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Faculty Quick-Start Guide to Penn State Education Technology Resources

As you prepare for the start of new classes, you may wish to consider a number of free Penn State technology services, resources, and facilities that can enhance teaching, learning, and research.

"We welcome you to explore how our services can help you enhance teaching and learning with the use of technology."
—Cole Camplese, Senior Director of TLT

Below you will find information on several key services, including:

You can also download print-friendly materials with more details on ANGEL, technology classrooms, Turnitin, and technology training at our Resources page.

ANGEL Course Management System

Penn State's Course Management System, ANGEL, provides instructors with essential tools to deliver course materials, track student work, and transform learning processes.

Learn more:

  • On August 29, a "Start Using ANGEL in Your Course Right Away" workshop will be offered and on August 31, a "Course Gradebook" workshop will be offered. To register, visit http://its.psu.edu/training/, then select the "Register for training" link.
  • Access a series of ANGELshorts documents and accompanying videos on features of version 7.4 at the ANGEL Community Hub.
  • View tutorials demonstrating how to use ANGEL tools at http://its.psu.edu/training/learnonline/.
  • Apply for a student Technology Learning Assistant at http://tlt.its.psu.edu/tla/faculty, who can meet with you in your office to help you learn ANGEL and other technology skills.

Technology Classrooms

Faculty at University Park can reserve several types of technology classrooms for their courses. Instructor technology classrooms are used for lecture-style teaching and feature multimedia podiums with connections to the University network and Internet. Student technology classrooms offer multimedia podiums as well as computers for students. Videoconferencing technology classrooms offer videoconferencing capabilities in addition to multimedia equipment. Windows and Macintosh operating systems are available in a number of large auditoriums, while other rooms feature Windows, Macintosh, or Linux platforms. The i>clicker student response system is also available in all general purpose technology classrooms. Each technology classroom is equipped with a help-line phone, 814-777-0035.

To reserve a technology classroom for a regularly scheduled course, contact a staff assistant in your department who has scheduling privileges. To reserve a technology classroom for an event other than a scheduled course, contact a staff assistant in your department with scheduling privileges, or fill out the Event Room Request form at http://www.registrar.psu.edu/scheduling/event.cfm.

Learn more:

Technology Training Resources for Faculty and Students

Workshops and overviews: Free technology workshops and overviews on topics like ANGEL, Excel, PowerPoint, the Blogs at Penn State, Adobe Connect, and VoiceThread are offered each term. To view a list of offerings, visit http://its.psu.edu/training/, then select "Look for training."

Training on Demand: ITS Training Services can help your students learn technology skills they can use to complete their projects and course work. Training on Demand is a service through which experienced trainers provide professional instruction on popular technology topics to students in academic courses. The training typically consists of an application overview that can fit into one or two class sessions. This service is available at no cost to Penn State instructors upon request. Details, request guidelines, and a list of available topics are available at http://its.psu.edu/training/ondemand/.

Online Video Tutorials by lynda.com: Faculty and students can access thousands of free instructional videos and hundreds of training courses on software topics that can be used for professional development and to help students successfully complete their coursework. These tutorials are created by lynda.com, an industry leader in online software training, and they are available at any time for convenient, self-paced learning. For more information, visit http://lynda.psu.edu/.

Technology Learning Assistants (TLA): The goal of the TLA program is to help faculty with challenges they have when planning to use education technologies. TLAs can help you with basic computing skills needed to use ANGEL, PowerPoint, an electronic grade book, file management, e-mail, creating web pages, and any skills that help you use your computer efficiently. At University Park, a TLA will meet with you a semester (or more) in one-on-one consultations (5 to 10 meetings). You and the TLA will decide how to allocate that time accordingly. This means you should prepare for each session, having your questions written down and setting goals for your next meeting. To request a consultation (available for University Park faculty only), please complete the Faculty Application for a TLA form.

Study Skills Modules: Faculty may wish to incorporate iStudy for Success! learning modules in their courses that can help students prepare for their academic careers while saving class time. Instructors can assign any of the twenty-five free, self-paced online modules addressing study skills, life skills, and job skills. The modules, which can be imported into an ANGEL course or group, are designed to provide students with an introduction to college-level learning and help ensure that their academic experience is a positive one. Topics include "Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, and Copyright," "Active Reading," "Cooperative Learning," and more. For a description of each module and instructions on importing a module into ANGEL, visit http://istudy.psu.edu/.

