CELOP TECH

CELOP Technology Workshops

2009-02-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

Schedule—Spring 2009

All workshops this semester (except the scanner session) will meet in MLL 257. Please eat lunch before coming into the lab. There is no food or drink allowed in the labs. Handouts, when available, will be accessible from the MLL Tutorials page. Please bring your ideas and questions.

Using CELOP FileMaker more effectively
Please attend this sesssion if you are having trouble filling out evaluations or using FileMaker in general. We'll go through the Top 10 most frequently asked questions.

Wednesday Feb 18 12:30 MLL 257 (RSVP to Rudy)
Thursday Feb 19 12:30 MLL 257 (RSVP to Rudy)

Finding and using online video in class (lab or smart classroom)
There are many sources of video. We'll focus on some interesting ones and a few of the technical details of getting access to them later, including offline, and displaying them in class. We'll also talk about some other choice activity picks from the MLL Student Links page.

Wednesday Feb 25 12:30 MLL 257
Thursday Feb 26 12:30 MLL 257

Word processing without Word: Using Google Docs online to edit, store, and share documents
If you have a free Google account, you can take advantage of a lot of very practical functions, including online word processing, which is especially useful for the very mobile person or collaborative writing projects, such as with students.

Wednesday Mar 18 12:30 MLL 257
Thursday Mar 19 12:30 MLL 257

Teacher Wikis and other mobile bookmarks
Many of you want your students to access a particular web site or resource without hunting for it. Currently, we maintain custom web pages of links for you, but you can easily and more conveniently do this yourself. The options we'll look at include custom CELOP Teacher Wikis, Google Bookmarks, and del.icio.us ("social bookmarking").

Wednesday Mar 25 12:30 MLL 257
Thursday Mar 26 12:30 MLL 257

Using the new Canon copier to print and scan documents
The new Canon copier in the mailroom is also the easiest scanner to use at CELOP. Scanning a document (B&W) is as easy as making a copy of it. We can also look at using the color scanner in the Open Lab, if there's interest.

Wednesday Apr 1 12:30 Mail room
Thursday Apr 2 12:30 Mail room

Using ceiling speakers in the MLL

2008-11-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

To simplify the use of MLL 267a for teachers, we've installed speakers and an amplifier in the ceiling. Its projector/speaker setup is similar to the ones in MLL 257 and EOP 269.

Voice Recording in the MLL

2008-10-22T10:05:00.000-07:00

Many lab classes include voice recording activities. Students have been recording in the MLL for many years, but there have been a variety of technical issues in delivering this important functionality as well as training issues in implementing it in class. We've been working on the simplest solution possible.

1. The new application we've been using is called Audio Recorder, which has only one function: recording. It's fast, simple, and reliable.

2. We've finally fixed a little issue with the quality of some recordings.* The static interference is gone, but, just in case, we've detailed a way to quickly verify mic input quality (see below).

3. We've created a detailed video primer, which teachers and students should take a few minutes to watch. It's available in the labs and online:

Labs: "Audio Recorder primer" is on the Dock of lab setups.
Online: MLL Tutorials page (under "Applications")

*The USB headset was subject to interference if it was plugged into the port on the back of the Mac Minis closest to where the monitor is plugged in, which has a DVI-to-VGA signal converter.

Streaming A/V on iPhone/iPod Touch

2008-10-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Bringing audio or video into the classroom needn't involve equipment with wheels. If you have an MP3 player, such as an iPod, you can plug it into any audio projection built into the room with a simple audio patch cable and play anything in your audio library, including podcasts. If you have a video iPod, then you can extend that content to include your favorite YouTube, TED, Hulu program from TV or movies, or other iPod-formatted video. If you have a web-enabled iPod (Touch), iPhone, or similar device, then you can extend that content to include streaming video. Here are some ideas.

Streaming audio and video sources for the iPhone and iPod Touch
Lesley Andrews (10/9/08)

Access through Safari

m.npr.org — A lite version of the regular NPR site. The "Listen now" button brings up QuickTime streaming audio.

www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/ip — Select "By Radio Station" then "World Service."

podcaster.fm (requires free signup) — Select "Providers" for a list of sources, including ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, CNN, BBC, NPR, APM, BusinessWeek, New York Times, Scientific American, Discovery Channel and National Geographic.

Access through a separate application

YouTube (included in iPhone/iPod Touch software)

FlyCast (free app from iTunes app store) — Select "On-Demand Audio" for a list of sources, including BBC, Bloomberg, CBS, CNN, New York Times, PBS.

While the same sources of content can be accessed with several different programs or methods, the various applications do not all offer the same selection of podcasts. If you don't find what you're looking for with one program, you may find it with another, and you can choose the most convenient method with content that is available from various sources.

