University of Delaware
Office of Public Relations
UpDate - Vol. 16, No. 28, April 24


                               TechTalk
                        UD in media consortium
     
     The University of Delaware has been accepted as a new
academic member of New Media Centers, an innovative non-
profit consortium of higher education institutions and
technology companies promoting teaching and learning using
new media.
     Activities sponsored by New Media Centers include novel
models of interaction such as distance learning, video
teleconferencing, online discussions and more traditional
face-to-face seminars and conferences.
     "New media enables faculty to develop course materials
using all the new forms of information and communication
which are becoming available," Leila Lyons, director of user
services, said.
     A wide variety of new media tools will be available to
faculty when a new center know as PRESENT (Practical
Resources for Educators Seeking Effective New Technologies)
officially opens.
     All faculty and teaching staff are invited to attend a
PRESENT open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., today, and
Friday, April 25.
     Located in Room 002A of Smith Hall, PRESENT is a new,
on-campus faculty resource center designed to
      * Coach faculty as creative technology users,
      * Bridge the gap between learning technology and
        applying it to teaching,
      * Provide hands-on experience in a simulated
        classroom environment,
      * Create templates for faculty to benefit from
        innovative uses and
      * Follow through to ensure a successful connection to
        teaching.
     Participants can learn how to create or enhance web
pages and other presentations, operate presentation tools
and classroom technology and use effective technologies for
collaborative projects and distance learning.
     Technologies that were difficult and expensive to use
in the past have become more accessible to mainstream users,
Paul Hyde, information resource consultant, said.
     For example, Hyde said, when Philip Goldstein,
associate professor in the Parallel Program, wanted to
present Frankenstein to his class, he was able to employ
multiple media. Using the original text from Mary Shelley
and digitized video clips from Kenneth Branagh's movie,
Goldstein created a presentation which offered both formats.
     Goldstein's final product was a compact disc which he
can take between campuses and easily access as he leads
class discussions.
     Registration for the open house is recommended, but not
required. Send e-mail to usered@udel.edu to register.
     Interested persons can contact the PRESENT by calling,
831-0640, by sending e-mail to present-site@udel.edu or by
accessing its web site at http://www.udel.edu/
learn/present/
                                                -Beth Thomas