Chris Davis Says Goodbye!

Greetings Dear Readers,

I, Christopher Davis, one of your beloved EHE Edtech members will be leaving you and The Ohio State University to pursue future career opportunities. I graduated this past spring, and due to the fact I am starting a great internship, I will no longer be able to continue to contribute to this blog. For the past year, I have had the joy and the privilege, of writing to you on a regular basis.

12642991_1112258622118243_6637158355492101272_nTo give a bit of my personal history, I started working with Edtech at the beginning of my Junior Year of undergrad here at OSU. I was interested in video editing and was seeking an opportunity to hone my skills while still in school. I was hired as a Multimedia Assistant where I was tasked with transcribing, recording and editing videos that came in through our office. After my first year, I expressed an interest in writing.  I was then given the opportunity to update our Edtech blog during my last year at OSU. I recently graduated this past May with a B.A in New Media and Communication Technology from the College of Art’s and Sciences. After graduating, I have continued to experiment with technology by starting my personal Youtube channel as well as doing photography utilizing the skills I learned here at OSU.  This June I will be starting a Marketing internship with Warmilu, an advanced therapeutic warming technology startup.13131280_1178556678821770_8624932853386587271_o

My experience at OSU, as well as working for EHE Edtech, has taught me a lot.  Over the years I have gained experience editing professional videos, writing, meeting deadlines and, most importantly, working with a team. I will be able to transfer these experiences and skills into future career endeavors. It has been a pleasure working with EHE Edtech and being a part of the OSU community as a whole. Through opportunities here, I was able to discover the benefits advanced technology can have on my career. Hopefully, everyone in the OSU community can continue to use technology to improve their lives both in and out of the classroom!

Best of Luck to Everyone,

Christopher Davis

 

5 Tips for camera work this summer!

With the beautiful summer weather finally here, it is now the perfect time to take your camera skills practiced during the school year outside! Using equipment outside can lead to many challenges not present while shooting within classroom buildings. The techniques that you learned while shooting inside the College of Education may still be put to use while outside.

  1. Pay attention to sunlight and the effects it can have on images.

While shooting inside, we the focus was on manipulating artificial light. Taking video or photos outside can lead to new challenges due to sunlight. For instance, when it’s very sunny outdoors shadows will appear behind people and objects. In some cases, such as photography, shadows may be desired for a particular effect. While filming videos, they may be seen as distracting and undesired. The sun can also cause a lens flare on a photo, which can be a problem when it is undesired. In this situation try to shield your camera lens with a lens hood or your hand to avoid thView_of_Downtown_Columbus_Ohio_OH_from_North_Bank_Park_Pavillion_on_Scioto_Riveris effect.

2.Watch out for audio interference caused by weather.

If you have recorded audio inside the College Commons Whisper Room before, user movement was probably the main culprit audio issues. While recording video, it is important to watch for audio interference. For instance, the wind can interfere with microphones when recording audio outside. It is just as important to check for audio errors outside as it is while recording indoors in areas such as the Whisper Room. Bring a set of headphones or earbuds and make sure to listen either while recording, or with a media playback feature present in most cameras.

3. Make sure to keep equipment safe from environmental damage.

When using equipment indoors, the environment is less obtrusive. Outdoors this is not the case. Be sure to check weather forecast so that you are prepared for the weather. Purchasing a waterproof bag is beneficial for protecting camera technology from water damage. It is important to keep cameras away from dirt or sand in all instances because both can damage equipment very easily.

4. Bring along a friend to help you with unique outside issues.

It was probably easy to record or take photos when you are inside a controlled environment. It is often harder to film outside due to issues presented above. With that in mind, it can be beneficial to bring along another person while shooting. For instance, a friend can hold an umbrella over the camera while shooting in the rain. They can also assist in keeping equipment (Tripods, Lights, Microphones, Various Bags) secure and safe from weather and theft while you are focusing on taking good shots of the outdoors.

