EdTech provides consulting, training, outreach and educational services
for faculty, instructors and staff using educational technologies.
EdTech provides consulting, training, outreach and educational services
for faculty, instructors and staff using educational technologies.
You've probably already seen Google Earth, but if you haven't, you need to. It's a free downloadable application available for Windows and Macintosh at http://earth.google.com/. As described by Google, "Google Earth combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings to put the world's geographic information at your fingertips." As described by me, "It's very cool." It starts up with a graphic of a spinning globe, but once you type in a street address or other coordinates, you can zoom into specifics. My first real use (beyond the initial "Ooooh, I want to see my house" temptation that most people succumb to) was a year and half ago while planning a trip to the Grand Canyon. Using Google Earth I was able to get an enhanced, three-dimensional feel for the trails we would be hiking. More recently, I've used Google Earth to plot results of a frog call survey I did Spring/Summer 2007 and share them with others (see results on Google Maps).
Google Earth with Professor Nelson's
"Potential for Sequestering Carbon" overlayProfessor Gerald Nelson of Agriculture and Consumer Economics uses Google Earth in both his teaching and research. For his class he prepares interesting overlays highlighting natural phenomena such as the watersheds of S.E. Asia. He may also spontaneously fire up Google Earth to point out geographical features of countries he's discussing. In his research he uses it to display spatial results. For instance, he showed the worldwide potential for sequestering additional carbon in croplands for a UN Food and Agriculture Organization report (see it in Google Earth). Google Earth is a powerful, free application with a lot of potential for instruction and research. Check it out, and to help you get started, here are some bookmarks related to educational uses of Google Earth.
-- Doug Mills
If you thought YouTube and other online video sites were just for posting home videos of pets and life's embarrassing moments, think again. Mike Wesch, an anthropologist from Kansas State University has been exploring YouTube as a medium for disseminating and critically responding to academic work. His videos, the "Machine is Us/ing Us" and the "Information R/evolution" have not only been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, but they have engendered scores of discussions, response videos, and derivative works because they have been integrated into the digital ecology of the YouTube community. Wesch's academic use of YouTube extends to his classroom. One project was a collaborative effort between Wesch and a large class of 200 students. Their video "A Vision of Students Today" has been extensively viewed and commented upon (the YouTube counter shows over one million views). He also had a small upper level undergraduate class do ethnographic studies on YouTube users and the communities they create. Some of their work can be viewed at: http://mediatedcultures.net/youtube.htm.
For more about Wesch's work with YouTube, see the Digital Ethnography home page at: http://mediatedcultures.net/youtube.htm. The Chronicle of Higher Education also has a brief article available here: http://chronicle.com.proxy2.library.uiuc.edu/weekly/v53/i36/36a04201.htm (UIUC log in required).
-- Al Weiss
Jing is a very cool screen capture utility that will capture images or video of your Windows or Macintosh desktop, allow annotation of the images or audio commentary of the video, AND allow you to share your captures immediately via the web. It's currently a free download from jingproject.com and allows you to create a free account on screencast.com for the integrated upload and sharing features. Jing and Screencast are currently free, but the vendor, Techsmith, indicates that when the trial project ends they will begin charging at least for the screencast space. However, they promise that anyone in the trial who chooses not to pay for screencast space will have sufficient access to download the files they've created. Currently, you can save your files locally (just to be safe). Check it out. Here's a screencast demo about using Jing I created using Jing.
Update: Jing now also offers options for upload to Flickr and FTP in addition to saving files locally or uploading to Screencast.com.
-- Doug Mills
The library’s homepage (http://www.uiuc.library.edu) recently has been redesigned to offer easy access to commonly searched items. This change is the result of multiple usability studies with Library users. A new feature is the inclusion of “Easy Search,” which provides the ability to search multiple sources with one search (rather like a “Google” search). The page is sectioned to provide easy navigation to categories such as: “How Do I…”; Quick Links; About Us; Services; Get Help; Library Initiatives; News and Events; Library Friends; Browse by Subject; and Resources for a particular group (such as graduates, faculty, and distance learners). The new design also offers access for screen readers. The Library currently is converting many subpages to the new format, so stay tuned.
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