Innovations in Teaching and Learning
Technology Conference
Tucker Hall
November 11, 2010
Learning Landscapes: Enhancing Student Success
through Innovative Technology
Veterans, We Honor You! Thank you for your service to our country.
We join the rest of the nation on Veterans Day in remembering the
sacrifices of America's 25 million veterans and expressing our
appreciation for your service.
Program
8:30 Conference Check-In and Continental Breakfast – TUCKER HALL
Conference Moderator - Dr. Caroline Crawford, University of
Houston- Clear Lake, Associate Professor, Instructional Technology
School of Education
Welcome - Dr. Michael Murphy, President of Lee College
9:15 GENERAL SESSION – KEYNOTE ADDRESS – TUCKER HALL
Engaging Learning Experiences in Open-Ended Learning
Environments
Dr. George Veletsianos, University of Texas – Austin
Dr. Veletsianos is Assistant Professor of Instructional Technology at the University of Texas,
Austin. His research focuses on the use of emerging technologies in the design,
development, and evaluation of open-ended online and hybrid learning environments. His
focus areas are online learning, adventure learning, pedagogical agents, and the learner
experience. Dr. Veletsianos is a prolific author and has published more than 50 journal
articles, books chapters, and conference proceedings. Most recently he has published an
edited book under an open access license entitled Emerging Technologies in Distance
Education.
10:30 Refreshment Break (Door Prizes-Must be present)
10:45 Social Media and Student Engagement – Tucker Hall
Moderated by Dr. Caroline Crawford, University of Houston-Clear Lake
Research indicates that lack of engagement is one of the biggest problems we have today in
getting more students through college. According to the CCSSE Making Connections:
Dimensions of Student Engagement – traditional-age students are more likely to use social
networking tools, such as Twitter or Facebook, multiple times per day for any purpose and
they are more likely to use social networking tools to communicate with other students,
instructors, or college staff about coursework at the college. The more students use social
networking tools for academically purposeful activities, the higher their levels of
engagement that might translate into better academic performance, motivation and
persistence. Find out if social networking help undergraduate and graduate students stay
engage and achieve their academic goals.
11:45 Thanks to our Sponsors! Student Center/Cyber Café
(Door Prizes - Must be present)
Birds of a Feather Luncheon
Digital Libraries, Social Media, Designing Assessments, Open Source
LMS, HuMBUG, TXDLA, Desktop Virtualization, Virtual Worlds,
Cybersecurity, Data Analytics, Web Apps/Portals, Dr. Veletsianos
Keynote, Blackboard/WebCT Mobil Apps, Game Technology or topics of
your choice.
Cyber Café Desktop Virtualization Lab
Eliminating the Barriers to Desktop Virtualization Adoption
Quest and Dell Corporation
Everyone’s heard about desktop virtualization. The market is full of
conflicting messages from a multitude of vendors. It’s confusing and
there’s a lot to consider.
Don’t miss this opportunity to join virtualization experts from Quest Software and Dell at Lee
College to discuss the real challenges behind the adoption of desktop virtualization. Find out
what is working in today’s production deployments and how customers are leveraging choice
and flexibility across their infrastructure. We’ll demonstrate how desktop virtualization
can provide centralized management of desktop workloads, increased security and improved
business continuity. Quest and Dell will present a real-world desktop virtualization solution and
show the benefits of putting the right management stack into place for any environment.
1:15 Breakout Sessions
Learning in Virtual Worlds
Presenters: Dr. Richard A. Smith and Dr. Caroline M. Crawford
University of Houston-Clear Lake
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Bayer Conference
While it is always exciting to start a distance education program in a K-12 school system or at
the college level, implementing a distance education program can result in a number of
unintended consequences. These consequences can range from students who lack the correct
computer resources to participate in the course, to online teachers who find themselves
overwhelmed with work. However, most of these unintended consequences can be avoided by
asking a set of questions and determining the answers. This presentation will provide
attendees with a set of twelve key questions that school district senior staff or college
administrators should keep in mind when starting distance education programs.
Zogotech Student Tracking Analytics/Dashboards
Presenters: Michael Taft, President/CEO, Zogotech Corporation
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Edythe Old Studio
The aims of ZogoTech are nothing short of revolutionizing the way educators and
administrators use technology. Our Estudias Enterprise student tracking software empowers
educators and administrators with the data they need to serve students more effectively.
