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Category: Collaboration and file sharing

Tools and processes that enhance collaboration, file sharing, and group efforts

Spotlight: Open-source MediaWiki for shared knowledge creation

Posted on by Shalin Hai-Jew

Wikis are simple software packages that allow people to co-edit information and to make that information sharable, either within a password-protected space or a wholly public one. A “wiki” means “fast” in Hawaiian and was used by Ward Cunningham for this type of software. Cunningham was the originator of a wiki back in 1995 (see Wikipedia’s WikiWikiWeb entry).

The power of wikis

The power of a wiki resides in being able to evolve a knowledge structure that changes based on the available information. The interlinked pages, the search functions, and the “random page” generator enables people to find what they need but also to interact with the contents in serendipitous ways.

Wikis are also unusual in that they allow virtually anyone to edit the contents (although the access may be limited to those who have to pass through an authentication layer if password protection is required). Many wikis contain the broad range of mainstream multimedia: text, imagery, links to videos and audio files, and simulations.

MediaWiki

A well-known open-source software is MediaWiki, most well-known for being the underlying wiki structure for Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.org), which is available in a number of languages.


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Live “communication access real-time translation” (CART) of an online conference

Posted on by Shalin Hai-Jew

With organizations moving to online conferences (to save on travel, housing, and per diem costs), many are using the services of captioning and reporting services that provide communication access real-time translation (CART).

CART refers to real-time transcription of spoken contents and sound effects-to-text translations. (Closed captioning refers to the provision of a textual equivalent of sound information — whether or not the event is live.)  This translation service ensures accessibility of the real-time events for a range of web-conference participants.

Jeanette Christian of 20/20 Captioning & Reporting (based out of Topeka, Kan.) provided the following responses in a Q&A about CART recently. This company was contacted after they provided CART services for an international academic conference. This company has provided real-time reporting for more than 23 years and has been providing remote CART services for close to 11 years. Its real-time writers are located across the U.S. and can provide 24-hour services seven days a week to locations in the U.S. as well as international.

2020ClosedCaptioning

www.2020captioning.com/index.php

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Axio conference proposals requested by July 1

Posted on by IT editors

Speakers are invited for the fifth annual Axio Learning Community Meeting and Conference scheduled Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 29-30, at the K-State Alumni Center, Manhattan, Kan. Proposals should be submitted by July 1. If you would like to speak at the conference, contact Dave Young, dayoung@axiolearning.org, 785-532-2649.

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Axio Conference 2010 call for proposals

Posted on by IT editors

You’re invited to speak at the fifth annual Axio Learning Community Meeting and Conference. Come ready to connect with your community of educators, innovators, and developers, and collaborate in thought-provoking and engaging sessions. The fifth annual Axio Learning Community Meeting and Conference (axioconference.org) is Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 29-30, at the K-State Alumni Center, Manhattan, Kan.

We welcome presentations about how you connect:

  • Your classroom to others across Kansas and globally
  • With students
  • And stay connected

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TechBytes Feb. 25: Many uses of WordPress

Posted on by Cathy Rodriguez

Marin Dowlin and Nate Dillon will present “Many Uses of WordPress” at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in 301A Hale Library. WordPress is more than just blogging software. This session will focus on how it works, its features and caveats, and how it is used for some campus websites.

IDT Roundtable: "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 minutes and 40 seconds, add 20 slides, and welcome to the world of Pecha Kucha!"

Posted on by Swasati Mukherjee

The next Instructional Design and Technology roundtable will be 11 a.m – 12:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 25, in K-State Union 212.

The Pecha Kucha format is 20 PowerPoint slides shown for 40 seconds apiece, leaving you with a 6 minute and 40 second automated presentation. Jump into the craze of the short, concise presentation style that is sweeping the nation. Join us as we grab a taste of new experience, and share ideas and thoughts afterwards. We have scheduled Michael Wesch, Andrew Barkley, Gayle Doll, Cyndi Danner-Kuhn, Mike Finnegan, and Sue Williams.

To learn more about the Pecha Kucha method in education, visit the Web-based Information Science Education blog  or go to Pecha Kucha Night Kansas City to learn about this presentation happening in your state.

Coffee, tea, and water will be available, and you are welcome to bring your lunch. RSVP to catl@k-state.edu, 785-532-7828. To learn about the upcoming sessions, go to the IDT Roundtable website.

Conference on computing in higher education May 26-27 in Hays

Posted on by IT editors

(Editor’s note:  This information is from the CHECK conference’s Call for Proposals e-mailed Jan. 26.)

Conference on Higher Education Computing in Kansas (CHECK) 2010
Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS
May 26-27, 2010 (Wednesday-Thursday)

Play an active role in CHECK 2010 by submitting a proposal on one of the many important IT topics in higher education. The deadline for submissions is March 12. Submit your proposal online at the CHECK website (www.check.gen.ks.us) or e-mail check@fhsu.edu. Don’t forget to mark your calendars!

Benefits of presenting

As a presenter, you’ll not only help create an innovative and informative program, you will spotlight your institution’s achievements and facilitate progress in the academic community.

Suggested topics

Spotlight Q/A with Barbara Pearson: Redesign of the University Life Café

Posted on by Shalin Hai-Jew

The University Life Café originated at K-State to support the mental well-being of K-State students. It was launched in February 2009. Eight months after its launch, it went through a redesign based on user needs — to make the contents more accessible and engaging. The layout of the site changed along with the navigational structure. The site was also re-branded for more of a K-State “look-and-feel.”

PreULC

Original design of UniversityLifeCafe.org

PostULC

New design of UniversityLifeCafe.org

Question: What is the purpose of the University Life Cafe? For students and for faculty/staff?

Barbara Pearson: The University Life Café is a Web 2.0-based site created by and for K-State students to promote emotional wellness, and academic success leading to increased academic retention. Primary goals of the website are raising awareness of personal well-being as a factor of academic success and de-stigmatizing help-seeking.

UniversityLifeCafe.org is a K-State virtual community where all students can connect and contribute by posting photos, pictures, artwork, articles, and information, and interacting with peers and K-State Counseling Services professionals through the online discussion board.

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Roger McHaney: Virtual collaboration in academic courses

Posted on by Shalin Hai-Jew

RogerMcHaney Note:  Roger McHaney will be co-presenting “Virtual Collaboration:  Applied Projects and Tools” 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at Union 212, as part of the Instructional Design Technology Roundtables. All are welcome to attend.

What is “virtual collaboration”?

Those of you who attended preschool years ago probably learned the importance of sharing. Today, in the Web’s early youth, the same lessons are being reinforced as we learn to share without regard to geography or time constraints.

“Virtual collaboration” or “VC” is the term we use to describe the technology and processes needed for people to exchange ideas, content, and work processes both synchronously and asynchronously over the Web. An emerging set of powerful VC tools enables people to collaborate on projects in amazing ways. This surge of sharing has been extended into higher education where students and teachers have incredible opportunities to enhance learning.

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IDT Roundtable Nov. 12: “Virtual Collaboration: Applied Projects and Tools”

Posted on by Swasati Mukherjee

Online learning may involve synchronous (real-time) and asynchronous collaboration. Learners work together in virtual teams to learn; conceptualize ideas; solve problems; design presentations; develop plans and models, and form professional relationships.

This presentation will spotlight some virtual collaborations for student projects and the technological tools used (learning/course management systems, blogs, wikis, immersive “synthetic world” sites, and others). Come join us 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, in Union 212.

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