the essay mill

The Chronicle of Higher Education takes a tour of an essay mill from the essay-writer’s side. Click the image below and then click on the “play” button on the Chronicle‘s media player in the new page.

Journey to the Center of an Essay Mill

podcasting update

TASC and UK IT joined forces to offer iTunes U workshops for the first time last week. We’re excited about moving forward with more of those, and while we may have at least one during the summer, we’re targeting October as a time to try to reach a large number of faculty who are interested in podcasting and using iTunes U.

In the meantime, I’ve updated the podcasting module in Blue 2.0 because I have discovered a handy new tool: Mixcraft. Think of it as a kind of a GarageBand for Windows. I’ve been trying it out in my office, and I’m pretty happy with the results. It goes beyond the plain vanilla recording of Audacity (which, by the way, I’m still a big fan of) into the ability to mix pre-loaded sounds and music as well as visuals for enhanced podcasts. You can download a free version to use for 30 days, download a paid version for $64.95 (or buy the boxed version for $75.95 – but there’s no difference in the product except for having the box and CD to keep), or purchase on the educational discount starting at 5 for $29 apiece. If you’re a Microsoft Windows user who has been looking for this kind of functionality from audio software, you might take a look.

Experience Unbridled History

Unbridled History

This Friday (May 1), the virtual Young Library in Second Life welcomes its newest exhibit: Unbridled History: Celebrating the Horse Industry of Kentucky. The exhibit is presented in conjunction with a Kentucky Derby exhibit on University of Louisville’s Second Life Island. The opening of the exhibits will be celebrated with a Derby Eve Party on Friday, May 1, from 2pm Eastern Time (11am Second Life Time) until 4pm EST (1pm SLT) on University of KY Island. Everyone is welcome to attend!

For more information see the UK Island blog. The slURL (Second Life URL) to attend the event is http://slurl.com/secondlife/University%20of%20KY/113/109/29 (open the Second Life software, then click on the slURL).

For more information and a tutorial on using Second Life (a virtual environment in which UK has an “island,” or user space), visit Blue 2.0.

anatomy lab on UK Island

New on UK Island: A virtual anatomy lab for a class piloting the lab in Second Life, a virtual environment. Find out more about it at http://ukisland.wordpress.com/.

digital mashup fun for friday fluff

Students everywhere are learning new ways to create products from disparate parts. It’s always been a part of the education progress (“research your idea and create an original ___________ to turn in on Friday. Buehler? Buehler?“). But digital mashups can provide an extra sense of fun. Witness the Ocean’s 11 trailer spoof below: Henson’s 11. It was created by a nonlinear editing class. Enjoy!

launch: World Digital Library

Find all kinds of cultural treasures – from maps to recordings to photographs and architectural drawings – from around the world in the World Digital Library. It’s brand new and will continue to grow. Open Culture says that it is backed by the United Nations and that users will be able to view in seven different languages. Read more at Open Culture’s blog. Visit: http://www.wdl.org/en/

Talk like Shakespeare on his birthday

Today is William Shakespeare’s 445th birthday. Up in Chicago, Mayor Daley has proclaimed it Talk Like Shakespeare Day. You know, as they sing in Kiss Me Kate: “Brush up your Shakespeare, start quoting him now. Brush up your Shakespeare, and the women you will wow” (Cole Porter’s the author there, but I’m sure Shakespeare would be pleased).

Here are some sites of interest and humor for the day:

• Talk Like Shakespeare
• William Shakespeare: Loads of information and media from Encyclopaedia Britannica
• Shakespeare’s works on Project Gutenberg: Read Shakespeare for free – he always did play to the cheap seats, anyway.
• Find your favorite Shakespeare insult generator, thou spleeny rump-fed death token!
• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (MIT)
• Shakespearean Twitter: post your thought, and the author will tweet it like Shakespeare would. My fave so far: “i’m stuck in traffic on lake shore drive!” is answered with “Mine caravan hath been assaulted by legions of shining magickwagons and am under siege on the Drive of the Lake of the Shore.”

PBS video portal

Good morning. I’ve been away for a few days, gathering steam for the Blackboard 9 Release rollout, but I’m still here.

I had to jump back in today to let you know that PBS has launched a new portal to national and local video: http://www.pbs.org/video. View full-length programs of your favorite series. This has been a long time coming, and will be a boon to educators who like to use clips of Nature, NOVA, Frontline, American Experience, and more. Hey, even Julia Child’s cooking programs are accessible there! This portal can only grow and get better, so stay tuned … .

online smithsonian

The Smithsonian Institution is building online resources that reflect Heritage Months (such as Asian Pacific American Heritage, Black History, Hispanic Heritage). The online exhibits and collections referenced are well worth reviewing for various instructional purposes. The Women’s History Month, for example, links to the Smithsonian’s Women’s History Photos on Flickr, a list of recommended books on African American Women Artists, and much more. Explore!

Selma Hortense Burke, sculptor

photo from Smithsonian Institution Flickr photostream

a virtual newsroom

The American University in Cairo has launched a virtual newsroom in Second Life, a 3-D virtual world application. Read about it and view video from a documentary about the project on DIP’s Dispatches from the Imagination Age or watch the brief documentary, below.