Interested in learning how technology is transforming instruction in higher education? Want to find out what the Library is doing to make it happen at U.Va.? Ask the six Library representatives at the Poster Sessions of the Teaching with Technology Fair on October 6, from 3:45-5:00 p.m. in the Robertson Media Center on the third floor of Clemons Library.
Find out from Research Software Specialist Nancy Kechner how Research Data Services (RDS) helps researchers acquire data in their labs, and helps them analyze and visualize their findings using one of U.Va.’s statistical or mathematical and visualization packages. The RDS StatLab offers consulting services and workshops, and geospatial analysis and visualization specialists are available to offer consultation, training, and software support. The Data Management group helps instructors write data management plans, helps researchers create metadata, and can consult on data storage and curation needs throughout the research lifecycle.
The Scholars’ Lab is represented by Digital Humanities Developer Ammon Shepherd, who will explain how the process of making things develops critical understanding. Ammon will present an overview of the Scholars’ Lab Makerspace, where instructors and students can tinker and experiment with desktop fabrication, physical computing, and augmented reality. The Scholars’ Lab is open to everyone, and specializes in applications that enhance research in the humanities and the arts.
Virtual reality will be on display as UI/UX Designer & Developer Starrie Williamson gives attendees a chance to experience wearable technology. Google Glass can aid instruction through augmented reality applications, or very basically, by expanding the field of vision of a student with a severe visual impairment. For those who want a simpler alternative to Glass there is Google Cardboard, literally a cardboard frame with two holes for lenses and a place to insert a smart phone to create a virtual reality headset. With Cardboard and Google’s Expeditions app, a teacher can lead students on virtual expeditions anywhere. Starrie will also have information and slides to share about Google I/O 2015, and what the next five years of technology might look like.
Information Visualization Specialists Will Rourk and Arin Bennett will be presenting on Cultural Heritage Data collection. Will and Arin have been involved in collecting 3D data of historic places, spaces, and objects in and around the University, using laser and photogrammetric technologies. This data benefits the scholarly community while contributing to the preservation of our architectural history. Examples of how the Library is exploring methods of archiving and visualizing collected data to support research and scholarship at U.Va. can be found in their blog, Reality Capture at UVA.
Technical Training Specialist Ronda Grizzle will be demonstrating Neatline, a program allowing users to create timelines and maps that visualize the results of scholarly thought and analysis. The Neatline plugin for the open source publisher Omeka adds geotemporal functionality to Omeka’s digital archiving capabilities, and can create beautiful, complex, and informative exhibits such as these from Lisa Reilly’s architectural history course “On Haj with Ibn Jubayr.” The Scholars’ Lab will provide support and training for U.Va. faculty who want their students to use Neatline to present their class research projects.
Stop by the Robertson Media Center on Tuesday, October 6 to grab some refreshments and enjoy these poster presentations and more.