New Web Meeting and Conference Calling Services announced

The Division of IT is pleased to offer some new services to make collaborating with others on- and off-campus easier: Web meetings through Adobe Connect and large-scale conference calling through Avaya. The new services may be used separately or together. Adobe Connect has been available to faculty since the launch of Canvas as the university's Enterprise Learning Management System in 2012. Now, any faculty or staff member may host Web meetings through Adobe Connect, which can allow users to share presentations and desktop views as well as to interact through text chat, audio, and desktop video conferencing. Wired Internet connections are recommended for all Adobe Connect participants, but especially for meeting hosts, to ensure optimum performance.

The new UMD Conference Call Service allows faculty and staff members to host conference calls with up to 40 participants. Hosting a call requires a one-time activation procedure. Once the service has been activated, you will be given a call-in number and separate codes for your use and for distribution to your invitees. Your conference can be accessed at any time and does not need to be scheduled in advance.

When you host a meeting using both new services, attendees can participate over the Internet from their computer or mobile device or over the telephone by calling in. You may also still make conference calls for up to six participants from UMD office phones (visit http://kb.umd.edu/131132 for instructions), but this method cannot be used for audio for Adobe Connect Web meetings. To learn more about Web meetings through Adobe Connect and the UMD Conference Call Service, please visit www.it.umd.edu/conferencing.

The Division of IT is pleased to offer these new services to the university community in the spirit of IT Abundance and as a step towards the fulfillment of action item 1.4 from "Promoting Innovation: The University of Maryland IT Strategic Plan". If you have any questions, please contact the Help Desk at 301.405.1500.

Tea Time Tech Talks for Thursdays in October

Tea Time Tech Talks are free-flowing, informal conversations about the pedagogical challenges of teaching in a technology-enhanced learning environment, co-hosted by the Division of Information Technology and the University of Maryland Libraries.  All sessions are located in McKeldin 2109 (Terrapin Learning Commons) from 3-4 p.m. on Thursdays; light refreshments are served and no registration is required.  October conversations will include:

October 3:   “Is it ‘Fair’ to Use Open Source Resources?”
What happens when Open Source meets Fair Use?  What are your thoughts?   Are you aware of the rich array of open source materials available within your discipline?   Do you have favorites to share?

October 10:  “My Professor, My ‘Friend’“
How do you establish boundaries for social (media) behavior in your classes, with your students, and between your students?

October 17: “Securing the Perimeter:  Is this possible in online assessments?”
What are your strategies for trying to limit the potential for cheating when tests and other assessments are delivered online?

October 24:  “Who’s Minding the Outcomes? Designing rubrics to support online instruction.”
How do you share your expected outcomes for a course or assignment with your students?  How are you integrating rubrics into assessment?

October 31:  “Things That Go Bump in the Classroom” 
What do you do when technology fails and there’s still 45 minutes of class time?   What backup plans have worked for you, whether you are teaching online or in a traditional classroom?

UMD faculty and staff can now access several Division of IT services in McKeldin Library!

The following IT services are available at the rear of the library's first floor, past the Circulation Desk

  --  Help Desk walk-up assistance

  --  Academic Computers for Terps (ACT) maintenance drop-off and loaner distribution

  --  Terrapin Technology Store outpost

The new location provides the university community with easier access to IT-related support in a more convenient location in the center of campus. The Division of IT hopes to gather feedback about the new location and its services as well as about additional resources that the division could provide in the future. The new service location is available through a partnership between the Division of IT and University Libraries.

The main Terrapin Technology Store location will continue to operate on the ground floor of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, and the original Help Desk location will remain in place in Room 1400 of the Computer and Space Sciences Building. Please visit http://kb.umd.edu/6158 for details on hours by location.

Learning Technology workshops starting next week!

The Division of Information Technology's Learning Technologies Institute will conduct a series of FREE workshops for the university instructional community between August 1 and September 5.

Workshops cover such topics as building a course in ELMS (Canvas); using clickers, Adobe Connect, and wikis and blogs as teaching tools; creating media presentations with Camtasia or Prezi; as well as creating surveys with Qualtrics. Workshops about designing and teaching flipped or blended courses will be offered also.

Register at the Training@Maryland site: 

https://training.umd.edu/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.OrgSearch&org_id=484