Representatives of Penn Libraries, Critical Writing Program, Weingarten Learning Resources Center (VPUL) and Communication within the Curriculum (CWiC) will lead workshops to assist undergraduates with their research, writing, presentation and organizational needs.

This workshop, designed for undergraduates, addresses the speed and volume of summer courses, goal setting, time management and exam preparation. It will help answer questions such as: How do I study for a test each week? How do I keep up with my reading? How do I balance a job and school work? Presented by Weingarten Learning Resources Center staff.

Explore the Blackboard assessment tools of Pools, Tests and Surveys. The Pools tool creates banks of questions to be used in several tests. The Tests tool creates 15 question types including multiple choice, fill-in and short answer. The Surveys tool can test or query students anonymously. Learn how to manage your course site, upload documents and syllabi, send email efficiently to students, create announcements and manage your student rosters. Collaboration and Interaction in Blackboard: This workshop will focus on three Bb tools; the Discussion Boards, the Blog/Journal, and the Wiki/Teams Sites. Learn how to use these tools and see some practical examples. Learn how to use the BB Grade Center to work with different types of assignments, use the dropbox to collect assignments from students and make efficient use of assessment tools. Blackboard experts from Penn Libraries are available to help faculty and instructional staff with walk-in one-on-one assistance for courseware-related questions.

This popular spreadsheet package provides significant data analysis and graphing capabilities.

We will focus on Excel features for graphs and charts. We will discuss multiple axes, formatting data, choosing chart type, adding notes and images, and customizing your charts. We will discuss how to export charts to other formats including Word, PowerPoint and PDF. This is a hands-on workshop. Learn how to create spreadsheets, enter and format data, use mathematical calculations, and more. This is a basic course, addressed to users with no previous experience with the software.

Google is changing the way people find and use information.

We will look at the full range of Google services including some that may be new to you: Google Scholar, Google Book Search, Google Maps, etc. We will look at strategies to find quality resources quickly and efficiently using Google. Registration opens on 7/15/2009

This series is designed for faculty and instructors and provides hands-on experiences with new media, software and online resources.

Learn how to set up a blog step by step. Embed pictures, video or audio clips, and create discussion forums. We will use the free online blog service Blogspot (owned by Google) and you will leave with a blog that is published and ready for your ongoing posts. Presented by Rashmi Kumar, PennGSE graduate student.

This class will provide an hands-on introduction to using Apple's iMovie software, which is available for Penn students, faculty, and staff in the Vitale Digital Media Lab. You will learn how to capture video from a DVD, VHS tape, or from your own video camera. You will learn to organize or delete video clips, add a new soundtrack, add subtitles, and create special effects.

( Web Resource )

Registration opens on 8/3/2009

This professional image-editing software assists with online and print publications.

In this fast-paced class, we will introduce and explore one of the most fundamental yet powerful features in Photoshop -- Layers, which allow you to edit your images in a nondestructive way, isolate areas of your images for specific adjustments, repair damage, correct & enhance colors, fix problems in composition, and more, all while retaining as much flexibility and editability as possible. We will examine the Photoshop Layers palette, color adjustment layers, layer masks, type layers, shape layers, blending modes, and tricks for organizing complex files. This class assumes a working knowledge of Photoshop basics. Presented by David Toccafondi, Vitale Digital Media Lab Coordinator. ( Web Resource ) Registration opens on 7/8/2009

A basic introduction to this powerful image editing software. Learn how to open image files, use the toolbox and palettes, convert formats and manage multiple layers. Presented by David Toccafondi, Vitale Digital Media Lab Coordinator. ( Web Resource )

Second Life is an interactive virtual environment that shows promise for educational and creative activities in several disciplines.

Deke Kassabian from ISC will provide a guided tour of a new build of the Penn campus in Second Life. He will walk through the campus landmarks that are created and discuss plans for building and usage of the new space. ( Web Resource )

This series showcases new technologies. Vendor presentations may include sales-related content.

Learn how to use this free audio editing tool for PC or Mac. We will explore voice recording and enhancement, removing audio blemishes, adding music tracks and working with different audio formats. Presented by Sarah Jacoby, Vitale Digital Media Lab staff. Registration opens on 8/10/2009

We will build a small website in Google Sites. We will establish a site name, create a site structure and several webpages. We will discuss private versus public sites and the capabilities for document sharing. Instructors can use Google Sites for class projects. Google Sites is a great choice for quick personal websites. Presented by Elizabeth Scheyder, SAS Computing Senior Instructional Technology Specialist. Registration opens on 8/3/2009

Zotero is a great way to organize your online resources, bibliographies, blog posts and PDFs. Keep track of what you have found, and find it again easily.

Registration opens on 7/27/2009