Saint Mary's holds first History Day Hullabaloo

About 100 area intermediate and junior high school students used the Fitzgerald Library during the first-ever History Day Hullabaloo Jan. 8.

“National History Day” coordinated the event and Saint Mary’s hosted the Southeast Region project. Saint Mary’s and WSU students served as “mentors” for this event, and faculty and library staff assisted these young students in their research. It was a great opportunity to get students excited about history and for us to share the university’s library facilities.

Chat and Chow events

The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 event, “Freedom to Roam,” will be noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19. Dr. Moni Berg-Binder (biology), Dr. Demian Cho (physics), Todd Iverson (math), and Dr. Kristen Sellke (math) have reinvented their classrooms using iPads. They will talk about how they can now move easily through their classrooms carrying their technology with them.

The Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 professional development series, hosted by the library, IT, and Instructional Technology, is open to all faculty and staff. Meet in the main lounge of McEnery; lunch is provided. An RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.

Chat and Chow events

The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 event, “Freedom to Roam,” will be noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19. Dr. Moni Berg-Binder (biology), Dr. Demian Cho (physics), Todd Iverson (math), and Dr. Kristen Sellke (math) have reinvented  their classrooms using iPads. They will talk about how they can now move easily through their classrooms carrying their technology with them.

The Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 professional development series, hosted by the library, IT, and Instructional Technology, is open to all faculty and staff. Meet in the main lounge of McEnery; lunch is provided. An RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.

Chat and Chow events

The Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 professional development series, hosted by the library, IT, and Instructional Technology, is open to all faculty and staff. Meet in the main lounge of McEnery; lunch is provided. An RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.

The next event, “Freedom to Roam,” will be noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19. Dr. Moni Berg-Binder (biology), Dr. Demian Cho (physics), and Dr. Kristen Sellke (math) have reinvented  their classrooms using iPads. They will talk about how they can now move easily through their classrooms carrying their technology with them.

Chat and Chow events

The Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 professional development series, hosted by the library, IT, and Instructional Technology, is open to all faculty and staff. Meet in the main lounge of McEnery; lunch is provided. An RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.

The next event, “Freedom to Roam,” will be noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19. Dr. Moni Berg-Binder (biology), Dr. Demian Cho (physics), and Dr. Kristen Sellke (math) have reinvented  their classrooms using iPads. They will talk about how they can now move easily through their classrooms carrying their technology with them.

Chat and Chow events continue Oct. 22

The Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 professional development series, hosted by the library, IT, and Instructional Technology, is open to all faculty and staff. Meet in the main lounge of McEnery; lunch is provided. An RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.

The next session, “Curiouser and Curiouser”  will be on Oct. 22. Topics are 3D printing and business intelligence. Staff and faculty are invited.

A printer that can create jewelry, hand guns, or car bodies?  The IT department's  3-D printer might not be quite that sophisticated, but  Jason Spartz (Instructional Technology) will demonstrate what it can do and speculate on how faculty may be using 3-D printers in the future. In addition, Michael Ratajczyk (Business) will satisfy your curiosity about something called business intelligence.

Chat and Chow events continue Oct. 22

The Chat, Chow & Web 2.0 professional development series, hosted by the library, IT, and Instructional Technology, is open to all faculty and staff. Meet in the main lounge of McEnery; lunch is provided. An RSVP is appreciated, but not necessary, to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.

The next session, “Curiouser and Curiouser”  will be on Oct. 22. Topics are 3D printing and business intelligence. Staff and faculty are invited.

A printer that can create jewelry, hand guns, or car bodies?  The IT department's  3-D printer might not be quite that sophisticated, but Jason Spartz (Instructional Technology) will demonstrate what it can do and speculate on how faculty may be using 3-D printers in the future. In addition, Michael Ratajczyk (Business) will satisfy your curiosity about something called business intelligence.

Chat and Chow events continue Oct. 22

The Chat, Chow, & Web 2.0 professional development series, hosted by The Fitz, IT, and Instructional Technology, is open to all faculty and staff. Meet in the main lounge of McEnery; lunch is provided. An RSVP appreciated, but not necessary, to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu.

