Teaching with Technology Certificate

College of the Liberal Arts

Copyright for Multimedia in Your Portfolio

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A nit-picky, but important consideration for including multimedia (images, sound, video, animation) within your portfolio is copyright. Whenever you use material from someone else, no matter how worthwhile the purpose may be, you should factor in copyright issues. This is especially important for online material open to the public. Although no blog entry can give a complete overview of copyright advice for every situation, there are simple resources that can help.

Fair Use in the Classroom vs a Portfolio

A lot of instructors freely borrow material for classroom presentations assuming that Fair Use protects them. Fair Use does provide a certain level protection, but generally within the classroom or a password protected course space. Take the scenario of showing a video clip for example. Showing a movie in the classroom is considered legitimate Fair Use. Streaming it through a password protected system such as ANGEL is also accepted because of the TEACH Act. But uploading entire song file to your portfolio (vs using a YouTube embed) is much more problematic because 1) it is not necessarily for educational purposes and 2) anyone outside the classroom could access it. Your use may be non-profit, but you could potentially be depriving someone of revenue because someone is viewing your material for free instead of renting the video or buying the DVD.

The good news is that services such as YouTube, Flickr and Hulu are showing copyright holders the advantages of loosening control over copyrighted material. However if there is a dispute and you claim Fair Use, it may not be considered “valid” Fair Use until settled in court. In the meantime, you could be blocked from posting a particular file…

What Can I Do?

Although copyright can be about what not to do, there are actually plenty of good resources and strategies for using multimedia content.

  1. Embedding a video clip from YouTube or other streaming service is acceptable. The same is true for an online slideshow or audio file with an embed tag. Many files are posted for promotional or educational purposes, and if there is a permissions issue, is is the responsibility of the person who posts that material…not yours.
  2. Linking to an image, video or audio file on another site is acceptable, and you are not generally required to seek permission to link. If you see an image you like on another site and which is relevant to particular discussion, you can post a link on your page.
  3. You can often find and use materials with a Creative Commons license. Most Creative Commons license allow you to use the material in a non-commercial setting (including classroom instruction and portfolios). However, most licenses require you to credit the source (and it’s the polite thing to do). The Media Commons service maintains an excellent list of resources with Creative Commons materials at http://mediacommons.psu.edu/freemedia
  4. Items from the U.S. Government are often public domain. By federal law, material produced by the federal government (except for the Smithsonian Institution) is public domain. This includes space images from NASA, wildlife pictures and monuments from the National Park Service, historical images and recordings from the Library of Congress, food images from the USDA, medical images from the CDC and other informational images from various agencies.
  5. Don’t forget Wikipedia Images and sound on the Wikipedia site are reviewed for legality. Most have clear descriptions of where they were obtained and how they can be used. They are a mix of Creative Commons, public domain and those citing “Fair Use”. Note though that Fair Use in one country may not match U.S. Fair Use, so read license before downloading.
  6. Look for non-profit repositories on your topic. Different institutions and individuals are creating repositories for non-commercial use on different topics. A personal favorite of mine is the Perry Castañeda Library Map collection out of the University of Texas.

Using the resources above, it’s likely that you will be able to find something that could help you in the classroom or your portfolio. The ultimate benefit is that if you find resources with valid licenses, you will have much more flexibility in being able to distribute material either on the portfolio or in a research publication.

Want to Learn More?

There are lots of excellent copyright resources at Penn State and elsewhere:

Avoid Times New Roman…Really

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The Teaching with Technology (TWT) certificate program will end in May 2017. All portfolios must be submitted to coordinators by May 5, 2017.

Read more about the program end.

Why Avoid Times New Roman?

Times New Roman and other serif fonts such as Palatino, Garamond and can be very elegant, but are ultimately designed for paper. When you print documents with these fonts on paper, technologies for laser printers and ink jets allow for very fine details, such as the elegant serifs (feet at the ends of the letters), to be drawn clearly.

However, Web sites must be designed for computer monitors which do not allow for as much detail to be displayed. Although font display technologies have improved on newer models, they are not really the equivalent to print yet. Therefore simpler sans-serif fonts such as Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, Trebuchet, Tahoma are recommended since they are more legible on a screen. That’s why the default fonts for most online platforms, including Blogs at Penn State and ANGEL, are a sans-serif font.

