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SCAILAB provides an environment for collaboration, new forms of research, and an exchange of ideas using electronic media. We assist instructors in reaching their goals for individual classes by acting as guides in the world of computer-aided pedagogy. We offer a standing invitation to all instructors who would like to make SCAILAB a part of their teaching experience.
At SCAILAB, we offer a variety of creative and fun ways to help you make technology a part of your classes, including the following:
Note: Students who are engaged in an activity learn more effectively
than those who are merely told about how to do something, so instead of
bringing your class to SCAILAB for a generic orientation, we encourage
you to pick a few tasks for your students to accomplish during their first
visit. This will allow them to learn both writing and computer skills
and to see those skills as part of the inquiry, or main theme, of your
class. SCAILAB representatives are ready and wiling to assist you in using
the technology y ou're interested in. SCAILAB's
Classroom Facilities
Resources
for Instructors
A Few of SCAILAB's programs
SKYMOOn
SCAILAB's Staff Resources
The Help You Can Expect from
the Staff at SCAILAB
How to Contact Us to Schedule
a Class
Priority User Policy stickers
(PUPs) for Your Students
Useful Links for Instructors
SCAILAB's Classroom Facilities for Instructors:
- Two electronic classrooms are available in Addams Hall.
- Room 110 is arranged in a perimeter fashion that makes it easier to confirm that all students are following along.
- Room 104 has computers arranged in pairs, making it easy for students to participate in pairs or groups.
- Each room has a scanner, CD-writer drives, and an overhead projector that can display what is on the instructor's PC.
- Instructors who bring their classes to SCAILAB will receive permission to use unoccupied classrooms to prepare for their classes, during the public lab's open hours.
A Few of SCAILAB's Programs (available in classrooms and open labs):
- DIWE for writing and classroom interactions
- Microsoft Word for word processing
- Microsoft PowerPoint for presentations
- Atomica for finding information with one click
- Dreamweaver web page maker coming soon to the classrooms
- Internet Explorer for examining and evaluating web pagesand accessing CourseInfo pages
SKYMOOn is the educational MOO of SCAILAB. It provides virtual space for discussion, writing projects, and experimentation within the context of text-based learning and exchange. Semester-long projects involving the MOOn could involve active building of the MOOn environment while improving the writing skills of students in a public context that shows how writing can have real-world consequences.
Detailed instructions and suggestions for instructors and classes working on the MOOn are available on SCAILAB’s web site, and you can visit the MOOn by going to http://eworks.engl.uic.edu:7000/.
- Student Consultants are always on duty in SCAILAB's open lab. They can help you by answering quick questions about programs, unlocking the door to the classroom you've reserved, or dealing with any technical problems during your class.
- Jim Fletcher, SCAILAB's Director, is also available to assist with classes and answer questions.
The Help You Can Expect from the Staff at SCAILAB:
The SCAILAB staff (by appointment or during office hours) can suggest ways to incorporate technology into your class as well as provide one-on-one assistance with any aspect of computing, including:- setting up and using email
- planning in-class activities
- constructing a web page or CourseInfo site and putting materials on-line
- setting up a listserv or newsgroup for your class
- using applications available on the computers in SCAILAB
We recommend that you speak to Jim Fletcher if you have any questions about how SCAILAB can meet your needs and what you can expect when bringing your class to SCAILAB. By working with us, you can become comfortable with the software that you will be using in your class. Allowing time to explore and familiarize yourself with SCAILAB and its resources will help you trust the experience and the environment, leading to a more productive session in class.
How to Contact Us to Schedule a Class:
Send an email to scailab@uic.edu, including the following information:
- your name and email address
- class number (for example, "English 160")
- time and date you'd like to schedule
- room preference (104 for pairs or 110 for perimeter arrangement)
- whether you need assistance in getting your class started (technological help is always available through the public lab consultants, even if you don't specifically request extra assistance in starting your class)
- what programs your class will be using
Priority User Policy Stickers (PUPs) for Your Students:
PUPs can give your students greater access to SCAILAB’s open lab, even during the busiest times in the semester. With one of these stickers on his or her I-Card, a student can have priority access to terminals in the open lab when working on assignments for your class. If you wish to have some for your students, contact us at scailab@uic.edu
| Useful
Links for Instructors |
- Using DIWE. An instructional guide on the technical aspects of using DIWE as well as some creative suggestions for what you can do with your class.
- SCAILAB's Web Evaluation page provides a useful guide to help teach your students how to learn and evaluate sources on the web.
- Setting Up and Using CourseInfo. The ACCC's webpage on CourseInfo, a website that can be customized for each of your classes. With CourseInfo you can post your syllabus, class assignments, student writing, and anything else you'd like. Students are given user IDs and passwords so that only members of your class can access the webpages.
- UIC's Webmail. Check your Icarus or Tigger email account from anywhere with any web browser.
- The UIC Library HomePage. You can use this page to access UICCAT, the library's catalogue, as well as any of the other electronic resources available.
- The Oxford English Dictionary. The perfect web site for the erudite writer. [Note: if you are using a non-UIC server, you may not be able to access this page.]
- Roget's Online Thesaurus: Discover new words that will help to express your fastidious intellectual side. Please use in conjunction with a dictionary.
- The following are links to grammar resources that you or your students
can use as a supplement to your textbooks:
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