Tools and Features in CTools

As you get ready to set up your course sites, you might find this list of all of the Ctools tools and their uses helpful. For further information see the CTools Help Page. Please contact me directly at ahaines@umich.edu if you have any questions about CTools or need help setting up your site.

Announcements -- For posting information

Assignments -- For private submission and grading of coursework

BlueReview -- For linking to lecture recordings hosted on BlueReview

CAEN Lecture Recording -- For linking to lecture recordings hosted by CAEN

Chat Room -- For posting messages among site participants in real time

Drop Box -- For private file sharing between instructors and students

Email Archive -- For displaying email sent to the site

Engineering Honor Code -- For displaying your course honor policy (Engineering courses only)

Forums -- For posting topics and responses

Gradebook -- For posting grades, either entered directly or imported from other tools

i>clicker Sakai i>clicker Plugin - integrates Sakai and i>clicker products

iTunes U -- For distributing media using iTunes

LectureTools -- For enabling live interactivity during lecture sessions

Library Help -- For instant-messaging with a UM librarian

M+Box -- For storing and sharing files in your M+Box account

Messages -- For posting messages directly to individual site participants

Modules -- For building and displaying sequenced learning materials

News -- For displaying RSS and other -- Forms of syndicated web content

Piazza -- For students to ask and answer questions under the guidance of their instructor

Podcasts -- For distributing media

Polls -- For collecting feedback on a given question

Resources -- For posting documents, website URLs, etc.

Schedule -- For posting deadlines, events, etc.

Site Info -- For modifying site properties and participants

Syllabus -- For posting a summary, outline, or requirements

Test Center -- For building and distributing assessments (e.g., quizzes)

Web Content -- For displaying standard web pages

Wiki -- For collaborative authoring of pages and content

What is LectureTools and is it right for me and my class?

Have you heard the name "LectureTools" or seen it in the CTools list of tools and wondered what it is? The Faculty Exploratory and LSA Instructional Support Services are hosting two types of events to help you answer that question. First, we have a demonstration and discussion about what the tool is, the impact it can have on your class, and how it is currently being used here at the University. Second, if you decide you would like to try this tool, we'll have some hands-on workshops that will help you get ready for winter semester. To register for either, please visit http://ttc.iss.lsa.umich.edu/ttc/sessions/tag/lecturetools/

Descriptions of the sessions are below. As always, if you have questions about these or other tools, or would like to be removed from this email group, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Making Your Lecture Presentations Interactive with LectureTools
Tuesday, 10/22, 3:00 pm-5:00 pm
If you have a large lecture section, it is sometimes difficult to know which concepts are confusing to students and if they are actively engaged with the material during class. Using LectureTools can be an effective way to directly involve students and solicit their feedback while you are teaching. Activated via your CTools site, this tool allows you to ask multiple choice or free response questions, and lets students flag slides they find confusing, submit questions, and take notes that are synchronized with the lecture slides.

In this demonstration, you will hear from University faculty members who are currently using LectureTools, and how it has impacted their teaching. This demonstration is a broad overview of the tool, focusing on why and how you could use it in your classes; later on in the semester there will be “hands-on” workshops that will get you ready to use LectureTools during the Winter Term.

Getting Started with LectureTools
Wednesday, 10/30, 3:00 pm-5:00 pm OR Thursday, 11/14, 3:00 pm-5:00 pm
Now that you’ve attended the "Making Your Lecture Presentations Interactive with LectureTools" demonstration and understand how LectureTools can enhance your students’ classroom experience, it’s time to get your lectures ready for Winter term. In this hands-on workshop, you’ll start as “students” in a class, so you can experience what LectureTools could be like for your students. After that, we’ll move to the instructor’s side, starting with a tour of the interface. You’ll then learn how to import PowerPoint presentations and insert interactive slides. We’ll discuss the instructor dashboard, how to read and answer student questions, and strategies for successful presentations. Finally, we’ll work in the assessment feature of LectureTools and discuss how to produce reports generated from student responses.

We strongly encourage you to attend the “Making Your Lecture Presentations Interactive with LectureTools” demonstration session to see if LectureTools is right for you and your course.

Copyright workshops and information

Two copyright workshops are being offered next month for faculty and graduate students. I would encourage everyone to attend one these courses to help you understand your rights and responsibilities regarding copyright:

Copyright Basics
Monday, 6/3, 3:00 pm-4:30 pm

https://ttc.iss.lsa.umich.edu/ttc/sessions/copyright-basics-4/

Copyright and Your Dissertation
Thursday, 6/27, 10:00 am-11:30 am

https://ttc.iss.lsa.umich.edu/ttc/sessions/copyright-and-your-dissertation-3/

If you are unable to attend one of these workshops, here are two useful online resources that offer clear guidelines:

Copyright Basics

http://guides.lib.umich.edu/copyrightbasics

©Guide | What Can I Put in CTools? Ten Copyright Considerations

http://www.lib.umich.edu/files/departments/Guide%20-%20CTools%202012-10-4.pdf

Upcoming CTools workshops

There are several CTools sessions scheduled in the next few weeks to help you get ready for winter term.
https://ttc.iss.lsa.umich.edu/ttc/sessions/upcoming/tag/ctools/

The Faculty Exploratory will be open through December 20th to help you get ready, but will be closed Dec. 21 - Jan 7th.

New Copyright Guide: What can I put in CTools? Ten Copyright Considerations

 by Melissa Levine

 'Can I put this in CTools?'

This is one of the most common questions posed to UM Copyright Office staff. We've come up with a new (short) resource to help faculty and staff with copyright decisions they make in using CTools.  

LibGuide format

http://guides.lib.umich.edu/aecontent.php?pid=289569&sid=3119883# 

or PDF as ©Guide | What Can I Put in CTools? Ten Copyright Considerations (PDF) 

www.lib.umich.edu/copyright/resources

Thanks to Kristina Eden and Jack Bernard for their help with this.  If you have a copyright question that comes up regularly, give us a call to see if we should develop a resoure for you. If have a copyright question, its likely someone else is wondering about the same thing.

Is your Ctools site getting messy?

Did you know that you can customize your Ctools site by rearranging and deleting tabs? Check out this quick and easy video tutorial to learn how:

http://www.umich.edu/~umctdocs/TabTutorial.html

Contact me if you would need help.

Annette Haines
Art & Design Librarian
ahaines@umich.edu

Ctools meets Google

There are lots of new features integrating Ctools with various Google products. You can read more about them in this article from the Record:

New version of CTools integrates with Google, Box and more

Please contact me if you have questions about these new tools or would like some one-on-one assistance with setting up your Ctools site. 

Annette Haines

Art & Design Field Librarian

ahaines@umich.edu

Faculty Exploratory - Workshops and one-on-one help with technology

A program as well as a facility, the Faculty Exploratory was designed specifically for faculty at the University of Michigan to enhance lecturing, research, and publishing skills. Whether you already use technology and just need a few tips or are just starting out and need a whole new skill set, you can take hands-on workshops, setup an appointment, or just stop in and say, HELP! In addition to getting assistance with software applications, we can help you digitize video, audio, photographs and slides for your classes and presentations on our multimedia workstations.