You can read more about these recommendations on the Legibility page.

When to keep Times New Roman and Serif Fonts

If you really are fond of serif or decorative fonts, they are usable in these situations:

  • A downloadable document, such as C.V. in PDF or RTF format. These would be documents designed to be printed.
  • When the font size is larger such as in headlines, headers or in some navigational buttons.

Check Color Contrast

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The Teaching with Technology (TWT) certificate program will end in May 2017. All portfolios must be submitted to coordinators by May 5, 2017.

Read more about the program end.

Choosing a unique palette is a great way to express your online personality, but you do have to consider some factors. Most people have learned NOT to combine bright colors together, but sometimes a color palette can be little too subtle.

By that I mean that the contrast between the text (the “foreground”) and the background needs to be far enough so that text is easily distinguished from the background. For instance, gray text on black can be more elegant than black text, but the gray still has to be dark enough to be legible . The same is true of any color scheme using multiple shades of the same color.

Similarly, aqua links are lovely, but the aqua also needs to be dark enough to be easily legible…especially if your audience includes anyone “of a certain age” (late 30s and up) beginning to have experience symptoms of weakening eyesight. See the Accessibility Color Contrast page for examples of good and not-so-good contrast examples.

The good news there are some online tools to check for contrast, although you will need to find what the color codes you are using (e.g. #FFFFFF for white, #00000 for black, #FF9900 for an orange). See notes below on color codes.

  • Sites at Penn State: The default templates blog templates generally have good color contrast in most cases, so this is a non-issue unless you modify the colors extensively.
  • Note on Dreamweaver and other Web Editors: The color codes are available when you select a color in a swatch. Look in the swatch or the properties windows to find the code.

Once you know your color codes for text (foreground) and background, you can enter them into one of the forms listed below. Ideally you want results to be AA.

Should your contrast selection not score “AA”, I would recommend that you adjust colors. Fortunately, you generally only need subtle adjustments. That is, making your text just a little bit darker or you background just a little bit lighter will improve contrast while maintaining the integrity of your artistic vision.

Write for the Web

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Scanning vs. Reading on the Web

The TWT Portfolio does require some writing, particularly pieces such as the Teaching Philosophy statement. But you should know that writing for the Web is a little different from writing a traditional academic paper.

Many users of the Web are actually scanning text rather than reading a page in depth. Therefore usability experts such as Jakob Nielsen recommend writing to enhance scanning.

Enhancing Scanning

How do you enhance scanning?

  1. Write short paragraphs. A paragraph of 1 sentence is OK on the Web. Even the longer paragraphs above are only 2-3 sentences long.
  2. Use numerals instead of number words. It is easier to identify numbers in digit form rather than word form. Compare “52 cards” rather than “fifty-two cards.”
  3. Use section headers. For example, “Enhancing Scanning”. This gives readers a good road map of what to expect.
  4. Use lists. Notice how I am listing tips in a list. Bulleted lists and numbered lists both work, but have different purposes.
  5. Bold key words. In text, you might italicize key words, but on the Web bold face is easier to spot and read.
  6. Use sans-serif fonts like Verdana, Tahoma, Trebuchet. These fonts are designed for the Web. Fonts like Times New Roman are actually designed for print (where they work beautifully).
    Note: If you want to use a particular font for a C.V., consider creating a PDF version with the appropriate print font as well as a Web version.

A final tip: Don’t use underlines unless it’s a link. On the Web, underline = link, so avoid underlines for other uses. Use bold or italics instead.

Portfolio Usability Tip #1: Name on Every Page

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About Usability

For this semester’s tips, I thought I would focus on creating the portfolio itself, specifically enhancing it’s usability. What is usability? There are lots of technical definitions including this definition of usability from Jakob Nielsen, but it does boil down to making a visit to your portfolio as simple and pleasant as possible.

If you think about your favorite Web sites, you can probably find what you want quickly and easily. The same should be true for your portfolio – you want people visiting to quickly find all the content you have carefully prepared and to remember your portfolio as a well-crafted site. Incorporating simple usability tips can enhance that experience with little additional work for you.