Other resources and information

Finding streaming content for iPhone, iPod touch: There’s a lot available

Setup instructions for accessing BU WiFi with your iPhone

See Lesley for a demonstration of her iPhone.

Hardware requirements

To project audio from an iPod, you'll need speakers and a 3.5mm audio patch cable (at left).

To project video from a video iPod or iPhone, you'll need speakers, a projector, and an Apple Composite AV Cable (at right).

Fraudulent e-mail and scams

2008-10-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

Many faculty, staff, and students ask if a particular e-mail message is fraudulent or legitimate, usually prompted by a request for personal information. If fraudulent, this practice of spamming is known as "phishing," where a criminal operation tries to dupe you into disclosing some aspect of your identity that they can exploit.

There are, according to some reports, about 8.5 billion such fraudulent e-mails sent worldwide each month. So it pays to know how to identify friend from foe in this environment. Here are two excellent resources that I highly recommend for anyone who wants to be better equipped to deal with existing threats to financial security and identity information.

SonicWALL Phishing and Spam IQ Quiz

You will see 10 example e-mails. You decide whether each is fraudulent or legitimate. At the end of the quiz, you will see your score and detailed analysis of what in each e-mail should tip you off. You will learn a lot about the business of fraudulent e-mail from this timely quiz.

Identity Theft—The Hazards of Spoofing and Phishing

BU's Personal Computing Support Center page on the topic.

What Was Your First Pet's Name? Lessons Learned About E-Mail Security

Article from Campus Technology online

Snopes

This massive database of urban legends, myths, scams, and hoaxes has been a reliable and entertaining resource for ferreting out truth from rumor for years.

New and reorganized resources on MLL Student Links page

2008-06-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

The resources on the MLL Student Links page (the default home page in the lab) have been updated and reorganized. There's a lot of great stuff for everybody here. Take a look soon.

Pop-up menus on left and RSS feed of this blog on right.

The main categories of linked resources:

General Reference (encyclopedias, Nexis, finance info., demographic, etc.)
Dictionaries (native, ESL, translation, pronunciation, etc.)
Audio & Video Sources (free streaming audio and video, activities, etc.) *new
ESL Activities (for listening, pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing)
Boston Stuff (local info., museums, historical sites, etc.)
Practice Tests (grammar, vocabulary, TOEFL, etc.)
CELOP Teachers (indiv. teacher pages)

In addition, the section to the right of these links now displays an RSS feed (automatic text display from another source) of this CELOP TECH blog, which is the new and only news source for CELOP and MLL technology updates.

Please let us know if you would like to add any resources to this page.

CELOP Technology Workshops—Summer 2008

2008-06-04T07:12:00.000-07:00

We're putting together three practical workshops to help faculty and staff work with some of the new technology we have available at CELOP. These sessions will combine demonstration, hands-on practice, and Q&A. Please bring questions for us and tips for your colleagues. Based on the response we get, we may schedule more sessions. Session materials and links will also be available on the MLL Tutorials page.

All sessions will take place at 1:30 in MLL 257. No food or drink in the labs please.

Using Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac:
Word, Powerpoint

Wednesday, June 11
Thursday, June 12

Links

Session outline
Microsoft online training for Office
Lynda.com MS Office training videos
Atomic Learning videos

Using Mac OS 10.5 (Leopard)

Wednesday, June 18
Thursday, June 19

Links
Session handout
Apple training
Lynda.com training videos
Atomic Learning videos

Using MLL Equipment in Your Class:
Laptops, Projectors, iPods, and Cameras (+ smart classrooms, TiVo recordings)

Wednesday, July 16
Thursday, July 17

Technical Updates for Summer 2008

2008-05-21T05:12:00.000-07:00

There are more technical changes this semester than in any previous semester in memory. Don't begin the Summer 2008 semester without reading the memo "Technology upgrades and changes at CELOP, Summer 2008," as well as this and previous posts to the CELOP TECH blog.

Among the changes

No more Classic in the labs. Classic does not run in Leopard (Mac OS 10.5), which means that we no longer have access to

the old Focus on Grammar program (at right)
North American Idioms
Business English Meetings
MicroReport
NewReader, and others.

See previous post on subscribing to the new Longman Focus on Grammar Interactive.

Audacity for voice recording. We no longer use SoundStudio Pro for student voice recording. We use Audacity, which is much more widely used in labs and free.

Procedures for recording with Audacity are almost identical to SoundStudio. I wouldn't suggest that teachers need a new primer. Nonetheless, I will update the Audacity primer on the MLL Tutorials page.

Open Lab upgrade. The old iMacs in the Open Lab (267b) have been replaced with eMacs.

These computers also have the same Logitech USB headset used in other labs, so students can do their recording homework in the Open Lab now. Be sure to turn mute off on the headset cord (at right). If the light is blinking, the mic is on mute.

