This fall, Kutztown University will be piloting iTunes U. iTunes U is a web-based tool used to facilitate the storage of audio and video course content (podcasts). Students can retrieve this content using the free iTunes software package that nearly all are familiar with. iTunesU is not used to create podcasts; it is a storage and distribution tool.

Students do not need to own an iPod to download and listen to or view iTunes U content. All that is required is the iTunes software, which is freely downloadable for the Mac and PC.

If you would like to participate in the fall pilot or learn more about the iTunes U program, please contact Will Jefferson, Learning Technologies Center Coordinator, at 610-683-4757.

To learn more about podcast creation, visit Kunio Mitsuma's excellent Podcasting Tutorial.

The following LTC Quick Start Guides may also be helpful:

• MP3 Audio File Creation for the PC using Easy MP3 Sound Recorder
• MP3 Audio File Creation for the Mac using Audio Recorder
• MP3 Audio File Creation for the Mac/PC using Audacity
• iMovie Slideshow Quick Start
• iMovie Quick Start

Web Links:

• Apple's iTunes U Website
• Lafayette College's iTunes U Website
• Stanford University's iTunes U Website
   

Personal Response Systems (classroom clickers) are handheld keypad devices that are much like a simplified television remote control. Students use clickers to respond to questions the instructor presents to the class using a PowerPoint presentation. Student responses are collected and collated automatically through hardware and software that is installed on the Smart Classroom Instructor workstation. After the lesson is presented, the professor can use the PRS software to easily generate a variety of reports that will help gauge student comprehension of the material.

The Interwrite Personal Response System is the clicker system standard for Kutztown University. You are not precluded from using another vendor's clicker system in your classroom, but using the recommended system ensures that training and support will be available from KU's Smart Classroom technicians, Learning Technologies Center staff, and the KU Bookstore.

If you are interested in seeing a demonstration of a classroom clicker system please meet with the Learning Technologies Center Coordinator (Will Jefferson, 610-683-4757) who will arrange a demonstration. If you wish to adopt clickers for use in your instruction, the following should be accomplished prior to the start of the semester:

1. Notify Doug Dinwoodie, Bookstore Technology Manager, at 610-683-4009 that you will be requiring students to purchase a clicker in addition to any required textbook(s) for your class. Clickers are NOT supplied by the university. Student must purchase these devices. Therefore, it is important to notify the bookstore so they can pre-order enough clickers for your students. The bookstore sells new and used clickers and also serves as an exchange point for defective clickers should on fail during its warranty period. To learn more about the bookstore's clicker program, please click here.
2. Contact Michael Harbach, Smart Classroom Support Specialist, at 484-646-4230. Michael will ensure that the clicker hardware and software is installed in your office and in your classrooms. 
3. Contact Will Jefferson, Learning Technologies Center Coordinator, at 610-683-4757. Will can show you how to create "Clicker Friendly" PowerPoint presentations for use in the classroom. Click here to access the Learning Technologies Center Clicker Quick Start Guide.
4. Ensure that your syllabus specifies that students must obtain a clicker for your class. While the clickers are not expensive in relation to the cost of a textbook, students may be reluctant to purchase a clicker if this requirement is not specified in your syllabus.

Clicker Best Practice Websites:

• Ohio State University - "Clickers in Practice"
• University of California - "Best Practices"
• National Teaching and Learning Forum - "Calling All Students...Come In, Students..."
• St. Lawrence University - "Best Practices with Technology in Liberal Arts Education"
• University of Wisconsin - "Student Response Systems"

• The Teaching Professor: Edited by respected scholar and expert Dr. Maryellen Weimer of Penn State Berks Lehigh, The Teaching Professor is a forum for discussion of the best strategies supported by the latest research for effective teaching in the college classroom.

Pathfinders are aids that help you locate information on a specific topic. The pathfinders listed below were developed by the Learning Technologies Center student workers. These guides will help you locate relevant educational technology resources in the Rohrbach Library collection.

• Distance Learning
• Instructional Technology
• Web Design

• Web Teaching Guide: the online companion, by Sarah Horton (Web Teaching Guide was one of 32 outstanding professional and scholarly titles honored at the 25th Annual Awards Ceremony of the Association of American Publishers Professional/Scholarly Publishing Division)
  
• Web Design for Instruction: Basing Your Designs on Research, developed by Bonnie Skalid of Academic Technologies for Learning (ATL) at the University of Alberta.  This site is designed for educators who want to know how to create an instructional web site based on research guidelines. It includes information about:

 
• design theory (graphic design, Gestalt theory, Human-Computer Interface Design);
• site design (hypermedia, metaphor, categorization, navigation, testing);
• page design (web & multimedia design, screen design, screen resolution & size, writing style)
• multimedia (graphics, animation, video, audio, response times)
   
• IBM Web Design Guidelines: A resource created by IBM Ease of Use Group provides principles, guidelines, and conventions for the planning, designing, production, and maintenance of web sites based on IBM’s experience and research.
  
• Center for Research on Teaching and Learning, Univ. of Michigan: Technology Workshops and Online Tutorials
  
• Teaching and Learning on the Web: over 700 examples from the Maricopa Community Colleges
  
• How to do Research on the Internet: from the Monash University Library
  
• Web Teaching Case Studies: compiled by Dartmouth College
  
• WebCT Community Resources & WebCT Support Database from WebCT.com