October 4, 2006

Welcome to the first Instructional Technology Newsletter.  Each month we will send out on-line tutorials, links to resources and point you to innovative technology uses in education. This month we start off with a list of resources to help you in the use of technology, plus an overview of the most recent TWEN features. This month we cover:

TWEN Upgrade
Pacific Legal Technology Conference
SU Connects
The British Library Vs. Digital Rights Management
CALI Podcasting Report
Law TV
PowerPoint Design Tips

We welcome any suggestions, questions and comments, please e-mail us here.

Annoucements
New Features in TWEN – updated annually, TWEN is constantly evolving based on feedback from faculty users. If you’re not sure what is new and what is not, see the attached pdf document from Westlaw which lists all of the added features for this year.

Upcoming Events
Pacific Legal Technology Conference –The 2006 Conference brings to the West Coast experts from both Canada and the United States to showcase key technologies that translate to better bottom line results in legal practice. The PLTC is in Vancouver, B.C. on October 13, 2006.  Click here for more information.

SU Connects 2006 “Reaching the 21st Century Student” is Seattle University’s annual instructional technology conference intended to raise awareness of the use of technology in teaching and learning. SU Connects is October 19th, 10am-4pm, in Student Center 130/160. Click here for more information.

In the News
The British Library calls for revision of existing copyright law and digital rights management claiming current copyright law prevents legitimate uses of content such as academic, archival and universal access efforts. Read the article here.

Resources
PowerPoint – With busy schedules, coming up with a new PowerPoint design is never at the top of the to-do list.  Plus, with over 20,000,000 hits on Google, finding a good resource for designing tips in PowerPoint can be difficult. Presentation Zen, a blog primarily concerned with design and presentations, is an excellent place to start. Be sure to check out the entry on “Good Design in PowerPoint”.

Research and Innovation
LawTV – Fordham University has launched a new vlog (short for video blog), through which they intend “to showcase the clinical community and provide a place for one piece of our ongoing conversation about legal education, justice, community, equality, the rule of law, and so much else.” The vlog contains video posts from faculty and students, law blogs, e-mail posts and educational sources. To learn more, visit: http://lawclinic.tv/

Podcasting in CALI – You can find podcasts on just about any topic these days.  But how do they work as a pedagogical tool, and how do they work in the law school environment? CALI set out to learn this through their “Legal Education Podcasting Project” last spring. You can read the report on their findings here. In addition to the report, they have posted interviews with participating faculty members. Listen to what faculty members have to say about the process, how they used podcasting, and what roadblocks they hit along the way. Click on the name of the faculty member below to start downloading the interview (broadband internet connection recommended):