The Information Literacy Equation

Great slide show that Debra found. Notice also that it comes from SlideShare, a fabulous web tool.

Otis Faculty: Get Your Website Now!

For a long time, Guy Bennett wanted us to find a way for Otis faculty to easily make their own webpage or site.

Happily, the new Portfolio system turns out to be perfect for this. Just look what Guy created! http://ospace.otis.edu/gbennett/

He needed a place to put things that he refers to in EVERY class without having to upload them repeatedly in the LMS. His site now includes resources he likes to recommend to his students such as online books and links to his own published writing. He could also put his resume or CV if he wished. He can now add to it or change it as often as he wants.

The e-portfolio system (called Spots by our vendor, Digication) is extremely flexible and allows you to upload all types of content as well as customize the interface with your own images and header. Each “spot” has a unique URL which links directly to your site. The templates are nicely designed and extremely easy to use. You could do it on your own, but if you would like assistance, Heather Cleary offers workshops through the TLC and is available for individual consultations.

Ready to try? Simply go to ospace.otis.edu, login with your Xnumber and password, and click on the CREATE button. Then share yourself with the Otis Community!

NEW! Otis College Channel on YouTube

Using Fletcher Jones Foundation funding, over the past year, the TLC has been working with faculty to create podcasts and make them available on the Otis iTunesU site.

Recently, we have also begun to experiment with creating videos of faculty demonstrations for courses and putting them up on YouTube (in addition to iTunesU). To that end we have created an Otis College Channel on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=otiscollege

At present, you will find several videos there. One is Bob Mackie talking about why he likes working with Otis fashion students. There are others by Foundation faculty member, Christian Mounger, demonstrating “Value Step Scales Using Graphite.” More to come. Please subscribe to this channel.

Marc Meredith started a YouTube Channel quite awhile ago called Otis Admissions with some excellent videos from the Ben Maltz Gallery as well as student interviews. Eventually he will migrate those videos to the more inclusive Otis College Channel.

Many Otis students have put their own work on YouTube and tagged them “otis college.” They are really fun to watch.

By the way, Marc also has been creating an interesting blog called, The “O” Observed. Well worth a look!

Speaking of blogging, many faculty are also experimenting with blogs and wikis for classroom use. You’re welcome to take a look at some other Otis’ experiments within the world of Web 2.0 by clicking here. The TLC is also blogging at TLC Notes.

This is an exciting time for Otis as we watch its web presence spread into social networking sites.

Mind Mapping to Support Creativity

Tony Buzan calls mind mapping a “swiss army knife for the brain.”

Mind Mapping software is being experimented with at Otis by Marcie Begleiter, for one. If you are interested to try it before investing in the software, there are 3 free web tools that you can use. A review of the free tools is available on the Web Worker Daily blog.

WACK! The Blog

One of the most innovative uses for a blog that I've ever seen is the MOCA blog for the WACK! exhibition . There's no website for the show, just the blog. Given that there are so many people who want to comment, and have stories to share, this is the perfect vehicle.

Next New Thing

Newcast from 1993 discussing a new phenomena, the Internet.

My Second Life on the Submarine Channel

What an great website dedicated to showcasing new media! The Submarine Channel will be of interest to many departments at Otis. You'll find a mix of offbeat and original content including independent narrative short films, music videos, animations, and interviews with filmmakers.


There's a new feature called Forget the Film Watch the Titles, a collection of title sequences--examples of film credits including animation, motion graphics, and 3-D animations which elevate film titles to an art in itself. Although not a database where you look up all classic titles, it's still a wonderful resource.

I found the Submarine Channel through Angela A. Thomas' blog posting called Second Life Media. It was there I learned about a compelling experiment in digital storytelling. My Second Life is a mockumentary machinima. Apparently a man in California vanish, but a man of the same name mysteriously emerges from within the online world of Second Life. Released as a series of video diary "dispatches" by this Traveller, it's a lot of fun.