Got Music? If not, check out Omnimusic from WBGU

WBGU provides BGSU Faculty with a wide variety of music that can be used for education projects. Visit http://music.wbgu.org/ to get started. Music is offered in numerous genres and multiple file types. While this is an extremely powerful resource it should be stated that:

THIS MUSIC IS FOR BGSU EDUCATIONAL PROJECTS ONLY.

This music can be used in iMovies, PowerPoint presentations, background music for live presentations and many other uses. If you wish to use this music for purposes other than BGSU educational projects, contact Denise Kisabeth.

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How do you use music in your teaching or presentations? Have you used music in your for presentations at conferences? How else could you use this music?

Click on the COMMENTS link below to post your thoughts!

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Ask AL- Tips for Office 2007

"Office 2007 looks totally different different. How do I use the new interface?"

AL's answer for Excel 2007
http://www.atomiclearning.com/almovie?key=28638

AL's answer for PowerPoint 2007
http://www.atomiclearning.com/almovie?key=29120

AL's answer for Word 2007
http://www.atomiclearning.com/almovie?key=28723

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Do you think ribbons are more effective than drop down menus? What other new features have you used in Office 2007? ...Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

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Slideshare: The Show Must Go On! (and on, and on...)

Slideshare is a site for hosting slidecasts - a new multimedia format for viewing slideshow (i.e. PowerPoint) synchronized with a podcast. However, presentations do not need to contain audio to be viewed on Slideshare.net. It can be used for conference talks, musical slideshows, audio picture books, portfolios or whatever else you can imagine.

Slideshare can be an alternative to Blackboard, when you want your presentations to be available to a wider audience than only your current students or community members, such as conference attendees, colleagues, future/prospective students, etc.

Here are the simple steps to create your own SlideShare show:

• Upload your PowerPoint presentation file to Slideshare
  
• Go to edit slide show > Create Slidecast tab and enter your URL here
  
• Synchronize slides and audio using the synchronization tool and click publish
  
• Your Slidecast is now ready for public viewing on SlideShare or anywhere else you embed the presentation, such as in a blog, wiki, or other web page.

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How could you use Slideshare to enhance student learning? What types of "shows" would you like to share or view?...Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

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How NOT to use Powerpoint

Click play to view a brief comic sketch on how NOT to use PowerPoint. This video is great to show your class before assigning class presentations. It may encourage originality and make people think about how the audience will respond to a presentation.

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How many "bad" presenations have you seen like this? Please share any other PowerPoint tips. If you show this in class, please share the students' responses. ...Click on the COMMENTS link below to get started!

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Using Images: Everystockphoto.com

As the saying goes, "a picture is worth a thousand words." If that's true, then there are many words to be found at Everystockphoto.com Here you can find royalty free stock photos for use in any type of digital or print media that you may use in your work as an educator, researcher, or learner.

Everystockphoto is a search engine that indexes numerous photo sites and has over 1 million free images. Each image has its own ownership license, so when using images from the site be sure to check the license to understand how you can legally use the image in your own work.

Images and photos can be used for numerous projects in an academic setting -- they can enhance websites, PowerPoint presentations, blogs, video clips, movies, and any other digital or even print media. The addition of images can help to better explain or demonstrate theory and processes in a classroom setting.

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Share your opinion and experiences by leaving a comment below:
• How have you used stock photos in your teaching?
• What other types of projects could utilize the "power of images"?
• Share your experiences and tips on using everystockphoto.com

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The PowerPoint Phenomenon

PowerPoint presentations have become an automatic feature attached to the newest learning model. PowerPoint users praise the software for enriching the learning content. Critics of the PowerPoint phenomenon argue students have become passively engaged rather than actively engaged in the learning process. Craig and Amernic (2006) state, “When we taught without PowerPoint or led a case discussion without PowerPoint or acted Socratic-like without PowerPoint, our relationship with students was unmediated and more human, more direct, less pre-meditated and less structured”. Are you a fan or a skeptic?

Read the article:
Craig, R. J. & Amernic, J.H. (2006). PowerPoint presentation technology and the dynamics of teaching. Click here for article

Share your opinion and experiences by leaving a comment below:
Has PowerPoint been an effective tool in enriching student learning in your classroom?