Mariner Mail LIVE Assistance

Mariner Mail LIVE is the ultimate suite of applications – mobile, desktop and web-based – to help our students and alumni network on campus and create a community that lasts a lifetime.

New students (including summer and STEP) and alumni have already gotten started with this new email system.  Returning students will have the fall semester to transition to the new system. 

For first-time login assistance, students and alumni can visit our Mariner Mail LIVE support page.

LIS staff will offer documentation as well as one-on-one assistance to all students in their use of the new system.  Stay tuned for more information!

Exploring ePortfolio Solutions

Choosing the appropriate ePortfolio solution for the College is a complex proposition.  So many products are on the market today, and Web 2.0 technology is adding a whole new dimension of possibilities to the mix.  The question now being raised is whether one solution could or even should serve the campus community.  Career services requires a product that will attractively and efficiently showcase student achievements and skills to potential employers, and ideally feed into a job database.  The faculty require an ePortfolio system that is intuitive, that adequately addresses student assessment,  and that demonstrates the development over time of academic and professional competencies.  Students want a system that appeals to their sense of individuality, is engaging and easy to use, and requires little training.   Students also would benefit most from an ePortfolio that is portable and can serve them beyond graduation.   Institutional priorities certainly would be to identify a cost effective solution and to fulfill institutional research requirements for meeting accreditation standards.  Can one size fit all?

The boom in ePortfolio products is in response to the increasing prevalence of ePortfolio use in higher education.  As expected, to satisfy the diversity of requirements, there is a diversity of ePortfolio tools and services available to meet these requirements ( Categories of ePortfolio Tools). Choosing the right solution requires time, collaborative consideration, and planning.  Some academic institutions  provide the software and server space to host their ePortfolio system (e.g.  Blackboard or Microsoft SharePoint). Other institutions adopt systems that supply hosted services (e.g. Digication, CT Distant Learning Consortium ePortfolio.org). Still, other institutions require their students  and in some cases individual academic departments to identify their own web-based ePortfolio solution.

ePortfolios have been explored at Mitchell. The College subscribed to the Connecticut Distant Learning Consortium’s (CTDLC) ePortfolio.org from 2006-09, and it was utilized by Education, Humanities, and Career Services faculty.   Survey results told us that students embraced the concept of an online portfolio, although they found it time consuming and difficult to set up.  The College is discontinuing its CTDLC subscription, and is exploring other options.  Particular impetus exists now to adopt ePortfolios across the curriculum in light of the Title III grant project that was launched this past year. 

Within the last year, an ePortfolio subcommittee was formed by the Title III project’s First Year College Task Force.  Serving on the subcommittee are Curriculum Support Librarian Lisa Kenyon and Educational Technologist Regina Ewing,  who were asked to investigate ePortfolio solutions and to develop a list of  criteria that would be important in the consideration of an appropriate strategy. Comments, questions, and your insights are welcomed.  Please feel free to contact Lisa or Regina, or post to this blog.

Student Computing Support

LIS offers assistance and support for students’ personal computers. This includes:

• Instruction in the utilization of campus technology resources including wireless, ResNet, and campus printers;
• Basic troubleshooting of technical problems and referral to appropriate hardware support resources in the local area;
• One-on-one assistance contacting hardware service providers (such as warranty call centers and local hardware repair specialists);
• Coordination of discounted hardware, software, and service options available to all students;
• Advice regarding the purchase of new hardware and software.

For more information, visit the LIS homepage, visit the Library to speak with LIS staff, or email the LIS staff.

Video on Demand and Streaming Services

Did you ever hear of  a program to be broadcast on the PBS , CNN or any other channel , and think, “That would be perfect to show in my class this week!”?  Would you like to have network access in the classroom to videos that are part of your curriculum?  Would your students benefit from having access to class assigned videos at any time and from anywhere on campus?

Video on Demand (VOD) and video streaming, utilizing the College’s VBrick service, can make all of this possible.   This service was piloted by the STEM and Humanities Departments during the last academic year, and by this fall VOD and video streaming will be available to all faculty as an enhancement of Library reserve services.

