Conclusion
This concludes the activities portion of our
Technology for Teaching Workshop: we hope that you have enjoyed it!
Please remember to sign in, to pick up a copy of the handouts, to fill out the evaluation form you find in your registration packet, and to give the completed form to one of the workshop leaders.
Thank you for coming and for helping to make this a successful workshop and TA conference!
The Four Cornerstones of
Campus-wide Technological Resources for Teaching
Much of the time when we have questions about technological resources – both human and material – we can find answers at our own departments. Many departments offer a course, often listed as 495 and offered in the winter or spring, led by an OID (Office of Instructional Development) sponsored TTAC (Technological Teaching Assistant Consultant) that helps TAs to become more technologically proficient teachers; if your department does not offer this course, you can take it through another department.
Meanwhile, there are also campus-wide resources that can help you to use technologies to become a better and more efficient teacher. Here are the four indispensable hubs of technology support at UCLA.
· Computing Laboratories: http://www.computerlabs.ucla.edu/
One key component of the recently launched “Instructional Enhancement Initiative” by The College of Letters & Science of UCLA is improved computer labs, with new and upgraded computers; new printers, scanners, monitors, and zip drives; increased student support staff; and extended lab hours. This is important for both you and your students; knowing that this is an available resource, you can plan to hold classes in labs, or assign work that students will be able to complete in labs.
By following the above link, you can find a complete and updated list of campus labs, their hours, their software, and their access restrictions. Of these, the most generally-accessible are the CLICC (College Library Instructional Computing Commons) labs: http://www.clicc.ucla.edu/. CLICC lab’s excellent website makes it easy for you to understand their services and hours. If you do not see your needs addressed on the site, contact one of the “Career Staff” at http://www.clicc.ucla.edu/about_staff.asp. Alternately, walk over to the third floor of Powell library – classrooms B and C (Powell 320) – and ask the staff there.
Lastly, the CLICC labs offers workshops that teach you and your students to use specific programs including Dreamweaver, Photoshop and iMovie. Place your cursor over the “Classrooms” tab on the top navigation bar, then choose “Workshops” from the drop-down menu for more information.
· Library Services: http://www2.library.ucla.edu/
For both you and your students, the UCLA library system is a treasure trove – and sometimes, a labyrinth. It is worth taking the time to explore the libraries both physically and electronically. The above link is one way to encourage your students to take advantage of the fabulous resources that have been gathered on their behalf.
Two links in particular will help your students to use the web as a resource that enhances their research and study skills: by moving your cursor over the “Search and Find” tab, you can select “E-resources” from the drop-down menu. It provides students a place to start looking for rigorous academic information on the web. Meanwhile, by moving your cursor over the “Services” tab, you can select “Reference and Research Help” from the drop-down menu. Having clicked on the selection, you can further select “Research Guides” and “Online Tutorials” to find excellent, pre-assembled materials that you can re-purpose for your own classes.
Finally, the College (undergraduate) library has invaluable resources devoted to undergraduate instruction: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college. Of these, the College Library Information Literacy Instruction Program is particularly relevant, and can help you to teach your students to navigate electronic resources. For more information: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/college/services/instructor.htm
· Bruin Online: http://www.bol.ucla.edu/
Bruin Online (BOL) offers many important services for UCLA students. This is the place to contact – by email at consult@ucla.edu, by phone at (310) 267-HELP (4357) option 1, and in person at 124 Kerckhoff Hall – if you or your students are having technical difficulties using UCLA technology resources with your personally owned computer.
Your BOL ID makes it possible for you to access your UCLA information electronically and securely. BOL also provides local students with free dial-up internet service, as well as a proxy server so that students can access UCLA resources, including paid subscriptions of academic databases, from home. Many students take advantage of the free webmail that BOL offers, with a quota of 75 MB and the largest single message size of 10 MB. Lastly, BOL has software and tutorials that help students to take advantage of its services, including free software downloads.
One relatively underused BOL feature is its web service, which enables UCLA students, staff, faculty, organizations, and departments to create their own World Wide Web pages. This service is provided as an aid to the academic pursuits of the UCLA community. It provides every BOL user with 50 megabytes of space to create a personal webpage at the URL of http://UCLA Logon ID.bol.ucla.edu - if your UCLA Logon ID is jbruin, the URL of your webpage will be http://jbruin.bol.ucla.edu
· Office of Instructional Development: http://www.oid.ucla.edu/
Last but certainly not least is the OID: Office of Instructional Development. In fact, since the OID is devoted to improving instruction, it serves sort of like a dispensary of teaching tools, including technological ones: if you were James Bond, the OID would be your Q.
The OID maintains an excellent website that has a lot of information, which can be hard to apprehend immediately. Click on the “Units” tab to learn more about its specific services: for technophiles, the “Audio Visual Services,” “Instructional Media Lab,” “Instructional Media Production,” and “Teaching Enhancement Center” tabs on the left navigation bar will be of special interest. Of these, the last can provide fast and expert advice for using technology for teaching, as well as equipment for you (but not your students) to create instructional media.
Have an idea for improving teaching with technology, but not sure how to implement or to fund it? Click on the “Faculty” or “Departments” tabs to find the “Incorporating Technology into Instruction” on the left navigation bar. Of current interest are two programs that the OID has made possible: equipping classrooms for lecture podcasting, and using Video Furnace to allow students to view films and videos from anywhere within the campus network.
The OID is physically located at 60 Powell Library – use the east side entrance.
· Brian P. Copenhaver Award for Innovation in Teaching with Technology: http://www.college.ucla.edu/edtech/bpcaward.htm
Check out how other teachers have used technology to improve their teaching: or to win recognition for your own innovative use of technology for teaching! This award, which is devoted to stimulating and honoring excellence in teaching with technology, can serve as an inspiration and a reference: click on the “Faculty Experiences Using Technology in Teaching” on the left navigation bar to find Quicktime interviews with past awardees representing a wide range of disciplines and teaching needs. Also click on the “Blended Instruction Case Studies” on the left navigation bar to find out whether this is a program that could benefit your class. |
