audience-is-teachers | Thomas' Work Space

Sanako Study-1200 Oral Exams: More result examples

2011/09/07 plagwitz 1 comment

Study 1200 will automatically save the exam recordings of each of your students under a distinct name (you can choose student email name or seat number) in a location which you can access from your office desktop:
You can load this recordings in Audacity to grade them, including skipping past the questions and increasing the play speed, but not the pitch, and easy comparison of students like in the picture below:

Categories: all-languages, assessments, audience-is-teachers, learning-usage-samples, Presenter-Computer, Speaking, Student-Computers Tags: audacity, oral-exams, sanako-study-1200

Trying out the new Moodle layout options by integrating my blog via an RSS block

2011/09/06 plagwitz 4 comments

Running a blog? Feeding a twitter account? It could be worthwhile narrowcasting your (teaching-related) postings (presumably more substantial than tweets about tardiness for class) by integrating it with your Moodle course, via RSS.
As of today, UNCC-Moodle offers new layout options, including putting blocks into the content (center) column, as a “sticky” post underneath the header.
This is timely, since I have created a Moodle site for the LRC staff and have been wondering how I can use it to quickly update the LRC staff on new technological opportunities or issues and solutions around the LRC.
Moodle’s RSS block – linking to the feeds that my blog feed/Twitter hash tag for LRC staff emit – makes that easy.
Except that up until now, outside the center column, there has not been enough space to display also the teaser of blog posts – an area I invest some thought in, in accordance with age old publishing principles transferred into the internet age.
The layout options upgrade allows me to fix that – here is how:
After pressing button: editing on, choose from the dropdown “blocks”: remote RSS feeds

Adjust the settings: for me it is important to display descriptions.

Don’t be confused by the inability to add your feed source – you need to change to the tab: “manage my feeds” first:
if you make your feed a “share feed”, it becomes an option for all institutional Moodle sites.
Validate your feed so that Moodle doe not outright refuse to display (the linked validator will give you error information that can help you fix your feed).
After moving your feed to the center with the “left arrow”, you can
You can see more of the Moodle RSS block results here.

Categories: audience-is-teachers, e-learning, learning-materials Tags: blogging, moodle, rss, twitter

The new way from Fall 2011 how teachers and students check LRC equipment in and out with LRC student assistants

2011/09/01 plagwitz 2 comments

After booking an LRC resource, if the resource is a piece of physical equipment (versus a room or tutor hours), the teacher/student needs to check it out from the LRC student assistant in COED433. We are testing the following procedure:
Check-out procedure when picking up
1. On the secondary screen of the PC at the reception desk (mirroring mode), in whatever browser the LRC assistant is not using, the teacher or student that wants to check out an LRC resource
  1. logs into her university email in OWA/NINERMAIL
  2. opens their “meeting request” with the resource from her calendar
  3. or, if they have no prior meeting request, create one now
2. the LRC assistant on her screen, views the “meeting request” to make sure
  1. that the checkout time is not in the future OR the item is not past due. If necessary and possible (= no conflicts, duraiton dos not exceed maximum allowed), adapt the meeting request start time , and end time, but mark in the notes field if the item was returned late
  2. what the item is, including the number (if any)
3. handles the item
  1. gets the item from storage shelves in COED436; make sure it is the same number as in the meeting request
  2. checks item, with the user, for functionality and completeness
4. in the MS-Excelfile: checkoutin.xlsm (auto-loaded during login of LRC assistant, if not open it from the recent files list in MS-Excel or from c:\temp),
  1. presses button:”check-in code” which generates a unique code in the file and puts it in the windows clipboard)
  2. even if the user has multiple meeting requests in her calendar, the LRC assistant can use the same code for all her meeting requests
5. in the “meeting request”, in the big notes field at the bottom:
  1. pastes the code at the end of the the subject line
  2. adds necessary remarks regarding broken or incomplete equipment (if any)
  3. sends the updated request
  4. logs the teacher/student out of OWA
6. If you need large amounts of equipment for an entire class, I recommend having select students access NINERMAIL during class (or prior and wherever they are ready to book equipment), book the equipment for your class hour with meeting requests (1 for each piece of equipment required). The person who booked it has to be present during pickup and is responsible for the equipment. One student can book as many pieces as she can carry. Since I hope to have 2 reception desk computers and 2 LRC assistants at the reception desk, 2 students picking up should make for the fastest checkout process.
Check-in procedure when returning: same as above, in reverse.

