scenarios/#neal_lerner

Posted on 01/23/2012

ipad, mobile learning, teaching tool

Northeastern faculty iPad projects: Pharmacy Practice

Dr. Margarita Divall from Pharmacy Practice is using an iPad as a repository to illustrate calculations, diagrams, and solutions during lectures. She is also using specific mobile apps to make decisions about appropriate selection and dosing of medications and taking advantage of local hospital iPad support for making rounds with patients. Read blog posts about her project.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/mobilelearning/use-scenarios/#margarita_divall

Posted on 01/23/2012

ipad, mobile learning, teaching 2.0

EdTech Hands On! Workshops

The EdTech Center offers a series of short workshops called Hands On! Hands On! is held once a month and taught by Seth Merriam, EdTech's Web Services Manager and Multimedia Designer. During Hands On! you will learn a technology skill and share ideas with colleagues about ways to use it for teaching and learning.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/links/edtech_hands_workshops

Posted on 01/19/2012

event, Hands On

Northeastern faculty iPad projects: First year college writing

First year writing instructor Genie Giaimo is using an iPad to create digital scrapbooks (including sketching, recording, photography),  capture and encourage critical thinking, expression and writing. She is also using the iPad as a “non-invasive media capture tool” for real-time documentation and investigating the theory of the classroom as a “contact zone.” Read her blog posts about her project.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/mobilelearning/use-scenarios/#genie_giaimo

Posted on 01/19/2012

Genie Giaimo, ipad

EdTech Center’s Mobile Learning Website

A locus for mobile learning activities at Northeastern, the site highlights faculty iPad projects, including links to their project blogs, offers reviews of iPad apps for specific disciplines and lists news and resources related to mobile learning.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/mobilelearning

Posted on 01/19/2012

edtech, ipad, mobile learning

Weekly Workshops at EdTech

The EdTech Center is offering flexible, one-on-one workshops, at the times you choose. Call ahead to let us know when you are coming and our co-op students will offer a one-on-one session for you (and a colleague if you wish) on a variety of topics aimed at helping you enhance your teaching. We’ll focus on a different topic each week. Join us to explore these new technologies. Topics include YouTube, Google Docs, Google Forms, Jing, Slideshare, Prezi and Blackboard 9 Blogs, Wikis and Journals.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/demonstrations_events/weekly_workshops

Posted on 01/18/2012

edtech, weekly workshop

Northeastern Financial Accounting Online

Financial Accounting and Reporting is now offered in a fully online format to as many as 180 students, working in sections of 15, per semester. Financial Accounting and Reporting was the first of CBA’s undergraduate business minor courses to launch in a fully online format. CBA has chosen a team approach to online course development. Peggy O’Kelly and Michael Cottrill designed this course, working in conjunction with EdTech instructional designers and multimedia developers. Each week’s material includes a video introduction and multiple lessons featuring narrated lectures, group discussion and an online homework system. Students also complete a group project and take multiple choice quizzes and exams online. The course is offered each semester in as many as twelve sections of fifteen students, each facilitated by a highly-qualified instructor.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/links/financial_accounting_online

Posted on 01/18/2012

Financial Accounting and Reporting, online course

Northeastern World History Online

History professor Pete Fraunholz brings recent world history alive through extensive use of film and video along with analysis of primary source documents. Pete Fraunholz offers the course World History since 1945 in an online format to provide a flexible options for students who are on co-op or in a program with a strict schedule of required courses. Fraunholz worked with instructional and media designers in the EdTech Center to structure the course, film video introductions to content, create narrated screencasts of primary source documents, and digitize film and video assets. Students interact with Fraunholz and each other through weekly discussions and write multiple papers for assessment.

http://www.northeastern.edu/edtech/links/world_history_online

Posted on 01/18/2012

film, Pete Fraunholz, world history