Latest OS. All the computers in the labs, as well as all of the newly distributed eMacs in faculty offices, run the same operating system, Mac OS 10.5, or "Leopard," which is the latest OS. We will be conducting workshops this summer to introduce some of the cool new features of Leopard to faculty and staff.

Smart classroom (lite). We're experimenting with a pared down smart classroom model in MLL 257 and EOP 269. There is built-in, ceiling-mounted projection, speakers, and audio amplification. The only other thing you see is an outlet to plug in your video and audio. There are no controls other than the projector remote. It's simpler and cheaper. If you need to play a DVD or CD audio, use a laptop. These rooms do not play VHS tapes.

Access to Grammar application now exclusively online

2008-04-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

The Focus on Grammar program that we have been using in Classic mode in the MLL for the last decade will, for the most part, no longer be available. We are upgrading most lab computers to the new Intel-based Macs, which cannot run in Classic (i.e., OS 9) mode.

We would like to move people to an online subscription-based grammar resource. I have looked at Focus on Grammar Interactive and found it to be among the best such services, and very cheap. I strongly encourage teachers to have their students sign up for a subscription to FoG Interactive. It's good for one year and has many more features than our old program.

Jen D. has provided the following information on subscribing to Focus on Grammar Interactive:

Focus on Grammar in now available online, in addition to the textbook. Longman is currently having a promotion that combines access to the online program along with the textbook for a really good price. If any of you would like to add the online program to your textbook, email me before May 7 so that I can update your request. Details are below:

Focus on Grammar Interactive online*:
http://focusongrammarinteractive.com/index.php

*You can sign up for a free 30-day trial. If you decide to use the online program in your class, you'll get free teacher-level access.

Prices (before the bookstore markup)
Book Only 32.25
Book + Audio 37.50
Book + Online Access 43.80 *special promotion price
Book + Audio + Online Access 48.00 *special promotion price
Online Only 22.50

If you're interested in adding the online program, the deadline is May 7.

Technology upgrades and changes, Summer 2008

2008-04-23T08:59:00.000-07:00

Cool things are happening technologically at CELOP. There will be lots of changes that immediately benefit faculty and teaching starting this summer, including:

New Mac Minis and LCD monitors in MLL 255 and MLL 257.
eMacs in faculty offices.
Expanded wireless coverage and capacity at CELOP (reaching all classrooms).
Smart Classroom “lite” capabilities in 269, 257.
All logins, faculty and student, tied to BU login accounts.
FileMaker entirely web browser-based for faculty.
Scheduled recording of Comcast programs to our network for lab use.
More cool equipment to borrow: small flash memory-based still/video cameras, iPods, iPod speakers, laptops running Mac OS and Windows, etc.

Read the complete memo to faculty (4/22/08), fill out the Office Computer Preference Form, and activate your "Active Directory" account on the Tech Info page on the CELOP INTRAnet.

Using Online Video in Class

2008-01-30T11:51:00.000-08:00

Language teachers have been using film and video in class as long as these media have been available. Lately, YouTube, videojug, Google Video, blip.tv and other Web 2.0 inspired, user-created content sites have appeared in the repertoire of language teachers with access to computers and the Internet in class.

Let's assume that most trained language teachers see the pedagogical merit, or potential, in such content, including variety, currency, and appeal to students as a familiar resource. At least four practical concerns quickly emerge when using online video:

Access
In planning on the use of online video in class (streamed at time of use, not previously saved as a local file), we make certain assumptions that we would not likely have made just a few years ago:

1. Continuous broadband (high-speed) Internet access (as opposed to occasional dial-up modem access).
2. Ubiquitous Internet access available at all learning locations via wired or wireless (WiFi) connections.
3. Computer hardware capable of playing compressed video (fast processor, sufficient RAM).
4. Appropriate media player software installed and configured to play Web video (e.g., Flash, QuickTime).

Quality
In order to host a tremendous number of videos, video sharing sites must further compress video files uploaded by users, sometimes appreciably degrading quality. Someone has said that the blurry quality of these videos makes them appear as if they are being viewed through Vaseline rubbed in your eyes. So image quality is an issue.

For language learners, this may blur the lip/sound correspondence that aids in comprehension.

The image on the left below is from the original, uncompressed video file (.dv). The image on the right is from YouTube, which shows only a little image degradation. This might be because I uploaded a large, high-quality version of the video to begin with (.mp4).

Original videos of lower quality might not fare so well, as with the popular Parkour video below.