5. Experiment with the environment and weather!article-0-0D5586CC00000578-859_468x314

Challenges aside, taking photos and videos during the summer outside can be a gratifying experience. Use the environment around you to create fascinating content. Animals, cars, and plants can all be used to film dynamic projects. For example, try bringing your camera to a public park or a campsite. Other popular location for summer shooting would be weddings, family gatherings, and tropical vacations. Keep safety a priority and possibilities and endless!

Have fun and enjoy the beautiful weather!

 

Take a Break for a History Lesson!

Take a Break for a History Lesson!

Ever wonder about the history of Ramseyer Hall?

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The land on which Ramseyer Hall sits was originally part of the Ohio Field. This is where Ohio State Buckeyes initially played football before Ohio Stadium “The Horseshoe” opened in 1922. The old Ohio Field was demolished in 1922. The building that would become Ramseyer Hall was then built over the former Ohio Field space in 1932. University Architect Howard Dwight Smith designed the building at the cost of roughly 411,000. He was known as one of OSU’s greatest architects. It was originally designed to be a school for K -12 students through OSU’s College of Education known as University School.

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Advanced technology has always been high valued by members of OSU’s educational community. University School earned its fame by providing a vibrant and compelling academic program in a laboratory school setting. The school even experimented with using radio through the station WOSU to teach students while it was open. The first WOSU radio station actually broadcasted from the corner of Neil and Woodruff right near were Ramseyer Hall is currently located. In 1932, the school was even praised by TIME Magazine!

The last class to graduate from University School was the class of 1967. Despite opposition from its students, The University School was closed in 1968. The building was then converted into a university classroom building and office spaces that we see today. It is named after Dr. John A. Ramseyer, a member of the faculty at University School (1938-1951) and its director from 1948 to 1951.

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The current College Commons was the school’s gymnasium at the time. The classrooms and office rooms still retain the same basic uses as they did in 1930’s. The lockers used for students are still within the building to this day. Today Ramseyer Hall hosts The Office of Education and Human Ecology as well as classrooms and study spaces within the college commons. Even though the building has changed a lot over the years, its purpose remains the same, to educate young people and prepare them for the real world.

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Take a look at a timeline of University School and its eventual conversion into Ramseyer bellow.

 

Get Ready for the Student TechoRama!

Technology is a huge part of all of our lives and students use technology every day to aid in education. The EHE Student Tech-O-Rama will give EHE students a chance to showcase to others how you use technology.

During this event, students will have the opportunity to give presentations about technologies they use to engage, enhance and assist their daily lives. This event is not limited to software; hardware and unique applications of existing technology are permitted as well. For instance, many students use the video recording option of a tablet to record a professor’s lecture. Some students use the Google Doc web application to collaborate in preparation for tough exams. The purpose is for students to showcase how technology benefits their daily lives. This is a great way for students to boost their resumes and practice presentation skills. Presentations can be anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes long. If you are a student interested in presenting, a link for student submissions is below.

In addition to student presentations, there will be two guest speakers. Senior Lecturer Tracey Stuckey-Mickel will be presenting on Canvas, a new education interface for students and faculty. Classroom Services Supervisor Rick Casebolt will give be giving training on how to use SMARTkapp learning technology. There will also be prizes at the door for EHE students who attend.  Only EHE students can give presentations. Anyone involved with the university however, is welcome to watch presentations. We hope to see you there!

The event will be on April 13th in 260 Ramseyer Hall from 1:00pm-2: 30 pm. Submission are due March 31’st. To enter your submissions please go to http://go.osu.edu/techorama

To learn more click this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWZy0sBYIiI&feature=youtu.be

 

What is Mediasite?

We at Edtech are excited to offer Mediasite to our staff. Mediasite is a desktop capture tool that can be used to record class sessions or lectures and upload recordings to university servers. This allows professors to create lecture content easily for both online and hybrid courses.  This tool is available to all Ohio State University staff.