So first up…making sure your name is on every page.

Why your name should be on every page

If you go to CNN or Flickr’s Web site, their company’s name is on every page, no matter which story you are reading or which photo you are looking at. Your portfolio should be the same.

For instance, if someone recommends your multimedia example to a friend and sends a link to just that page (instead of your home page)…as long as your name is on the multimedia page, the visitor will know who you are and which site they are on.

Having your name on every page not only gives a new visitor a context (e.g. this is Jane Smith’s portfolio), but it also helps them know they are if they continue to visit other pages (i.e. ALL of Jane’s portfolio).

How Tos

Sites Platform

If you are using the Sites at Penn State (http://sites.psu.edu) platform for your portfolio, you can make enter your name into the Site Title field when you create a site. This will become the title displayed on every page. Alternatively, if you want a title without your name you can enter name into the Tagline field after you create the site. The description is displayed as smaller text beneath the portfolio title.

To access either field, enter the editing portion of your site, then go to the Settings menu, then General. Save your changes, then click the Save Changes link.

Other Web Editing Tools

Many other Web editing tools including Dreamweaver include options for templates or server side includes. If these are not available, then you can manually copy and paste the section with your name onto every page.

PowerPoint Game Templates

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The Teaching with Technology (TWT) certificate program will end in May 2017. All portfolios must be submitted to coordinators by May 5, 2017.

Read more about the program end.

Powerpoint can also be used as a “game board” for popular games like Jeopardy, Twenty Questions, Guess the Word, Bingo, Concentration and so forth. These can be a fun way to practice simple drill skills or some clues can be used as a mental stretching exercise.

Templates are available in several sites including these:

Maybe a template could work for you…or you could build your own.

Some Plugins for Polling and Quizzing PowerPoint

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The Teaching with Technology (TWT) certificate program will end in May 2017. All portfolios must be submitted to coordinators by May 5, 2017.

Read more about the program end.

Earlier in the semester, Tips #4: Killing Bullet Points made some suggestions for how to include student interaction within a class session, including quick polls or quizzes. Quizzes can be used before presenting a concept to gauge what attitudes or perceptions a student may have ahead of time. They can also be used after presenting a concept to see if students grasped what you were trying to teach.

Some products that include options for building a quiz in PowerPoint are:

  1. Clickers – Quizzes tied into a clicker system can be built into a PowerPoint presentation. If you build a quiz with this plugin, then students who have a clicker can enter responses. This allows everyone to participate, even in very large classes.
    Note: You must be teaching in a clicker-enabled room and students must purchase clickers.

  2. Adobe Presenter (Windows only) – This plugin prepares PowerPoint files to be displayed in Adobe Connect and includes a quiz function. Students logged into Adobe Connect can answer the questions. Optimal for online presentations.
    Note: Cost is approximately $80 for instructors. Files are played within Adobe Connect.

A Low-Tech Alternate

Even if the products above present too large a logistical hurdle, there are low tech methods you can use to achieve the same effect. Just prepare a slide with your question and then ask for a show of hands. If you have a multiple choice question, then you can ask students to raise numbers of fingers for choice 1,2,3 and so forth. Even this technique can provide you with helpful information on student perception.

Preparing a Plan for PowerPoint Presentations

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The Teaching with Technology (TWT) certificate program will end in May 2017. All portfolios must be submitted to coordinators by May 5, 2017.

Read more about the program end.

This tip forces you to ask the dreaded question – “Am I prepared to go on if the projector bulb blows out?” Below are some ideas on how you may be able to prepare ahead.

For a blown projector

  • Have printed copy of the presentation with you. You can always post the file in ANGEL after the fact for students.
  • Write down the phone number for tech support
  • If there’s an overhead projector in the room, bring blank transparencies

Store backup files in multiple locations

  • On a Flash drive
  • On a your laptop
  • On e-mail, as an attachment to a recent message sent to yourself
  • In your ANGEL course (you can hide them from students if necessary)
  • On your Penn State blog
  • On the CLC Lab U drive

Cross Platform Quirks

  • Use standard Microsoft fonts like Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Georgia. They’re most likely to be installed on all computers.
  • Be familiar with multiple versions of PowerPoint – you may be forced to use an older or newer version of PowerPoint or use one on an alternate system.
  • Office 2007 (Win)/Office 2008 (Mac) – Save files with the older .ppt extension rather than the new .pptx extension…just in case. You can do this under the File : Save As… command.