Permanence
When you link to online content, you always run the risk of losing access to that content without warning if the owner moves or removes it. The ephemeral nature of popular user-generated video increases this risk. Contributors can remove their videos at any time.
To avoid this risk, you can capture some streaming media to locally saved files, access to which you control, but this raises ethical if not legal issues. Applications like iRecordMusic (Mac) or Freecorder, WM Recorder, or Super MP3 Professional Recorder, (PC) allow you to capture streaming audio and TubeSock (PC and Mac) captures streaming video. The free online tool KeepVid allows you to easily capture any streaming video in any browser.

Audio or video podcast versions of content, where available, are readily downloadable files that play locally from your computer and skirt the permanence and copyright issues.

Context
At many sites offering video content, a selected video is displayed in a busy and, to some, a confusing context of other content, links, and ads. Especially on sites of user-generated content, such as YouTube or videojug.com, some of this context may be offensive, inappropriate, or, at the least, distracting.

On many video sites the "Embed" information solves this problem by allowing you to display only the video of interest to you in your own context. By pasting that embed code into your own web page, blog, or wiki, you essentially strip this content from its originating context, allowing your students to focus on the video, as in the example below.

How To Open A Bottle Of Champagne With A Sword

MLL Tech Tips-January 2008

2008-01-29T07:41:00.000-08:00

Use Firefox not Safari for Nexis

The new LexisNexis search does not appear to work with the Safari web browser (on the Mac). Use Firefox instead.

Creating folders in the Group shared folders

If you log in to your class setup and add a folder to your class Group folder, your students will not be able to access files inside this folder until Rudy resets the permissions on the folder. After creating a new folder, let Rudy know.

A new folder created in a class Group folder. Tell Rudy
you created it so he can fix the permissions.

Lobby TV Usage and Programming Survey

2008-01-17T12:50:00.001-08:00

I lobbied for several years to get a large-screen TV in our lobby, believing that it would contribute to the linger phenomenon in that space, which in turn would contribute to the sense of community that students find here. We could, I argued, use such a TV for laptop-fed announcements and for cable TV content. Anything that keeps our students hanging out in our lobby, preferably speaking English, could contribute to the sense of value that they derive from their CELOP experience overall.

See the Comcast channel lineup for our combined packages.

Prices on flat-screen LCD and plasma screen have come down dramatically, allowing us to install a 42" plasma screen in the lobby last fall. It has been used primarily for announcements run from a laptop at the Front Desk. We now also have an HDTV digital cable feed from Comcast, a package that includes basic cable TV channels plus a special sports package giving us most international soccer games.

We need to devise a usage and programming policy of some sort (what to show and when). Please let me know what you think using this form, and I’ll report back on the results. In the meantime, the Front Desk will manage use of the screen, mostly continuing to display program announcements and perhaps experimenting with some news and soccer. (If you have concerns about its use during this period, please let me know.)

MLL Tech Tips-November 2007

2007-11-05T15:30:00.000-08:00

What, another blog?

Yes, just what the world needed. Or at least our world. We need a better way to communicate news to the CELOP community regarding MLL issues specifically and technology issues generally. Read this blog to get updates that used to be distributed on printed MLL Updates newsletters (still archived on MLL Tutorials).

What can you do with this blog?

Come here (mll-celop.blogspot.com) and read it. It will be updated throughout the semester.
Use this feed address in your RSS reader, such as iGoogle, to get article titles automatically delivered to you:
http://mll-celop.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
Post comments (link below) to articles for all to see.
All articles are automatically archived in reverse chronological order. See the Blog Archive on the right side of this page.
Learn more about blogs and RSS feeds, including having your students use them for their writing.

New laptops and iPods!

The MLL has two new MacBooks and the two iPod Nanos that came free with them. Reserve these, and all other equipment, in the maroon binder in MLL office 251.

So, now we have the following portable equipment that you can reserve for use in your class:

5 Apple laptops (2 of which will also run Windows XP)
2 iPod Nanos
Speakers for laptops and iPods
4 projector carts with speakers (some with DVD and VHS players)
4 video cameras

Why iPods for the lab? Use them to bring digital audio into your classes outside the lab or smart classrooms. (A boombox still works for audio on CDs.) For example, if you want our students to do an activity involving an NPR program (or any audio), you could follow these steps:

Reserve an iPod and speakers in the equipment check-out binder in 251.
E-mail a link to the NPR story to John (or Rudy), who will put an MP3 file of the program on the iPod.
In class, simply connect the iPod to the speakers, find your program on the iPod menu, and play.

If the iPod freezes up when trying to play a track, restart it by pressing the Menu key and enter key simultaneously for several seconds until the Apple icon appears.

A Better VPN Experience

Use Shimo instead of the Cisco VPN client to connect to B.U. It's faster and promises to stay connected. It adds a menu item to your top Finder menu.

http://www.macworld.com/weblogs/macgems/2007/08/shimo/index.php