The first event was titled “Just Google it,” and demonstrations were given by Moni Berg-Binder (Biology), Lori Charron (Communication), and Karen Hemker (director of Disability Services) who talked about how Google Apps have improved their efficiency.

The next session, “Curiouser and Curiouser”  will be on Oct. 22. Topics are 3D printing and Business Intelligence. Staff and Faculty are invited.

A printer that can create jewelry, hand guns, or car bodies?  The IT department's  3-D printer might not be quite that sophisticated, but  Jason Spartz (Instructional Technology) will demonstrate what it can do and speculate on how faculty may be using 3-D printers in the future. In addition, Michael Ratajczyk (Business) will satisfy your curiosity about something called Business Intelligence.

Thank you Chat, Chow, & Web 2.0 participants!

Thank you to everyone who presented as part of the Chat, Chow, & Web 2.0 series this year for spreading ideas, building community, and reflecting on the role of technology in our daily lives. Topics this year included: teaching online courses, accessibility and technology considerations, Blackboard enhancements, SMU technology updates, e-portfolios in action, flipgrid, poll everywhere, Google docs, and blended learning through flipped instruction.  The willingness of presenters to share their successes and struggles is greatly admired by many.

The 2013-2014 presenter list included: Josh Lallaman, Blake Pickart, Elizabeth Seebach, Valerie Edwards Robeson, Karen Hempker, Kelsi Watters, Erik Qvale, Ryan Ballanger, Jason Spartz, Tianna Johnson, Scott Cowdrey, Mario Casa de Calvo, Trisha Karr, Dean Beckman, Jesus Martinez, Lisa Truax, Janel Schultz, Rose Beal and Nathan Lien.

With great appreciation, a thank you also goes out to Chartwells for the food arrangement and delivery, Casey Ingvalson and Donny Cisewski for presentation support and setup, as well as to the students and library staff who willingly allowed use of the McEnery Center every month. The Chat, Chow, & Web 2.0 session coordinators include Ruth Ann Torstenson LeMasters, Tianna Johnson, and Jason Spartz.  Please feel free to contact them with your topics and ideas for participating in a session opportunity next year!

DeNotto publishes article about street art, graffiti

Mike DeNotto, instruction librarian, had an short article published in “College & Research Libraries News.” The title of the article is “Street Art and Graffiti: Resources for online study.” Here is a link: http://crln.acrl.org/content/75/4/208.full

Chat, Chow & Web 2.0

The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0, hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, Information Technology, and Instructional Technology, will be held noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 26. Faculty and staff are invited to meet in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch will be provided and RSVPs are appreciated to jspartz@smumn.edu.

“You Gotta Get Up and Try, Try, Try!” will include presentations by Nathan Lien (Chemistry) who has been trying out a flipped classroom technique, and Rose Beal (Theology) who is trying to use  Google Docs as a replacement for the ubiquitous Power Point.  Find out how it has been working for them and how it might also work for you.

Chat, Chow & Web 2.0

The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0, hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, Information Technology, and Instructional Technology, will be held noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 26. Faculty and staff are invited to meet in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch will be provided and RSVPs are appreciated to jspartz@smumn.edu.

“You Gotta Get Up and Try, Try, Try!” will include presentations by Nathan Lien (Chemistry) who has been trying out a flipped classroom technique, and Rose Beal (Theology) who is trying to use  Google Docs as a replacement for the ubiquitous Power Point.  Find out how it has been working for them and how it might also work for you.

Chat, Chow & Web 2.0

The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0, hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, Information Technology, and Instructional Technology, will be held noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 26. Faculty and staff are invited to meet in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch will be provided and RSVPs are appreciated to jspartz@smumn.edu.

“You Gotta Get Up and Try, Try, Try!” will include presentations by Nathan Lien (Chemistry) who has been trying out a flipped classroom technique, and Rose Beal (Theology) who is trying to use  Google Docs as a replacement for the ubiquitous Power Point.  Find out how it has been working for them and how it might also work for you.