Mediasite offers three different features Desktop Recorder, Hardware Recorder and Media Storage. Our most popular option, Desktop Recorder allows users to record a voice-over PowerPoint (or any other software running on their desktop), a webcam video with desktop capture, or a simple webcam video. This can all be done from any computer. Hardware recorder is a machine offered in select OSU rooms that can be used to record video of a professor speaking for a select amount of time automatically. The use of the Hardware recorder must be scheduled in advance. Mediasite also includes a server where users can store video that they have created previously.

Mediasite is a great tool because it allows faculty to develop short effective content. TheMediasite_bySF_4c_final-294o8cb (1)re are benefits for students as well. Students are easily able to review and replay content their professors produce. This can be particularly helpful for non-native English speaking students. Closed captions and lecture scripts can also be provided for students.

Here are links for those who are interested in this service.

For Information and Help on MediaSite please visit: https://resourcecenter.odee.osu.edu/search/site/mediasite

Link to OSU’s Mediasite Portal. https://mediasite.osu.edu/mediasite/MyMediasite#presentations/list/all/any/most-recent/0

 

10 Tips for Creating an Effective PowerPoint Presentation!

Giving a presentation can be a daunting task for speakers. Here are a few tips on giving effective presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint.

  1. Less is more

It is important to avoid filling slides with a large amount of text. This can leave audience members overwhelmed and unengaged. Limiting your slide text to your main bullet points will provide the audience with an excellent visual reference, while also ensuring that they spend your presentation listing to you and not your reading slides. Giving out an informational handout given before a presentation is a good alternative to creating text-heavy slides.

  1. Make your presentation engaging

Speak directly to your audience. Do not simply read off slides. This is likely to bore your audience and stop them from being engaged. If you have trouble remembering everything you need to say, feel free to use the note’s text box. This Notes Field can be found underneath your slide within Power Point’s interface. By utilizing the note functionality, you will be able to see all of the information you need to reference without distracting your audience. Another option is to ask open-ended questions to the audience during the presentation. The more you can involve the audience in your performance while avoiding long intervals of straight lecture, the more they will remember and enjoy what you have presented.

  1. Use contrasting colors

One way to make sure that your presentation is easy to read is by using text that has a high color contrast with your background. Avoid using light-colored text on white backgrounds and darkly colored text on black backgrounds. The higher the contrast between your text and background color the less your audience will have to strain to read. Take time to check out free PowerPoint templates such as Civic, Capital and Waveform that already have great color contrast!

  1. Stay consistent

Keep slide backgrounds consistent throughout your presentations. Constant background template changes can make the presenter seem unprofessional, as their presentation lacks a clearly focused look and feel. Creating a master slide can help keep things consistent and speed up the creation process. Having one consistent master slide background will help your presentation’s cohesiveness, while also speeding up your creative process.

  1. Choose the correct font

Make sure to pick a font that’s easy for your audience to read. Try to use common “system” fonts to help avoid a missing font error between the computer you create the presentation on and the final presentation computer. The following are highly suggested: Lucida Console, Arial and Calibri. Remember not to use a custom font that you downloaded from the Internet. This font likely won’t be installed on the machine you are using for your presentation, and PowerPoint will compensate by choosing a default font, throwing your overall design way off. Stick to the fonts that come in PowerPoint’s initial library. If you are unsure how a font will read, do a test projection several days before your presentation, sit in the last row and see how it looks from the audience’s perspective.

  1. Build the presentation expecting outdated equipment

Sometimes a presentation will look good on a personal laptop but seem very disappointing when loaded onto an old computer/projected through an outdated projector. To compensate for this situation it is always a good idea to test your presentation in the environment, and with the equipment you will be utilizing for the presentation. This will allow you to make the adjustments needed to make your presentation look its best.

  1. Use animation sparingly

Animation between slides often looks gimmicky and unprofessional. It is best not to include it in a presentation unless you are emphasizing a particularly important slide.