Turnitin

Turnitin is an originality detection system owned by Turnitin.com, to which Penn State has a license. Faculty can submit students' papers or allow students to submit their own papers to the system to perform originality checks. It can be used as a tool to teach plagiarism prevention. Turnitin searches millions of web pages, published books and journals, and papers previously submitted to Turnitin, then returns Originality Reports. Any instructor who is teaching a Penn State course can request a Turnitin account by e-mailing turnitin@psu.edu.

Learn more:

Blogs at Penn State

The Blogs at Penn State is the web publishing platform centrally supported across Penn State. The platform supports blogs, portfolio publishing, and general website creation. You can quickly publish text, photos, audio, and video without knowledge of HTML.

Academic uses of the Blogs at Penn State include allowing students to reflect on course content beyond the classroom, keep project journals, compile portfolios, expand writing practice, and share resources.

  • In a technical writing course, students created instruction sets in the form of text and screencasts on how to use the Blogs at Penn State; they used the Blogs platform to post the instructions and embed the screencasts.
  • One instructor created a course blog that introduces projects assignments with guidelines for best practices. In another course, an instructor posts an idea to start a discussion, then students comment on it for their course participation grade or for extra credit.
  • For a course on writing for the Internet, the class project is to design a website for a division of University Health Services using the Blogs platform.
  • Many instructors and students also use the Blogs at Penn State professional website template to create professional portfolios that include both static pages such as a curriculum vitae and blog posts.

For details and to get started, visit http://blogs.psu.edu/. If you have any questions, e-mail blogs@psu.edu.

Learn more:

  • During the fall semester, "Blogs at Penn State Overview," "Getting Started with Blogs at Penn State," and "Topics for Teaching: Blogs for Classroom Use" workshops will be offered. To register, visit http://its.psu.edu/training/, then select the "Register for training" link.

Media Commons

The Media Commons is a University-wide initiative to provide students and faculty with the means to create digital content for courses to enrich the educational experience. Media Commons studios at each campus provide state-of-the-art equipment and software to create digital video, audio, and photographs. An expert support staff provides multimedia project consultation, training, and help. The website at http://mediacommons.psu.edu/ provides support resources including tutorials, frequently asked questions, and helpful links. The site also showcases examples of multimedia created by students and faculty.

Using the Media Commons, faculty can create engaging instructional resources. Students can demonstrate understanding of course concepts, as well as enhance their marketability by building a multimedia portfolio. If you have any questions, e-mail mediacommons@psu.edu.

Learn more:

  • Visit http://mediacommons.psu.edu/workshops to view a schedule of workshops on digital media concepts and software.
  • If you wish to learn solutions for distributing audio and video files you have created, visit the Podcasting at Penn State website at http://podcasts.psu.edu/ to create your own iTunes U course page.
  • Save the dates of November 4-5 for the Media Commons Tailgate, a free event for faculty and staff to learn about effective ways to incorporate multimedia in teaching. Visit http://mediacommons.psu.edu/tailgate for details.

VoiceThread

VoiceThread is a web-based application that allows users to quickly and easily create a shared presentation of images, documents, and videos that visitors can comment on in the form of voice (microphone), video/webcam recording, phone call, audio file, text, or a drawing tool. The resulting group conversation can then be shared with individuals and/or groups for playback. The application is designed to be user-friendly and require minimum technical ability.

VoiceThread can facilitate communication among individuals at different geographic locations. It allows instructors to tap into the trend toward collaboration, group interaction, and teamwork that is becoming the norm in education and the modern workplace. Classroom uses of the application could include introducing course content, demonstrating processes, creating team projects that can be peer reviewed, discussion, analysis, and reflection.

Learn more:

Penn State Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology

Mark your calendar for the Penn State Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology, to take place Saturday, March 24, 2012 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel, University Park. At this annual event, faculty share with each other innovative uses of technology to enhance teaching, learning, and research. This year's theme is "Embracing Change and the Culture of Teaching and Learning." During the fall, a call for proposals will go out, encouraging faculty to submit a presentation proposal. Visit the Symposium website at http://symposium.tlt.psu.edu/ throughout the year to learn event details and to view summaries and videos from Symposium 2011.

Faculty Engagement Opportunities

TLT invites faculty to get involved in exploring innovative uses of technology for teaching and learning. Taking part in the Faculty Engagement Initiative, applying to be a Faculty Fellow, and joining a hot team to investigate an emerging technology are some of the ways you can participate. For more information, visit http://tlt.its.psu.edu/faculty.

Consultation

Faculty who would like consultation on effective ways to incorporate technology into their courses are invited to contact our team of instructional designers and education technologists at tlt@psu.edu.

Explore teaching and learning with technology