UTTC mp3 Podcast Player Released

We’re pleased to announce that UTTC has released a fully customizable podcast organizer and player designed specifically with educators in mind. The application has been released as open source and the files can be downloaded from Source Forge:

http://mp3playr.sourceforge.net/

The easily customizable podcast playlist makes organizing and sharing course lectures and supplemental audio presentations a snap. The fully customizable interface allows course developers and instructors to configure the mp3Player to reflect their school and department branding, and course graphic themes. The player organizes and presents the playlist in 3 customizable columns of information. By default, columns define podcasts by Group, Title, and Author. You can easily configure column headings to fit your content requirements such as multiple subjects, chapters, authors, historical contexts, etc. Students can then sort each column in ascending/ descending alphabetical order, as well as, arrange the order of the columns to organize the playlist to best meet their listening and study needs.

For the developer, the UTTC mp3Player is a Flex and Actionscript 3.0 application that has been released as a Source Forge open source community contribution targeted to course developers and anyone interested in a fully customizable Flex media player application.

Project Manager — Michael Anderson, UT System TeleCampus: manderson@utsystem.edu
Flex Application Developer — Brad Shaevel, UT System TeleCampus: bshaevel@utsystem.edu

New Course Content Template Released

UTTC’s CDT group has released a new Course Content Template that is available for download and free use now!

Why use this template when building your course content? Well, there are a few reasons that set this template apart from other templates or WYSIWYG page-builder options.

1. It’s web-standards based and an ACCESSIBLE solution.
2. You only need to EDIT ONE FILE, and you can do it in Dreamweaver’s Design View if you like.
3. The Template includes a DYNAMIC NAVIGATION bar that is generated on-the-fly; you won’t need to worry about keeping track of which page links to what or edit any JavaScript whatsoever.
4. If you want to, you can customize the look and feel, and IT’S EASY to do.
5. You (and faculty and students) can PRINT THE WHOLE MODULE AT ONCE.
6. It’s open-source, a.k.a. FREE!

Check out the presentation and download a package file to get started.

Overview Presentation:

http://georgeirwin.com/UTTC/cct/

Template Package Files:

https://sourceforge.net/project/platformdownload.php?group_id=263990

Live Classroom/Horizon Wimba new name: Wimba Classroom

Quick Note: For course developers and tech reviewers please note that references to “Live Classroom” or “Horizon Wimba” will need to be updated in course syllabi and wherever found in course content beginning FA09 to the current name:  Wimba Classroom.

First SourceForge release

UTTC Course Development and Technology has released our first SourceForge project, the ECMA (JavaScript) package navigation system originally created by Ross Henderson. The release is available at https://sourceforge.net/projects/jsnav/. The key features of the navigation system include:

• 508-accessible (tested under Jaws By George Irwin)
• External CSS now drives “buttons” (from Will Oram)
• Tested under N/FF1+, IE3+, Safari1+, Opera 5+
• Works with JavaScript turned off in browser

We encourage the UT System course development community to enhance the JSNav system and to add your own tools. UTTC anticipates releasing several additional tools by the end of the summer.

Blogs or Discussion Boards?

Just in case you missed this concise look at the use of blogs vs. discussion boards in online courses (by Matt Crosslin).

Blogs or Discussion Boards?

December 2007

Blogs and discussion boards both provide opportunities for interaction in online courses, but there are instances when one is more appropriate than the other, says Matt Crosslin, instructional designer at the University of Texas at Arlington’s Center for Distance Education.

The entire article may be viewed at http://www.magnapubs.com/issues/magnapubs_ff/4_12/news/600974-1.html

2006 Magna Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

- Brad Shaevel