ASU, (alt^I) - Term

iTunes U at ASU

guydm — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 15:26:11 -0700

This is a version of the iTunes U at ASU composition.

ASU iTunes U - Version 1.0

admin — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 11:02:01 -0700

Through a partnership with Apple Inc., ASU has established an innovative platform to facilitate ASU podcast production and delivery. Our primary efforts involve developing ASU at iTunes U, where ASU podcast content will be stored and distributed using the iTunes U infrastructure.

ASU on iTunes U is both a repository and support mechanism for ASU podcasting efforts--assembled together into a single, easy to access location. This will enhance individual programming, and will work to generate exposure to individual programs that will benefit from being listed as part of a larger collective, maximizing and leveraging ASU content in conjunction with Apple and iTunes U. ASU iTunes U will utilize ASU’s authentification system and Apple’s repository of educational podcasts, blended into a unified cohesive space.

Podcasting has emerged as a viable means of developing and distributing instructionally sound programming that may facilitate on-line education and/or enhance blended classroom experiences. The ASU Applied Learning Technologies Institute (alt^I) has been actively engaged in exploring this new media space for some time, particularly as it relates to sound instruction facilitated by technology. We are encouraged about the possibilities that will certainly emerge as podcasting continues to be utilized in various applications throughout the ASU community, and we look forward to working with faculty, researchers, and other departments to continue and further develop research in these new media and approaches, and to help drive and guide their use and refinement in higher education.

Plagiarism Software Available

jcasey — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 16:38:29 -0700

We have added the MyDropBox/Safe Assignment plagiarism checking service to ASU's Blackboard system. Instructors can now have students submit papers via Safe Assignment and receive an "originality report". This report highlights questionable passages and provides access to the documents that were used as source material.

Instructors who do not use Blackboard may still submit papers for checking by requesting a development/test course site in Blackboard, and then using the Quick-submit feature

For more information on Safe Assignment please see:

https://wiki.asu.edu/help/index.php/SafeAssignment

and to request a blackboard course (either a real course or a test site) visit:

http://my.asu.edu/courserequest

If you have any questions, please contact myasu-q@asu.edu

Advocating for Arizona’s Gifted Children Documentary

guydm — Sat, 20 May 2006 16:23:31 -0700

We have recently completed, "Advocating for Arizona’s Gifted Children," a documentary and promotional video supported by the Arizona Department of Education. The goals of the program are to create a promotional tool to increase gifted education advocacy efforts as related to public education in Arizona. The audience for this video is varied and includes; schools, school boards, administrators, teachers, parents, and state legislators. This program was produced in collaboration with the Arizona Department of Education, Jeff Hipskind; Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented, Dina Brulles; Javits Grant project - Bright Horizons, Andree Charlson; and Sanford Cohn at Arizona State University.

Frozen Drive

guydm — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 13:19:45 -0700

Freezing a crashed hard drive to loosen the platters.

IDEAL Icon/Logo

guydm — Fri, 11 Aug 2006 16:44:04 -0700

Fall 2006 Welcome Message - ASU President, Michael Crow

admin — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 11:13:35 -0700

We recently worked with Paul Emerson in the President's Office to record this year's "Welcome" message delivered by ASU President, Michael Crow. The Office of the President has been actively exploring the integration of new media into the university, and they are committed to practice what they preach. Along this line, Paul contacted us a few weeks ago inquiring about the requirements and available options for producing video blogs. This year's Welcome message seemed to be an excellent first foray into the new medium, and we were happy to help.

Link: ASU’s Office of the President podcast for the week of August 21st 2006

This video will likely be available across a number of our digital distribution channels including the Office of the President Podcast page above, ASU@iTunesU, our standard web streaming channels, as well as other open and public channels that we are experimenting with including OurMedia and others.