VOD allows faculty and students on a limited basis to simultaneously access and view class assigned video content at their own convenience and at their own pace.  Video streaming allows unlimited access to content that is playing on  a continuous loop during a specified time period.

With VBrick we can:

• Record television programming
• Digitize VHS tapes and DVD’s
• Provide convenient access to digitized content from any campus or student computer via the internet

For more information on utilizing this service, please contact LIS  at AskLIS@mitchell.edu to set up an appointment with Educational Technologist Regina Ewing.

Individual Instructional Media Sessions Offered in July!

Would you like to improve your skills in utilizing instructional media?  To learn how to maximize the use the document camera? Or learn how to get scene selections with the DVD player?  Would you like to understand how the smartboard works to enhance the learning experience both in and out of class? Or would you just like to generally feel more comfortable using the available classroom media equipment?

Prepare for the Fall semester now! Contact LIS  at AskLis@mitchell.edu during the month of July  to schedule an individually tailored one-on-one instructional media session with Educational Technologist Regina Ewing.  Receive an introduction to or review of the available classroom equipment; troubleshooting tips for the LCD projector, document camera, DVD/VCR player and smartboard; and/or consult with Gina on how best to utilize the available technology to accomplish your learning outcome goals.

Coming Fall Semester 2009!   Wednesday brown-bag lunch sessions will be offered.  These 30 minute sessions will target a particular classroom and its instructional media. It will be an opportunity for orientation in the basic use and troubleshooting of the equipment and also an opportunity to showcase and learn from what faculty colleagues are accomplishing to enhance learning using instructional technology.   All are welcome to participate.  Stay tuned for details!

Joan Ryan, Author, Sports Journalist, and New Mitchell Parent

Joan Ryan, whose son Ryan will begin his journey at Mitchell this fall as a freshman, has authored a beautifully compelling account of a transforming time in her life as a mother, when Ryan suffered a traumatic brain injury as the result of a skateboarding accident. The title of her book, to be published by Simon and Schuster in September, is The Water Giver. It’s subtitle, The Story of a Mother, a Son, and Their Second Chance, reveals the essence of the book’s prevailing messages of fierce commitment, unconditional love, and the mystery of faith.

Joan Ryan’s professional journey is equally inspiring. Her pursuit of a career in sports journalism led her to the top of her field as one of the first woman sports columnists in the country. She had to break down formidable gender barriers to accomplish this, and her unique perspective and insights have been acknowledged through numerous awards and accolades.

As we welcome Ryan, whose own personal experience of perseverance against tremendous odds was equally as transforming as his mother’s, we also will have the opportunity to meet and spend time with Joan. Plans are under way for reception and book discussion programming this fall, so stay tuned! The Water Giver will be available in the Bookstore as soon as it is released by the publisher. In the meantime, you may get to know Joan Ryan through her web site by clicking on the book image below. 

Discounted Software Available

Did you know that faculty, staff, and students may purchase Microsoft software from the Library for only $20?  That’s right!  With a Mitchell College photo ID, the following software packages can be purchased under our Microsoft site license:

• Microsoft Office 2007
• Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac
• Microsoft Windows XP

For full details, visit the LIS homepage (Mitchell login required).

Summer Reading Suggestions Now Online!

Check out the latest issue of Booklights, an online newsletter highlighting books available via the Mitchell College Library.  The latest entries feature titles recommended by Mitchell College faculty and staff for summer reading.

Delay Send Options in Outlook

Have you ever hit the “Send” button a moment too soon?  Or wished you could take care of an email communication now that you’d like someone to actually receive in a week or two?  With Outlook, you can delay all email messages so that they’re sent several minutes, hours, or days after you click “send”.  You can also schedule a single message to be sent at a later date. 

Find the instructions online (video and printed instructions available).

Typing the same emails over and over? Try Quick Parts!

Office 2007’s “Quick Parts” is a convenient, time-saving solution to the need of composing the same (or similarly worded) emails often.