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers Tags: 2007, 2010, 2011, calendaring, live@edu, ms-exchange, outlook, outlook-live, resources, scheduling

The new way of booking LRC rooms and equipment from Fall 2011: Why?

2011/09/01 plagwitz 2 comments

With the upgrade to Outlook 2011, MS-Exchange 2010, and live@edu, unfortunately, we had to revise our booking system over the summer. Please note: Teachers cannot not use calendars in the public folders of Outlook desktop anymore since ”Public folders are going away”. The earlier instruction has been updated accordingly and links now to here.
Fortunately, this upgrade also allowed us to expand our booking system, to now include:
1. more than rooms and tutors. You can now also book LRC equipment – see the complete list of LRC resources that you can book or check out . And we hope to set up that you can truly sign up for tutoring.
2. more than staff: We hope that, with Ninermail (live@edu), students will also be able to book and check out. We hope to achieve better resource utilization this w
3. more and faster information to act on, and thus a better workflow
  1. you get an immediate response
  2. you can get always a positive response since in “scheduling assistant”, you can see the prior bookings, both times and organizers (hover your mouse over busy times), and can thus either can fit your request into the schedule, or contact the prior organizer for a resolution.
  3. your bookings and cancellations are immediately disseminated through the scheduling assistant and resource calendars, for others (students, teachers, support staff) to work with/around
Read more here on how to book LRC resources

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-teachers, e-infrastructure Tags: 2007, 2010, 2011, calendaring, ms-exchange, outlook, outlook-live, resources, scheduling

The new way of booking LRC rooms and equipment from Fall 2011: How?

2011/08/31 plagwitz 7 comments

Read here why.
You can book LRC resources like rooms, equipment, even tutor hours:

as
1. faculty & staff: from [MS-Outlook“(pretty much) whatever version”]:
  1. on the desktop Outlook 2007, Outlook 2010 or Outlook 2011 (preferred option for faculty & staff) – if you are familiar with Outlook Desktop, it is the recommended tool
  2. or at http://mail.uncc.edu, using Outlook Web Access (OWA) at http://mail.uncc.edu, in most browsers – we, however, decided to focus our training of new users on OWA.
2. student: in Outlook Live (the only option for students) at Ninermail or http://outlook.com,
through

creating from menu:”new” a “meeting request” (for details see How to book an LRC resource)
and adding a resource (or several: temporarily, to compare which one’s availability fits best into your own schedule; permanently, to book multiple items at once, as long as all start/end times are the same) by clicking on the “Resources”, like here
1. all LRC resources names begin with “LRC” and will appear if your search the Global address list (GAL) for “LRC”; all bookable rooms and equipment have been given an email address listed here):
2. e.g. to book the LRC main classroom, send to LRC RoomCOED434 class <LRCRoomCOED434@uncc.edu>
and adding other meeting participants, e.g. co-teachers of your class, or LRC staff if you need more than routine support
1. If you hold a class in the LRC, to remind students of the new location, teachers could also try and add your class, if you made a convenient group of all students in your class in Outlook.
and, from the “scheduling assistant”, choosing a time when the room/equipment is free (= blank), not blocked (= solid or hatched) (and all participants),
and adding a subject with class number and possibly special instructions:

if you do not allow self-access students on free seats: *EMPTY ROOM*
if you do not allow tutoring in corners: *NO TUTORING*:
I will ask the LRC assistants (unfortunately we have large gaps in the schedule) and tutors to load and check the lrcroomcoed434@uncc.edu so that tutors can relocate with their students on time.