  1. Insert video content correctly

Here are instructions from Microsoft on how to use YouTube with PowerPoint. https://support.office.com/en-us/Article/Insert-or-link-to-a-video-on-YouTube-8340ec69-4cee-4fe1-ab96-4849154bc6db

It is best to embed a link to YouTube as opposed to inserting a video directly into PowerPoint and scaling it this can lead to jumpy video behavior.

  1. Create the presentation with a purpose

While building your presentation it is important to remember your key objectives: what do you want your audience’s one to three main takeaways to be? By keeping this focus you will avoid straying off onto tangents that distract yourself and your audience from your purpose. A great practice is to begin your presentation by telling the audience what you want their major takeaways to be, give your presentation, and end with a summary slide reminding your audience what the major takeaways were. With this guidance, your audience is much more likely to interpret the presentation as you intended.

  1. Have a colleague proofread your presentation

It is very easy to miss spelling or grammatical errors in your presentation. Thus, it is always a good idea for a colleague to read your presentation and point out these errors. A colleague may also be able to point out structural problems that the creator of the presentation may overlook. A second opinion has the potential to improve presentation faults.

Practicing these tips will make your presentation much more effective. Good look on your future presentations!

 

What is Quality Matters Eleven?

Online courses are becoming an increasingly important part of higher education. Recently the ID (Instructional Design) department within EHE EdTech has begun to introduce the QM11 (Quality Matters) syllabus checklist. The QM11 checklist is a new way to review syllabi and suggests ways that classes can meet higher education national standards for both regular and online courses. EdTech created the QM11 checklist from the Quality Matters rubric and the OAA/EHE Curriculum Committee Syllabus Guidelines. The Curriculum Committee has adopted the QM11 checklist as part of the documentation for the evaluation and approval of all courses.

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QM11 allows the ID department to provide suggestions to professors to help them improve their syllabi.  QM11 helps make sure that professors can give students well-designed courses that are student-centered. QM11 is the first step for the education program to receive a full Quality Matters Certification.  Quality Matters is a researched based national standard for online courses that Ohio State started adopting as a quality benchmark for both regular and online courses as of fall 2015. The goal of the Quality Matters standards program is to improve the quality of coursework for all students. EHE EdTech hopes that these changes will bolster the education of our students.

To request a QM11 review email us at ehe-edtech@osu.edu.

The QM11 checklist can be found at http://ehe.osu.edu/downloads/assessment/qm-rubric-and-review.pdf along with the QM aligned Syllabus Guidelines http://ehe.osu.edu/downloads/assessment/qm-aligned-syllabus-guide.docx

For more information about Quality Matters and its impact on higher education be sure to check out: https://www.qualitymatters.org/higher-education-program

This semester make sure to check out the EHE College Commons!!

Welcome, new students and faculty to the EHE College Commons. Located in Ramseyer 260, the College Commons is open and staffed 46 hours a week to meet all of your needs.

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For new students and faculty:

If you’re looking for a comfy location to lounge while reading a book, the loft area is perfect – complete with big cushions, giant bean bags, and rolling desks. On the main level, there are plenty of tables available for individual or group study sessions. We also have a large number of desktops, both Macs and PCs, open for any student or faculty member to use.

The EHE College Commons is also a perfect place to hold an academic event. The tables and chairs can be arranged in a variety of ways to accommodate your specific needs, whether it be a group discussion, a poster session, or a speaker presentation. Microphones, laptops, projector screens and large rolling whiteboards are available for use during events. For more computer-based events or meetings, reserve our SmartBoards or Collaboration Table, which are ideal for giving interactive lectures and technology workshops.