Combining an interface that is incredibly easy to use and customize, automated generation of
campus and federal reports, integration with your student information system, and the highest
security standards in the industry, Estudias Enterprise helps organizations serve students more
successfully and with fewer resources.
Bridging the Gap between Print and Digital Environments
Presenters: Rachel Vacek and Anita Riley, University of Houston
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Cyber Cafe
Emerging technologies like QR Codes and Augmented Reality can help faculty, staff, and
librarians extend services, promote resources, and widen access to instructional material to
students in exciting and innovative ways. Using simple and free technologies, QR codes can
be created easily and embedded almost anywhere. These oddly shaped barcode-like icons are
processed by camera phones to direct the user to online websites, videos, or they can simply
provide more information. Augmented reality takes existing visual or video information and
adds additional layers of computer-generated graphics, pattern recognition, and other visual
effects. This session will highlight how other academic institutions are using these technologies
to promote market, outreach, teach, and engage with users in new and exciting ways. There
will also be time for participants to discuss present and future applications of these tools, and
other possible uses for enhancing resources and services in their institutions.
HISD New Century Energy Game (NCEG)
Presenter: Frank Hughes, Jeff Rosenthal, Tietronix Corporation
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Gameroom
This game is the first of its kind to replace in classroom curriculum in the form of a fun and
educational game. Sponsored by many major corporations including Chevron, Microsoft, WM,
and Boeing, NCEG is making waves in the educational community as-well-as on Facebook for
its attention to TEKS curriculum standards, the 5 E’s and its finely polished look, feel and
playability.
Blackboard Mobile Apps – The Next Generation
Presenter: Trent Gillaspie, Regional Manager, Blackboard, Inc.
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Gameroom
Blackboard Mobile is a mobile application that extends the Blackboard learning space to mobile
devices including the iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and Android. In order to use the app, there are
two criteria that must be initiated by an educational institution. (1) Must be a Blackboard user
and (2) installed the Blackboard Mobile Building Block on their system. If these two criteria are
met, and you have a Blackboard account at your institution, you can use Blackboard to access
some course content held in the Learning Management System.
2:15 Breakout Sessions
Bridging the Gap between Print and Digital Environments
Presenters: Rachel Vacek and Anita Riley, University of Houston
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Cyber Cafe
Emerging technologies like QR Codes and Augmented Reality can help faculty, staff, and
librarians extend services, promote resources, and widen access to instructional material to
students in exciting and innovative ways. Using simple and free technologies, QR codes can
be created easily and embedded almost anywhere. These oddly shaped barcode-like icons are
processed by camera phones to direct the user to online websites, videos, or they can simply
provide more information. Augmented reality takes existing visual or video information and
adds additional layers of computer-generated graphics, pattern recognition, and other visual
effects. This session will highlight how other academic institutions are using these technologies
to promote market, outreach, teach, and engage with users in new and exciting ways. There
will also be time for participants to discuss present and future applications of these tools, and
other possible uses for enhancing resources and services in their institutions.
Special Collections and Online Digital Libraries
Presenters: Valerie Prilop, University of Houston, Lisa Tafoya, University of
North Texas, Veronica Garza, University of North Texas, Mikha Mitchell,
University of North Texas
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Edythe Old Studio
In today's technological world, students are often removed from the actual artifacts,
documents and historical items they study. Special collections and online digital collections,
which are overlooked for use in classrooms due to pre-conceived notions of ease of access or
lack thereof, can help bridge this divide. Using the resources of these non-traditional libraries
enriches students' education by making them more resourceful through exposure to these
resources and encourages the development of critical thinking skills to interpret information.
Examples of in- class assignments and homework assignments, suggestions for incorporating
collections into online course management systems such as Blackboard, and tips for working
with librarians and information professionals to develop teaching units will be given.
Navigating the Web 2.0 Landscape: Free Tools for You and Your
Students
Presenter - Dr. Mark E. Workman, Dean of Distance Learning, Blinn College
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Bayer Conference Center
Is the Web 2.0 landscape a little too steep and rugged to climb alone? Join this session for a
guided tour to the summit. In this session, you will learn how to spice up your current
learning management system with some of the latest and greatest Web 2.0 applications.
