Integrating the Web and Microsoft Office

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Integrating the Web and Microsoft Office in the
Classroom

• Michael Vigorito, Ph.D.
• Department of Psychology
• Seton Hall University

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Why integrate computer technology into the
classroom?

• To improve instruction Pedagogy
• To support the SHU Mobile Computing Initiative by
  providing students the opportunity to develop
  strong computer skills.

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My goal is to provide students

• examples of computer use in a specific content
  area (i.e., psychology).
• computer resources that I expect to facilitate
  learning
• the opportunity to work with programs that
  students are likely to use in their future
  careers (e.g., Microsoft Office).
• easy access to the computer resources by making
  them available on my Web Site or BlackBoard.

To accomplish these goals I use Microsoft Office
to create supplementary resource materials and
distribute them on the Web.
4
Microsoft Office is designed for seamless
integration with Windows and the Web.
Examples

• My Computer vs. Windows Explorer (compare with
  Internet Explorer)
• The Web Toolbar in Microsoft Office (PowerPoint,
  Excel, Word)
• Hyperlinking locally and to the Web
• Copying pasting across Microsoft applications

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Microsoft PowerPoint Resources

• Lecture slides and notes
• Assignments requiring students to create simple
  PowerPoint presentations
• Ancillary material to supplement the lectures
• Creating simple animations with no programming
  experience
• Including Hypertext to access local documents and
  Web Sites

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PowerPoint Files for PSYC 3215
Learning 1/21/02 Click here to start
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Microsoft PowerPoint
This animation demonstrates a procedure for
studying spatial memory in animals
The words on slide above are hypertext to other
slides
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Microsoft Excel Resources

• Standard uses Descriptive Statistics,
  Inferential Statistics, Graphs
• Ancillary material to supplement the lectures
• Learning through Self-Discovery e.g.,
  Classical Conditioning, Number Systems
• Simple Animations e.g., Boolean logic
• Organization
• Academic Advising Workbook to keep track of
  course requirements (available on the Psychology
  Department Web Site)
• Workbook to keep track of images downloaded from
  the Web

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Microsoft Excel
Learning about conditioning through Self-Discovery

• Beginning students can play with the variables to
  determine effects on acquisition extinction
• Advanced students can study the formulas on the
  2nd worksheet The formulas are based on a
  prominent mathematical theory of conditioning.

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Microsoft Excel
This interactive spreadsheet allows students in
the Using Computers in Psychology (PSYC 1311)
course to compare different number systems.
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Microsoft Excel
Simple interactive animations can be created in
Excel by reducing cell sizes and using
Conditional Formatting
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Microsoft Excel
Excel is used to maintain a record of the images
harvested from the internet for use in
assignments and personal web sites. Responsible
use of images can be stressed by including
image-owner requests. Records of saved Web pages
and other documents can also be included.
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Microsoft Word
Web Tool Bar
Using the Web Tool Bar to create an electronic
portfolio.
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Microsoft Word

• Students are instructed on how to use Windows
  Explorer to organize documents into folders and
  manage their documents.
• A portfolio index page is created with hyperlinks
  to
• MS documents on the local computer
• Web Sites (replaces web browser favorites)

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Microsoft Word
Organizing Lecture Outlines and Assignments
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Microsoft Word
Organizing Course Readings and Supplementary
Material
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FrontPage or BlackBoard?
I maintain a web site with links to my courses
for visitors and a link for my students to access
BlackBoard for additional material.