Feb. 15, 2013: eTech Fair

The UAA eLearning workgroup hosts an annual online eTech Fair to promote technology tools and concepts for teaching. This year's sessions are held throughout the day on Feb. 15 via eLive web conferencing. A wide variety of topics will be covered including Blackboard rubrics, mobile learning, ePortfolios, virtual worlds, library Quick Search and more.

Most sessions are geared toward instructors, but anyone who'd like to learn more on the topic can join. All sessions are drop-in; no preregistration is required! To join a session, visit the eTech Fair website on Feb. 15 and use the link provided in the title of the session you'd like to attend.

A grand prize of an iPad will also be awarded (sponsored by the FTC) to one randomly chosen participant who completes the survey after the fair!

Before you join the sessions:
Use the System Test link to ensure your computer is set up properly before the event. We recommend you do this at least the day before the event so you can get help if you need. Use the help forum to get support if you encounter any problems.

View the eLive orientation materials so you will be able to effectively participate in the live session.

Available sessions (join via eLive through here):

Using Rubrics in Blackboard
Friday, Feb. 15, 9:30-10:15 a.m.
Moderators: Lee Henrikson and Debbi Canavan

Rubrics make expectations for assignments transparent to students and simplify grading for instructors. Learn to build and use interactive rubrics in Blackboard to assess student work. We will also discuss building a rubric collection that can be shared.

Qualtrics Surveys
Friday, Feb. 15, 9:30-10:15 a.m.
Moderator: Wayne Todd

UAA provides unlimited surveys and responses to UAA students, staff and faculty through the Qualtrics online survey software tool. Learn the basics of this sophisticated yet user-friendly online survey tool.

Screen Capture
Friday, Feb. 15, 9:30-10:15 a.m.
Moderator: Tina Coulston

Are you interested in free screen capture tools? Do you want to create short video tutorials? Join this demonstration of various screen capturing tools that you can use to create, upload and share quickly and easily.

Office Communication with WolfLync 2013
Friday, Feb. 15, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Moderators: Katie Walker and Tina Coulston

Learn how to make this powerful set of communication and collaboration tools a part of your daily office communications (video conferencing, instant messaging and more).

Technology Tips for Reinforcing Reading Comprehension
Friday, Feb. 15, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Moderators: Krista Parks and Sarah Frick

Learn about the powerful tools you can provide your students for audio reinforcement including Adobe Reader "Read Out Loud" feature, Premier Literacy software and more.

Using QuickSearch for Library Research
Friday, Feb. 15, 10:30-11:15 a.m.
Moderator: Coral Sheldon-Hess

In 2011, the library released a new tool for searching large parts of our collection from a single interface. Learn how to make the best use of this tool in the classroom and in your own research.

Mobile Learning at UAA: Discussing the Implications
Friday, Feb. 15, 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Moderators: Cindy Trussel and Tina Coulston

Each spring the eLearning workgroup surveys the UAA student body concerning their mobile device ownership and how they use mobile devices for learning. In this session, we will go over the results from the previous two years and open the session to discussion.

Sneak Peak of Blackboard Collaborate
Friday, Feb. 15, 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Moderator: Lee Henrikson

Take a trial run of Blackboard's web conferencing tool: Collaborate. Collaborate is a possible replacement for eLive. Also find out how to archive and save any eLive recordings you want to keep.

Google Sites for ePortfolios
Friday, Feb. 15, 1:30-2:15 p.m.
Moderator: Sarah Frick

Join us for an overview of Google Sites and how you can use it as an easy tool for creating an ePortfolio for yourself or your students. (Google Sites is part of Google Apps for Education, a set of UAA-supported productivity tools.)

Virtual World Science Labs
Friday, Feb. 15, 2:30-3:15 p.m.
Moderator: Julie Fronzuto

The PWSCC campus in Valdez uses Second Life in our BIOL 103 class each semester. We will contrast labs that recreate hands-on labs step-by-step, object-by-object, with labs that are designed more creatively to take full advantage of virtual reality to present difficult subjects. In the end, we hope that you will be able to rethink what it means to conduct a "hands-on" science lab.

Teaching Mixed Mode: Focus Group Results
Friday, Feb. 15, 2:30-3:15 p.m.
Moderators: Lee Henrikson, Katie Walker, Brenda Forsythe and Cindy Trussel

Defined as teaching with some students in the room with the instructor and some students attending from a distance, mixed mode teaching has some inherent challenges. We will share the results of our research and lead a discussion of challenges and promising practices.

VoiceThread
Friday, Feb. 15, 2:30-3:15 p.m.
Moderator: Debbi Canavan

Imagine being able to have students talk, share, engage and produce all asynchronously! VoiceThread is a cloud-based collaboration tool for communicating, collaborating and connecting. This session will show you the basics and the possibilities of using VoiceThread.