students | Teaching and Learning with Technology

Tech TAs to assist faculty with Zoom sessions through summer

May 14, 2020 | Home Page

Less than two weeks after Penn State transitioned to remote teaching, the Tech TAs program debuted to provide faculty real-time, on-demand Zoom support so they could focus on delivering lessons and not video-conferencing technology. Thanks to a positive reception and the continuation of remote teaching, Tech TAs will be available during summer courses.

In an anonymous survey of faculty who utilized Tech TAs during the spring semester, 100% of respondents indicated that they would recommend the service to a colleague and that Tech TAs added value to their courses. Additionally, over 90% of respondents mentioned they would use Tech TAs again, and that they helped to meet their students’ needs.

One survey respondent replied to an open-ended question that this brand-new service brought them peace of mind during adverse circumstances. “Tech TAs gave me confidence that everything during my Zoom lessons would run as smoothly as possible,” they said.

Penn State students serve as Tech TAs and are the Zoom technology experts during the synchronous portion of a class. Examples of their work in Zoom during the spring semester included; setting up breakout rooms, tracking students’ attendance, administering polls, monitoring the chat feature, synchronous tech support, and recording sessions.

Additionally, the Tech TAs can help configure Zoom so that students cannot enter a “room” unless the host is present. This will prevent faculty from receiving emails anytime someone enters their Zoom room, and it will help eliminate excessively long recordings.

Faculty can request the help of a Tech TA by completing this Tech TA faculty request form. Upon submission, an email will be sent that introduces the instructor and the Tech TA. After the intro email, the TA will follow up directly to assess specific needs and determine the next steps.

Enhance your digital photography skills with free workshops in September

Sep 12, 2018 | Home Page, Uncategorized

Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) and Adobe invite students and faculty to participate in an exciting exploration of photography and image editing techniques hosted by Adobe’s Principal Evangelist for Digital Imaging, Julieanne Kost. Kost will be teaching workshop sessions on September 19 and 20 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at Hintz Family Alumni Center.

“This event is a great educational opportunity for students and faculty across all disciplines—whether they take photos with their cell phone or a DSLR camera,” said Kyle Bowen, director of innovation at TLT “Through their improved skills and techniques, the participants will be able to tell visual stories that showcase their creativity and expertise.”

Online registration for the event is currently open, and there is no cost for Penn State students and faculty to attend. Pre-registration is required. There will be a variety of sessions covering different topics, and attendees can register for the entire two-day event or solely the sessions that fit their schedule.

Participants will need to bring a smartphone with a built-in camera, or a digital camera. For the photo editing sessions, a laptop with Adobe Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop will be necessary. Penn State students and faculty have free access to a fully-featured Adobe Creative Cloud account. Representatives from TLT will be at the HUB on Wednesday, September 12 to assist any students or faculty members set up their free Adobe Creative Cloud accounts.

Instruction at the workshop sessions will be provided by Kost, an expert in digital photography and editing with Creative Cloud tools. She has presented at training sessions and tutorials around the world. She has won awards from the Professional Photographers of America, the American Society of Photographers, and is a member of the Photoshop Hall of Fame.