Supporting the Newest New Technologies on Campus Thomas A. Warger, Interim Director of Educational Technology Services
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Smith College at NERCOMP Smith at a glance Students: 2,750 (undergraduate) Faculty: 285 ITS staff: 47 ( ETS staff: 14 (counted in the 47) Student workers: 60 Classrooms with media: 60 About 50/50 Mac to Windows ratio
Smith College at NERCOMP The problem to be solved After years of minimal growth, interest in digital media, technologies, and devices has increased strongly. New hardware and software are redrawing the technology- support picture on campus, a development that was unplanned and unanticipated (despite ample news from press and professional sources). Changes are urgently needed in facilities, equipment, infrastructure, services, and staff skills in order to support the new expectations.
Smith College at NERCOMP Drivers: curriculum Digital video production courses over-enrolled Various courses added podcasting as student activity New course in digital still photography Web-cam distance connections Video recording in science labs In-classroom media use in general
Smith College at NERCOMP Responses: curriculum ETS staff skills development: blog, RSS, server management for streaming and download New and additional equipment New help topics and information –See: Staff co-teaching (and some conflict…) Faculty interview project
Smith College at NERCOMP Drivers: student interest All those student-owned devices The “second curriculum” Course-specific additions Social interest (vblog) –See: High interest; sketchy knowledge
Smith College at NERCOMP Reponses: student interest Open sessions for training developed for course support (“Acting for the Camera”) Reaching out to student TV club, media- skilled students and alumnae Storage Area Network (SAN) Apple certification courses (FinalCut Pro)
Smith College at NERCOMP Drivers: College events More events asking for a/v services Higher standards – recordings destined for distribution Higher ambitions: presenters with shaky grasp of PowerPoint Mini-conferences: not just one event
Smith College at NERCOMP Responses: College events Alternate staffing: outsource, ETS students, other students Increased training for ETS student staff; creation of videographer positions More attention to quality control for events not covered by ETS staff Equipment more amenable to self-service
Smith College at NERCOMP User Services Center New skills for staff New approaches to supply of basic information –Development of vodcast capability (converting flash animations into QuickTime movies) More cross-over with ETS staff and skills
Smith College at NERCOMP Lessons learned Need to be better observers Need to be agile Technology uptake is faster now than ever Find how to use the new technologies in support work There is a gap between institutional plans and student-driven reality in technology infrastructure and skills
Smith College at NERCOMP What’s next? Look at other active technologies: IM, text messaging Ways to enable and encourage peer support (not news to institutions with small IT staffs) Try to close the gap between students (plus other innovators) and institutional IT
Smith College at NERCOMP Some things to see Smith ETS online training and tutorials: Smith USC TechNotes: Vimeo (site hosting student vblogs): ArtMobs (podcasting project in NYC): mod.blogs.com/art_mobs