Jennifer C.M. Wright

Portfolio

Connect with Me

A Quick Guide to the New SMCM Website

by

Please Note: This content was originally posted on the date above on the IT News on Campus blog at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Welcome to the New SMCM Website!  Below you will find a quick guide to how to navigate the new site, the new locations for some favorite pages, and some features that are new with the redesign.  This guide will take you through the new home page, the new InsideSMCM page, and the new directory page for the College website.

SMCM Home Page

Let’s start with the SMCM Home Page, and take a look at some of the new navigation:

  1. Primary Navigation: These links are intended for new visitors to the site. They provide links into key information related to recruitment for new students.
  2. Community Pages: These links connect to the various communities involved with the College and serve as a way to collect information both useful to the communities and interesting to visitors.
  3. Content-Oriented Navigation: This navigation bar collects the top content in News, Profiles, Events, Photos, and Videos.
  4. Expanded Footer: This section contains our primary social media links, a button for quick access to the giving site, and primary resource links for all visitors to the page.

Web_FrontPage

Now let’s take a closer look at the SMCM Home Page. Use the numbers on the home page image above to guide you through the close-up sections below.

01 Orange Chrome 01 Primary Navigation Links

These links are intended for new visitors to the site. They provide links into key information related to recruitment for new students.

Web_PrimaryNav1

01 Orange Chrome 02 Community Pages

These links connect to the various communities involved with the College and serve as a way to collect information both useful to the communities and interesting to visitors.

Web_communitypagesnav2

01 Orange Chrome 03 Content-Oriented Navigation

 

This navigation bar collects the top content in News, Profiles, Events, Photos, and Videos.

Web_contentnav3

01 Orange Chrome 04 Expanded Footer

This section contains our primary social media links, a button for quick access to the giving site, and primary resource links for all visitors to the page.

Web_Footer

Inside SMCM – A New Home Page for the Campus Community

In order to serve the daily needs of the on-campus community, a new “second home page” was developed to aggregate the links and information most used on a daily basis. There are a few key component of the InsideSMCM page:

  1. Icon Alley: A quick and visual set of links to the most frequently-accessed pages and apps for the College.
  2. Content oriented links: More in depth and specific links, grouped by content area, so you can find the contact information, frequently used forms, and other links that you need.
  3. Important Phone Numbers: The most frequently requested phone numbers for campus, in a handy, quick-access format.

Web_InsideSMCMMain

01 Orange Chrome 05 Icon Alley

A quick and visual set of links to the most frequently-accessed pages and apps for the College.

Web_IconAlley

01 Orange Chrome 06 Content-Oriented Links

More in depth and specific links, grouped by content area, so you can find the contact information, frequently used forms, and other links that you need.


 Web_InsideSMCMContentLInks

 01 Orange Chrome 07 Important Phone Numbers

The most frequently requested phone numbers for campus, in a handy, quick-access format.  For a complete directory listing, contact numbers can be found in the new Directory pages discussed below.

Web_PhoneNumbers

Directory Listings to Find the Information You Need

The new directory listings paves allow visitors and campus members alike to find contact information quickly.  The information can be searched under multiple listings:

  1. Offices and Services: An alphabetical listing of campus offices and programs with phone number, physical location, and website links.
  2. Degree Programs: An alphabetical listing of all degree programs that includes links to the appropriate website, name and contact information for the Chair, and links to degree requirements and appropriate faculty profiles.
  3. People and Site Search: People Search allows visitors to find an individual by name, and Site Search harnesses a Custom Google Search for the entire SMCM website.


Web_Directory

01 Orange Chrome 08 Offices and Services

An alphabetical listing of campus offices and programs with phone number, physical location, and website links.

Web_DirOffices

01 Orange Chrome 09 Degree Programs:

An alphabetical listing of all degree programs that includes links to the appropriate website, name and contact information for the Chair, and links to degree requirements and appropriate faculty profiles.

Web_DirDegrees1

01 Orange Chrome 10 People and Site Search

People Search allows visitors to find an individual by name, and Site Search harnesses a Custom Google Search for the entire SMCM website.

Web_customsearch1

Using a Google Calendar in a Blackboard Course

by

Please Note: This content was originally posted on the date above on the IT News on Campus blog at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

blackboard logoHave you been frustrated by the calendar in your Blackboard course?