Worried about budget cuts? Don’t be – all of the tools in this session are free for you and your
students. On this excursion, we will explore a new and exciting set of powerful
communications tools, such as desktop conferencing, video email, and voice over IP. To help
your students scale the dreaded north face of the “student group-work” pinnacle, you will learn
about an amazing set of collaborative word processing, presentation, and project development
tools. When everyone is back at the base camp and gathered around the campfire,
you’ll be prepared with a host of fun applications that will bring out the creativity in all of
your students. Sign up for this expedition and see what you can do for FREE!!!!!
College Success for the New Millennial Generation
Presenters: Dr. Marsha Fralick, Cuyamaca Community College
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Technology Conference Room
Are you interested in technology and looking for new ideas for teaching college success?
Cuyamaca Community College has designed a college success course that appeals to the
technology savvy New Millennial generation. Learn how technology is successfully integrated
into traditional, blended and online courses which have increased student persistence by
27%. The course includes topics from college, career and lifelong success. This student
success course has been approved for transfer to four year universities and serves as a bridge
from high school to community college to the university.
3:00 Refreshment Break (Grand Prize Drawing-Must be present)
3:15 How Can Distance Learning Prepare Students for the Beginning of
Class
Presenters: Rose Pryor and Michelle Shoemaker, Blinn College
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Gameroom
We will discuss a beta test of sending students email before the semester begins. The object
of the email is to give students the information they need for LMS use before the first day of a
class. We will also cover other efforts to prepare students before the first day of class.
Simulation on Astronauts Cognitive Degeneration Study (Mars Rover)
using Game Technology
Presenter: Nick Davis, TechRadium, Inc.
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Cyber Cafe
The project is a study on the cognitive degeneration of astronauts after long duration space
flight. This study uses game technology to place an astronaut in the Martian Rover (formally
the Lunar Electric Rover) on the surface of Mars. The simulation sits atop a 6-DOF (6 Degree of
Freedom) motion base that accurate simulates surface to vehicle movement up to +/- 24deg
rotations. The simulation for cognitive degeneration is being used at Johnson Space Center and
Mt. Sinai.
Engaging Multiple Intelligences: Digital Photo Stories
Brenda Rambarran, Lee College, Business Major Student
Bldg/Room: Student Center/Edythe Old Studio
In 1983, Harvard University professor of education, Dr. Howard Gardner, developed the theory
of multiple intelligences, which suggested eight different categories of thinking and learning in
children and adults. It moved beyond an educational system divided between linguistic and
logical-mathematical spheres. They incorporated strengths in knowing the self, the body,
nature, art, music, etc. Digital Photo Stories is one way students can explore and use all these
intelligences to acquire comprehension of a difficult topic. It uses computer-based programs
such as Microsoft PhotoStory 3(a free download) to enable students to tell real-life stories topic
using music, narration, photographs, text, etc.
Cybersecurity and Social Media
Presenter: Dr. Carolyn Lightfoot, Chief Information Officer
Bldg/Room: Student Center/ATC 2nd Floor Conference Room -
October was National Cybersecurity Month and Lee College wants everyone to be aware of
thecybersecurity issues surrounding social media and cloud computing. Many of Facebook's
most popular apps are sharing personally identifiable information of their users with dozens of
advertising and Internet-tracking companies, in violation of the social-networking giant's own
rules, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Facebook offers peek at incoming malware
attacks. The issue could affect tens of millions of users, according to the report. The Journal
found that the 10 most popular apps, including Zynga's FarmVille, were transmitting user
IDs -- which can be used to look up a user's name – to third-party companies. The Journal's
findings shed light on the challenge of policing those rules for the 550,000 apps on its site.
The apps, ranked by research company Inside Network Inc. (based on monthly users), include
Zynga Game Network Inc.'s FarmVille, with 59 million users, and Texas HoldEm Poker and
FrontierVille. Three of the top 10 apps, including FarmVille, also have been transmitting
personal information about a user's friends to outside companies.
Campus Tours
Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) – SS 124 – Paul Arrigo, Director
of Library and Instructional Support
Cisco Academy Labs – Technical Vocational Bldg. 1 - Chuck Ganze,
Division Chair/Faculty and Santiago Guardiola, Computer
Maintenance/Networking
Student Success Center - Moler Hall - Bell Suite - Anne Dickens, Title
V Program Directo