For Web sites or special applications, consider making back up screen captures…in case something fails to open “live”.

Finally, listen to student suggestions – If you’re lucky, one of them works for Media Services or the ITS Help Desk.

If you have any other suggestions or stories to share, let us know in the forum.

Formatting PowerPoint Slide Tips

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The Teaching with Technology (TWT) certificate program will end in May 2017. All portfolios must be submitted to coordinators by May 5, 2017.

Read more about the program end.

Here are some tips to make the text on your slides more legible.

  1. Use high contrast color schemes – You can either use dark text on pale backgrounds or light text on dark backgrounds, but you should avoid mid colors on mid colors such as oyster gray on pewter gray or aqua on sea green.
    Tip: Ask yourself if the slide could be read if it were converted to black and white.

  2. Avoid combinations of over-bright colors – Combining too many bright colors can cause eye strain (or even a headache in an extreme case). Use the edit color options to tone down colors slightly. The impact will likely still be very effective

  3. Use subtle backgrounds – You don’t want a tool line or background image to compete with your main message.

  4. Beware projector washout – a projector tends to brighten colors. A subtle gray may actually appear to be white on the screen while a hunter green may become bright emerald green. The best way to check for this is to project your presentation.

  5. Use sans-serif fonts – Sans-serif fonts are "modern" fonts without extra strokes at the ends of letters. Sans-serif fonts include Verdana, Tahoma, Helvetica. Serif fonts include Times New Roman, Georgia, Palatino.

  6. Keep the text LARGE (28-36 points) – Most of the content should be about 32 points, and nested bullets only slightly smaller. Titles should be even larger (e.g. 44-50 pts). If you can’t fit the content on one slide consider splitting the content on separate slides or preparing a separate data handout.

  7. Use common fonts – If you plan to use your PowerPoint on a podium computer or machine you do not own, then you need to use common fonts that appear on most systems. This is especially an issue if you switch between Mac and PC.

  8. Simplify animations and transition effects – One line of falling letters is neat. Hundred of lines of falling letters is tiresome.

  9. Leave a reasonable margin (blank space) on the edge of the slide

  10. Check your slides from a distance – You could preview your presentation from the back of the room, but even moving your chair back could help

Use PowerPoint Master Slide and Title Bar

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The Teaching with Technology (TWT) certificate program will end in May 2017. All portfolios must be submitted to coordinators by May 5, 2017.

Read more about the program end.

Master Slide

The Master Slide area (usually under the View options/menu) is where you can set the default formatting options for every slide in your presentation. If you want blue text instead of red text or square bullets instead of circle bullets, you can change them once in the master slide, and it will change all the slides at once – a real time saver.

The Master Slide is also critical for ensuring accessibility in PowerPoint presentations.

If you’re in an especially creative mood, you can also insert images for a header, change the footer and modify the background image.

A Title for Every Slide

Having a title for every slide is important for several reasons. For one thing, a title helps students understand the overall structure of the presentation. This is especially true if you have a student needing a disability accomodation. In fact, some tools can “skim” a PowerPoint outline by just reading the titles of each slide. Even if you are continuing a list onto a second page, adding a “Continued…” title helps students understand that the new slide is just an extension of the previous slide.

Another reason is that it adds context to whatever is on the slide (especially if students are downloading and reviewing files for future study. Suppose you have an image of a 747 jet plane on your slide. A student, after the lecture, may wonder why it is there. Is it symbolizing the global economy? An example of fossil fuels in use? An illustration of an aerodynamic principle (and if so which one?). There are lots of reasons a 747 could be in your presentation, but a title narrows the possibilities.

Incidentally, tweaking the master slide, and inserting the correct blank slide template will insure that a title is on every slide and formatted consistently.

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