Commonalities

Today’s Commonalities discussion was lively, focusing on the usefulness of electronic textbooks and if they are of interest to faculty and students.    Most of the comments focused on the ease of use and the need for the information to be free of a specific type of device. It has been noted in some articles that the best device is still the laptop, it is preferred by students because of its versatility.  Other areas that were discussed were: access vs ownership, enhancing the information found in the text, how to still have “open book” tests without giving student complete access to the web, cost (still not cheaper than print in some cases), standard books vs customizing content for a class.

The next Commonalities Program will be on October 25 at noon on the 4th Floor of the IC. The topic will be the Digital  Humanities.  More information to follow.

September 26:  Electronic Textbooks
 

Join Dean Robert Seal of the University Libraries for a conversation about electronic textbooks.  What textbook will you be using next semester? Have you considered not using a textbook or relying on electronic books and resources for your classes? How are iPads and Kindles impacting higher education? Your class? What about e-textbooks?  Stop by and hear what your colleagues think about these topics and related trends. Join us on September 26, 2011 from noon – 1:00 pm for food and conversation on Level 4 of the Klarchek Information Commons (LSC). 

We will supply lunch, you supply the conversation!

Please RSVP to Carol Franklin (cfrankl@luc.edu) by Thursday, September 22nd.

Join Dr. Steven Jones, Professor of English and Co-Director of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities, for a discussion about the digital humanities–which the Chronicle of Higher Education in 2010 referred to as “the next big thing” and the New York Times has covered in a recent series, “Humanities 2.0″–and its growing presence in higher education. How might the rise of the digital humanities affect the way you teach and the way students learn, including providing new kinds of materials, tools, and assignments, but also providing new kinds of questions for different disciplines? Learn about the recent history of the Center for Textual Studies and Digital Humanities within Loyola, its ongoing research projects, and its new MA program (starting this fall).  Join us on October 25, 2011 from noon – 1:00 pm for food and conversation on Level 4 of the Klarchek Information Commons (LSC).

We will supply lunch, you supply the conversation!

Please RSVP to Carol Franklin (cfrankl@luc.edu) by Friday, October 21st.

Join Bruce Montes and Carol Scheidenhelm to discuss using mobile technologies in the classroom to facilitate engagement and learning.  Who is using mobile technologies in the classroom?  How are they using technologies successfully?  How do students feel about the use of these technologies in the classroom?  Stop by and hear from your colleagues who are integrating mobile technologies in their classroom.  Join us on November 11, 2011 from noon-1:00pm for food and conversation on Level 4 of the Klarchek Information Commons (LSC).

We will supply lunch, you supply the conversation!

Please RSVP to Carol Franklin (cfrankl@luc.edu) by Wednesday, November 9th.

Commonalities is an ongoing dialogue in support of teaching sponsored by Information Technology Services, The Office of Learning and Technology Assessment, and The University Libraries.