Would you like to manage your course calendar in Google right along with your personal calendar?

apps_ring_grey-logo2_nov2010

You can create a course calendar that contains all the important date and event information related to your course, and make it available in Blackboard.

Some of the advantages of using a Google Calendar are:

  1. Updating your course calendar in Google automatically updates the the embedded calendar in Blackboard. Once you have embedded the calendar in your Blackboard course, any changes you make to events will be automatically updated when students view the calendar in Blackboard.
  2. Students can make the calendar available in their own Google Calendar app, so they can overlay the course calendar with their own primary calendar or copy the events to their primary calendars.
  3. All the features of Google Calendars are available for use, including the ability to invite students to an event, and keep a running tally of the responses.

To get you started, we have created a video that walks you through the steps of creating the calendar, adding events, and embedding the calendar in a Blackboard course.

If you need additional assistance getting your Google course calendar set up, please contact the IT Support Center by creating a ticket at http://itsupport.smcm.edu, and we will be happy to walk you through the process.

If you have any additional tips on using Google Calendars this way, please share them by commenting below.

Learning Technologists Available for Course Consultations this Summer!

by

Please Note: This content was originally posted on the date above on the IT News on Campus blog at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Have some ideas about how Google Apps might boost engagement in your course?
Are you looking to revise an assignment, a topic or unit, or even the whole course to fine tune the learning environment?

We would love to help!

Learning Technologists (Ben Casto and Jennifer Wright) are available throughout the summer to consult about any and all technology issues related to course development and revision.  We understand that the week before school starts is a busy time for everyone, and that planning and revision of courses is a process in which faculty engage in advance, so we are offering the opportunity to meet as you are planning and revising your courses in order to make efficient and productive use of your time.

Some suggestions for possible ways we can assist you in preparing your courses include:

  • Learning and setting up web-based tools (Google Apps, SafeAssign, Blackboard gradebook, journals, or blogs, etc.) to make the administration of your course more efficient
  • Incorporating digital tools to support group work, organization, and collaboration in course assignments
  • Best practices for setting up assignments, tests, and quizzes for your students using online tools
  • Efficient and effective course layouts in Blackboard
  • Creation of a Google Site for course or SMP support
  • Tools for student feedback in formative and summative assessment

If any of these topics spark an idea that you would like to discuss, feel free to fill out the form below, and we will contact you to set up a time to meet.  Not on Campus much this summer? That’s ok! We can work by Google Hangout (and its awesome ability to share a computer screen while talking), phone, or plain old email if that is what works for you.

Don’t know where to start? We can help with that too.  Just let us know about something in your course that you would like to improve and we can brainstorm along with you for ways to boost engagement and efficiency that work with the way that you want to teach.

consultform_screenshot

Learning Technologists Available for Course Consultations this Summer!

by

Please Note: This content was originally posted on the IT News on Campus blog at St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Have some ideas about how Google Apps might boost engagement in your course?

 

Are you looking to revise an assignment, a topic or unit, or even the whole course to fine tune the learning environment?

 

We would love to help!

Learning Technologists (Ben Casto and Jennifer Wright) are available throughout the summer to consult about any and all technology issues related to course development and revision. We understand that the week before school starts is a busy time for everyone, and that planning and revision of courses is a process in which faculty engage in advance, so we are offering the opportunity to meet as you are planning and revising your courses in order to make efficient and productive use of your time.

Some suggestions for possible ways we can assist you in preparing your courses include:

  • Learning and setting up web-based tools (Google Apps, SafeAssign, Blackboard gradebook, journals, or blogs, etc.) to make the administration of your course more efficient
  • Incorporating digital tools to support group work, organization, and collaboration in course assignments
  • Best practices for setting up assignments, tests, and quizzes for your students using online tools
  • Efficient and effective course layouts in Blackboard
  • Creation of a Google Site for course or SMP support
  • Tools for student feedback in formative and summative assessment

If any of these topics spark an idea that you would like to discuss, feel free to fill out the form below, and we will contact you to set up a time to meet. Not on Campus much this summer? That’s ok! We can work by Google Hangout(and its awesome ability to share a computer screen while talking), phone, or plain old email if that is what works for you.

Don’t know where to start? We can help with that too. Just let us know about something in your course that you would like to improve and we can brainstorm along with you for ways to boost engagement and efficiency that work with the way that you want to teach.

Please note: This form is no longer live and the image provided here for demonstration purposes only.

LearningTech Consultations Form