Technical Notes - This video is about 6 1/2 minutes long (delivered in a single, nearly perfect take as is so often the case with President Crow). We shot this on miniDV using a Panasonic DVX100, filtered with both Neutral Density and Black Diffusion filters. President Crow was lit with two banks of Kino Flo fluorescent instruments that provide cool soft and directional light. We utilized existing shades on the windows in the background and also coated them with CO gel material. Finally, a single Lowel ViP instrument was used to accent additional background elements.

iTunes U Goes Mainstream

guydm — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 08:41:38 -0700

Nearly one year ago Apple announced the development of iTunes U, a space within the Apple infrastructure dedicated to the support of higher education podcast development. By working in collaboration with a number of colleges and universities, Apple has developed a unique environment that removes many of the barriers previously hindering educators from entering the realm of podcasting. iTunes U provides disk space, bandwidth, and a simplified mechanism for publishing a podcast ‘feed’ in a familiar environment to both educators and students alike, iTunes.

Since the initial announcement, hundreds of schools have signed on to begin taking advantage of this unique new media opportunity. Arizona State University was an early adopter. We initially began to transition from our previous podcasting infrastructure and mechanisms last summer, and started to more fully focus our efforts throughout the Fall 2006 semester. It has been an exciting time of growth and development as we have moved throughout this year from only a handful of ASU podcasts to now several hundred of departments, schools, and individual faculty and researchers signing onto our ASU on iTunes U environment. However, despite the initial buzz among educational podcasters, iTunes U has remained a fairly obscure entity throughout the rest of the mediated world. Though now, that has changed. Today, Apple announced the transition of iTunes U from the isolated corners of its own research and development network into the public iTunes Music Store.

”CUPERTINO, California—May 30, 2007—Apple® today announced the launch of iTunes® U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store (www.itunes.com) featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top US colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT.”
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2007/05/30itunesu.html

This is excellent news. Prior to this move, content served by individual iTunes U institutions has been somewhat clouded by obscurity. iTunes U provides mechanisms for both ‘Private’ content that is typically dedicated and available only to a select registered audience (students enrolled in a particular class for example), as well as ‘Public’ content which is available and consumable by the world at large. However, such public content has likely not seen as wide an audience as many would have liked. One had to know of the existence of iTunes U public content, and for that matter any individual institution’s entire iTunes U site, in order to locate and download public programming. While websites and blogs associated with individual podcasts can certainly help promote the awareness of public content on iTunes U or any other podcasting service, this move by Apple to position iTunes U material directly into the same space as the rest of the iTunes Music Store content, will certainly help to increase awareness and impact of all of our iTunes U programs and material. This is an excellent opportunity, and my hope is that we all will take full advantage by producing good, useful, compelling, and important programming to offer into this exciting new realm.

Cross posted at: http://podcasting.blog.asu.edu/2007/05/30/itunes-u-goes-mainstream/

National Underwater Robotics Challenge

jcasey — Thu, 21 Jun 2007 12:57:57 -0700

NURC (National Underwater Robotics Challenge), a competition designed to increase young peoples' interest in science and engineering, was held at Chandler High School, June 8-10, 2007 in Chandler, Arizona . Though a partnership between Arizona Promoters of Applied Science in Education (APASE) and Honeywell Hometown solutions, NURC brought science and technology educational opportunities to students of all ages across the country.

alt^I provided rich media support to facilitate a live webcast of the event. Webcasting the large competition required the use of 8 stationary underwater cameras, 1-2 cameras mounted to each robot, and a poolside camera to capture the competitors controlling their robots. The feeds from each camera were switched live and mixed with pre-recorded footage created by the teams and streamed to an auditorium where spectators could cheer for their favorite robots and listen to live play-by-play audio commentary of the competition. The video feed was mixed with the play-by-play audio and streamed online via Windows Media and Real digital encoders. Archived footage of the event can be viewed through ASU on iTunes U

ASUtv now available on Qwest Choice TV

jcasey — Mon, 2 Jul 2007 12:23:08 -0700

ASUtv programming is now available on Qwest Choice TV Channel 138, broadcast to subscribers in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. ASUtv offers a wide variety of educational-rich programming. Along with University courses, lectures, special events, and documentaries, ASUtv broadcasts Annenberg Media programs, and award-winning productions from KAET-TV Eight, the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) station serving the greater Arizona area. ASUtv delivers local interest stories and events captured at locations world-wide, as Arizona State University provides both local and global educational opportunities.

ASUtv is also available on Cox Digital Channel 116 as well as via Internet multicast channel. For more information on ASUtv, visit the website at http://asutv.asu.edu.