and sending it (like email to a person) to the room or equipment

What happens next?
1. await responses: Read more in What happens after the meeting request.
2. monitor calendars: you can link into your OWA the calendars of those resources that you use frequently (e.g. a piece of equipment, an LRC classroom or tutor office for the language you study). Read more in View Calendars.
If you need to release the resource, i.e. to free up the room/equipment for others to use – esp. helpful when you have the LRC booked for your entire class, but won’t meet there this week), open the meeting form your calendar and click in the top menu the buttons cancel series, ”send update” (for details see how to cancel a meeting request)
SummaryList of Links:
For further reading: Microsoft explains Scheduling for Outlook Livein more detail here:
1. Request a meeting
2. Use the Schedule Assistant
3. you can also Create an appointment or Set a Repeating Item
4. Cancel a (single/recurring) meeting

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, e-infrastructure, service-is-library, training Tags: 2007, 2010, 2011, calendaring, live@edu, ms-exchange, outlook, outlook-live, resources, scheduling

LRC Outlook/Exchange 2010 Resource Calendaring: How to use the Scheduling Assistant in OWA

2011/08/31 plagwitz 10 comments

The scheduling assistant lets you find a common free time for all the (resource and human) participants of your meeting request.
The scheduling assistant shows you start/end meeting time and free/busy information.
The default shows only work hours:
You can show more than work hours (useful for some resources):
You may also be able to see the meeting subjects.
You can spot scheduling conflicts in advance, instead of sending a meeting request that will have to be denied.
For some resources, you can make a recurrent/repeating meeting request: . note that you will lose the begin/end markers:

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, e-infrastructure, service-is-library Tags: calendaring, ms-exchange, ms-outlook, resource-mailboxes, resource-scheduling, scheduling assistant

LRC Outlook/Exchange 2010 Calendaring: How to use the Global Address list/Address Book for LRC Resources in OWA

2011/08/31 plagwitz 1 comment

Open the GAL for Resources by clicking on “Resources”, like here :
Use (1) default filtering, (2) “LRC” (3) search, to see all resources, including (4) equipment:
use (1) room filtering, (2) “LRC” (3) search, to see only (4) resources that resemble “Rooms” (including “Offices” held):
after (1) searching “LRC”, (2) pick the desired resource, (3) add it to the resources recipient list, (4) click “ok” to close the address book (which will send you back to your meeting request)
1. if there are several equivalent resources you could use (like any of our voice recorders), you can quickly compare their immediate availability using the scheduling window in the right pane
2. if you need a better overview over availability of the resource, and other participants, add multiple resources to the to-list and compare their availability using the “Scheduling Assistant” which features a full legend and easy-to-read begin/end markers for your chosen begin/end times
In the address book, you have a limited (to today) preview of the (3) schedule of the resource, which can aid you in deciding which resource to add to the resources-list
1. Alternatively, for a more expansive schedule, add all equivalent resources (e.g. lights) and decide later in the scheduling assistant which one to send the meeting request to

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, e-infrastructure, service-is-library Tags: calendaring, global-address-list, ms-exchange, ms-outlook, resource-mailboxes, resource-scheduling

LRC Outlook/Exchange 2010 Resource Calendaring: How to book an LRC resource by making a Meeting Request in OWA

2011/08/31 plagwitz 13 comments

A meeting request is – as you can see from its icon: – an email with calendar information.
In OWA, start writing a (2) meeting request, like an email, from the (1) menu: ”new” (click not on “new” directly, but on the arrow next to “new” to unfold the menu:
By default, the meeting will show you as the organizer in the calendar. In addition, on default tab : appointment, like in an email, you may want to add subject (like your course number), and a message body (e.g. “to make audio recordings with 20 students”).
Start adding “resources” (do not send “to” a room or equipment piece, and send “to” people only if you need them to staff the room or operate the equipment for you) by clicking it:
This will open the window: Address book (read more on the Address book), find and select your “LRC” resource in the list of LRC bookable resources and click “OK”:
Switch from default tab : appointment to tab: scheduling assistant , and set the meeting (1) start and (2) end day/time, to when the resource is (3) available: (read more on the Scheduling Assistant)
from the default tab : appointment, click button: send.
For what happens next, see responses and calendar.
For a high-level overview, see this LRC calendaring How-to