LX8A0848The College Commons is maintained by the EHE Educational Technology department, so don’t fret if your teacher assigns a project that requires a quality video or audio recording. For a recording project off campus, we have hundreds of cameras, tripods, and audio recorders that are free for checkout to EHE students, faculty, and staff. For a more professional video or audio recording, you could reserve one of our state-of-the-art recording spaces in Ramseyer Hall. The One-Button Studio is a user-friendly studio with a green screen, microphones, a video camera, and a Mac to do the mixing and editing. The Whisper Room is a user-friendly sound booth that can be used for professional grade voice-overs and screen recordings.

For new and returning students and faculty:

LX8A0856The College Commons equipment loan process has gone through a few policy changes for the new year. Our Program Assistant Andy Vogel would like to note a few changes to the equipment loan process.

If students have paid their learning tech fee, all they have to do is present a Buck ID, and they can rent out equipment such as cameras, tripods, and audio recorders from The Commons. One significant change from last semester is that equipment is now due within ten business days of checkout. Students can renew for two more loan periods (unless there is a waitlist) a semester. Faculty gets a full term to borrow equipment. If equipment is returned late, students will have to pay the full price for that piece of equipment. Other details will be given to you when you go to check out equipment.

We can’t wait for you to try out some of our services!

 

 

5 Tips for recording in the Whisper Room

microphone-309680_640Here are some great tips for recording in  EHE Edtech’s Whisper Room!

1. Know your script!

Remember to have your script prepared so that recordings can be completed efficiently, and practice it before you come for your appointment.  Waiting for the recording session to practice your script will waste valuable time and effort.

2. Make sure you’re at the right volume. 

Pay attention to audio levels with whatever program you choose to use.  It is always a good idea to do a test recording of a few sentences of your script, and listen to it, before spending the time to record your entire script.  You can adjust your speaking volume and your distance from the microphone until you get the result you are looking to achieve.  Also be aware that any sounds in the room will be recorded.  Avoid clothes that make noise when you move, excessive mouse clicks, and paper shuffling.

3. Figure out what program you want to use to record. 

In the Whisper Room, we provide the programs Garageband and Audacity. Choose which program is best for your project (Is it a long recording? Is there music involved? etc.). Garageband provides more tracks and mixing options; Audacity is a straightforward voice recorder.  We do provide step by step directions to use Garageband both in a written document located in the Whisper Room and video format: Whisper Room Tutorial  

4. Cut out what you don’t need. 

After recording go back to the audio timeline and delete the audio that you know you don’t need.  The beautiful part about Garageband is that it is a non-destructive editor.  This means that you can always pull back the part of your audio that you over trimmed to its original length.  For more on this topic watch the Whisper Room Tutorial: Whisper Room Tutorial 

5. Save and export correctly.

Saving and exporting with the programs offered can be confusing for some. Use the direction sheets provided in the Whisper Room, or watch the Whisper Room Tutorial to make sure your audio content is saved and exported in the correct format.

Happy Recording! – Edtech Multimedia Team

EdTech Spotlight- Kelvin Trefz

Meet Educational Technologist-Kelvin Trefz!

Kelvin hails from Cardington, Ohio and earned his Undergraduate and Masters Degrees from The Ohio State University. Kelvin’s undergraduate is in Science Education while his Master’s Degree is in Instructional Design. Some highlights of Kelvin’s career include teaching high school Physics and becoming a lecturer and demonstrator of the OSU Department of Physics. Before moving to EHE EdTech, Kelvin worked as an instructional designer for the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO).Kelvin Trefz Educational Technologist

There, he helped manage the Carmen online system that Ohio State students and faculty use for their courses. Kelvin has been with EHE EdTech for four years and has made great contributions to the EdTech team. During his time here, Kelvin has worked on quite a few courses. He has been involved in developing a new survey system that will allow professors to receive student feedback during the semester.  Recently Kelvin has been working closely on the Quality Matters project, which along with the Edtech Curriculum Committee guidelines, helps set standards for online course Syllabi.  Kelvin is looking forward to emerging technologies that the EdTech office will utilize in the future. We love Kelvin’s talent and what he continues to add to the team!