Gmail for faculty

Gmail for faculty: Echoing the response of others, this is essential at this point to facilitate collaboration between students and faculty. It is possible to share calendars with outsiders, but students and faculty cannot share documents on Google Drive. Putting faculty on Gmail would allow professors to review revision histories of Google Docs and Presentations, an aid to detecting plagiarism and determining if and how much students contributed to a project. Enable Google+ on Google Apps accounts so that faculty can meet with students online.

Rumors of charging for online meeting software for classes: Rumors that software better than Big Blue Button may be available in the future is music to my ears. Rumors that departments would be charged for using the new software made me sick. This is the 21st century – technology is key to learning. Charging departments discourages experimentation with and adoption of technology, and is hardly forward thinking. Site licenses for teaching tools for faculty is the way to go if URI wants to be truly technologically advanced. Encourage creativity, experimentation, and technology incorporation! Don’t stifle innovation.