GIS @ F&M Geographical information systems in use at F&M for teaching, learning and research If you've ever used MapQuest, Yahoo Maps, or Google Earth, then you've used a type of sophisticated geographical information system (GIS) for simple tasks like finding driving directions. The real power of GIS, however, is to enable researchers to uncover complex geospatial relationships. "If you use anything that relates to maps and has a spatial component to it," says Professor Andy deWet, Earth and Environment, "GIS provides sophisticated tools to record, manipulate, interpret and then to use the information for modeling and testing hypotheses." Geographic Information Systems are computer-based systems for the collection, management, display, and analysis of geographical or spatial information. These computer applications allow users to visualize large amounts of complex, spatial data by creating and combining layers of customized maps. Across many liberal arts disciplines, interest in mapping and GIS is growing. Anthropologists, historians, and political scientists are coming together with geologists, biologists, and environmental scientists to recognize the power of visualizing spatial data in their classrooms and laboratories to support teaching, learning, and research. At Franklin & Marshall, GIS is used in a variety of courses and for different purposes. Andy deWet and several of his colleagues in Earth and Environment support the use of GIS – through the department's GIS lab – to explore complex geospatial issues. Antonio Callari, Economics and Director, Local Economy Center, is exploring uses of GIS to support economic research using Census data. And there are more examples of GIS across the curriculum at other liberal arts colleges. If you're interested in learning more about GIS at F&M, plan to attend the upcoming Teaching, Learning, and Technology Discussion on March 28! Professors Online: The Internet's Impact on College Faculty Findings from a nationwide survey on Internet use by U.S. college faculty This paper reports on findings from a nationwide survey of Internet use by U.S. college faculty. The survey asked about general Internet use, use of specific Internet technologies (e–mail, IM, Web, etc.), the Internet’s impact on teaching and research, its impact on faculty–student interactions, and about faculty perceptions of students’ Internet use. There is general optimism, though little evidence, about the Internet’s impacts on their professional lives. The findings show that institutions of higher education still need to address three broad areas (infrastructure, professional development, and teaching and research) to assist faculty to continue to make good use of the Internet in their professional work. More... Google's Page Ranking System How Does Google Determine Which Web Sites Are the Most "Trusted"? Here's the short answer: Google uses more than 100 different factors, including the PageRank algorithm, to determine whether a site is trusted or reputable. If you think of the internet as a democracy, a web page that links to another page is "voting" for the value of the page. As Google explains in their Technology Overview, PageRank interprets a link from Page A to Page B as a vote for Page B by Page A. PageRank then assesses a page's importance by the number of votes it receives. But that's not the end of the story. If Page A itself has more votes from other pages, the vote carries more weight. Or to put it another way, if more people trust your site, your trust is more valuable. More... EDUCAUSE Pocket Editions An online audio series of technology topics for non-technologists in higher education EDUCAUSE, a nonprofit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology, is producing an audio series called EDUCAUSE Pocket Editions. The goal of the project, according to EDUCAUSE Vice President Diana Oblinger, is to introduce popular technology topics to non-technologists in higher education. EDUCAUSE is developing these entry level discussions to keep educators up-to-date in a world of rapidly changing technology. EDUCAUSE Pocket Editions are available online in streaming audio or downloadable MP3 formats. Recent Pocket Editions have highlighted the classroom use of podcasting and clickers to generate successful learning. Each program is about about 10-15 in length. More... Around the Web A snapshot of what's going on around the World Wide Web Student-launched Web site and magazine provides inside look at studying abroad Learning to love fondue, discovering the best types of beer and making friends with locals are just some of the cultural information often overlooked when students are considering studying abroad. The Glimpse Foundation and Glimpse Abroad, a Web site and magazine founded by Brown University students offers firsthand accounts of studying abroad. The Brown Daily Herald New 'high school of future' inundated with applicants Nearly 1,500 Philadelphia students have applied for 170 ninth-grade openings at the internationally touted Microsoft high school, which is scheduled to open in West Philadelphia in the next school year. The Philadelphia Inquirer Katrina Blog at Tulane U. Provides a Venue for Reflection and Memory As they settle back into their work and study routines, the students and employees of Tulane University have somewhere to go when they want to talk about Katrina. It's a silent conversation taking place in cyberspace on a new blog. The site, Katrina Stories, describes itself as "a living journal for those who survived" and as "a memorial to the places, family, and friends we have lost." Tulane University Dorm Rooms: 2006 Vs. 1976 A lot can change in three decades. Back in 1976, the Soviet Union was a superpower, there was only one kind of Coca-Cola and if a coffee shop tried to charge its customers four bucks for a cup of joe, it would get run out of town. College was a very different place too. In the days before the Internet, living at school wasn't all that different from living at home--except, of course, for the sex, the parties and the beer. But technology changes everything, and today's campuses would be unrecognizable to members of the class of '76. The Internet dug its roots in the fertile soil of higher education, and as it grew, it changed college life forever. Forbes STARDUST @ HOME The Stardust @ Home project, cosponsored by NASA and the space scientists at the University of California at Berkeley, needs volunteers to scrutinize pictures taken of the Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector (SIDC) for specks of interstellar dust. The University of California Berkeley

GIS @ F&M Professors Online: The Internet's Impact on College Faculty Google's Page Ranking System EDUCAUSE Pocket Editions Around the Web How many American adults use the internet? About 72% of American adults use the internet. That translates into approximately 145 million people. Here are some of the things they do online: 91% send e-mail, 80% do an internet search to answer a specific question, 78% check the weather, 58% Look for political news and information, 47% send instant messages, 45% get info online about a colleges and universities, 38% pay bills online, 25% download music files to a computer, 17% sell something online, 4% download or share adult content online Source: Pew Internet & American Life Project Tracking surveys Checking Grades in Blackboard This QuickStart explains how students can access and view their grades using Blackboard. ATS QuickStarts are designed to provide short, concise instructions for using hardware, software, and facilities managed by ATS. Google Earth Google Earth is a 3D graphics application enabling the viewing of aerial photography and satellite images to show views of the Earth from above in great detail. The software overlays satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS information over a 3D model of the Earth. It is currently available for use on personal computers running Mac OS X 10.4 and Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP. Wikipedia is a free encyclopedia that is being written collaboratively by people from around the world in several languages. Managing Multiple Applications in Mac OS X If you prefer to keep your applications open on the desktop, you can quickly move between open applications by using the Command-Tab key combination. Shift-Command-Tab key combination navigates through open applications in reverse. Teaching, Learning, and Technology Discussion "GIS across the curriculum" March 28, 2006 12 to 1 PM More information about upcoming ATS Events is available online. Professor Cindy Yetter-Vassot, French and Italian, discusses a French film with some of her students during class. Professor Yetter-Vassot has been an early adopter of the use of online, on-demand streaming instructional media at the College. Click to view larger image and description... ATS eNews March, 2006 Volume 1, Issue 5 Tips, techniques, and tools for using technology to enhance teaching and research ATS eNews is published by Academic Technology Services. http://ats.fandm.edu/enews/