Chat, Chow & Web 2.0

The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0, hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, Information Technology, and Instructional Technology, will be held noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19. Meet in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch will be provided and RSVPs are appreciated to jspartz@smumn.edu.

In this session, titled “Talk to Me,” two faculty members enlist the power of social media technologies to promote engaged student response.  Lisa Truax (Art) will share her experiences with Flipgrid, a video response tool, and Janel Schultz (Math) will talk about how she is using Poll Everywhere, the classroom response system that incorporates mobile devices.

Chat, Chow & Web 2.0

The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0, hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, Information Technology, and Instructional Technology, will be held noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19. Faculty and staff should meet in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch will be provided and RSVPs are appreciated to jspartz@smumn.edu.

In this session, titled “Talk to Me,” two faculty members enlist the power of social media technologies to promote engaged student response.  Lisa Truax (Art) will share her experiences with Flipgrid, a video response tool, and Janel Schultz (Math) will talk about how she is using Poll Everywhere, the classroom response system that incorporates mobile devices.

Chat, Chow & Web 2.0

The next Chat, Chow & Web 2.0, hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, Information Technology, and Instructional Technology, will be held noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 19. Meet in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch will be provided and RSVPs are appreciated to jspartz@smumn.edu.

In this session, titled “Talk to Me,” two faculty members enlist the power of social media technologies to promote engaged student response.  Lisa Truax (Art) will share her experiences with Flipgrid, a video response tool, and Janel Schultz (Math) will talk about how she is using Poll Everywhere, the classroom response system that incorporates mobile devices.

Kowles to give book signing on campus Wednesday

Dr. Richard Kowles, biology professor emeritus, and author of “A Passion To Teach. Fifty-Eight Years of Humorous, Weird & Engaging Tales” will sign copies of his new book at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 25, at McEnery Center Lounge in Fitzgerald Library.

Dr. Kowles will make comments and answer questions, followed by a book signing.  Fitzgerald Library will host the event and also provide refreshments.

Copies of the book will be made available for purchase by a representative of the SMU bookstore during this time.

Chat, Chow & Web 2.0

The next Chat, Show & Web 2.0, hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, Information Technology, and Instructional Technology, will be held noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6. Meet in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch will be provided and RSVPs are appreciated to jspartz@smumn.edu.

The title of the presentation will be “Just Flip It, Flip It.” Weary of your sage on the stage role? Struggling to keep wired students engaged? Maybe you’re ready to flip the classroom.  Dr. Janelle Schultz and Dr. Kristen Selke from the Mathematics Department have done just that, and they will describe their experiment in this session and provide you with ideas for flipping your classes. 

Next ‘Chat and Chow’ provides hands-on learning

The next “Chat & Chow 2.0” at the Fitzgerald Library will discuss “It’s all Happening at the Zoo.” The event, scheduled for noon to 1 p.m. Friday, April 20, will include a trip to the petting zoo. Participants will get an opportunity to “pet” some of the latest technologies — the Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch, the Nook, iPads, iPods, etc., as well as a variety of new apps.  Stop in for some real hands-on learning and lots of discussion about these technologies can be used in the classroom.

The event is hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, iT and Instructional Technology and will be held in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch is provided and an RSVP is appreciated but not necessary to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu. Everyone is welcome.

Next ‘Chat and Chow’ provides hands-on learning

The next “Chat & Chow 2.0” at the Fitzgerald Library will discuss “It’s all Happening at the Zoo.” The event, scheduled for noon to 1 p.m. Friday, April 20, will include a trip to the petting zoo. Participants will get an opportunity to “pet” some of the latest technologies — the Kindle Fire and Kindle Touch, the Nook, iPads, iPods, etc., as well as a variety of new apps. Stop in for some real hands-on learning and lots of discussion about these technologies can be used in the classroom.

The event is hosted by the Fitzgerald Library, iT and Instructional Technology and will be held in the main lounge of the McEnery Center. Lunch is provided and an RSVP is appreciated but not necessary to Jason Spartz at jspartz@smumn.edu. Everyone is welcome.