Jon Messer

March 26, 2009

Messer Picture Contact

Phone: 287-6872
Email: jmesser2@richmond.edu

Office

Office: Boatwright Room 334
Office Hours: Mon - Fri, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Departments

School of Business
Law School
Leadership Studies

School of Continuing Studies

SCS: Emergency Services Management
SCS: Human Resources Management
SCS: Paralegal Studies

About

Jonathan (Jon) Messer, is the Academic Technology Consultant for the Business and Law Schools as well as Leadership Studies, and three programs in Continuing Studies (Emergency Services Management, Human Resources Management, and Paralegal Studies). We look forward to developing ties with people in each of the schools and programs to collaboratively support such things as Blackboard, Moodle, Second Life, blogs, and wikis while facilitating the introduction of emerging technologies in teaching and learning.

Jon is a native of North Carolina and currently working on a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Educational Technology at the College of William and Mary. He is interested in mobile computing, cloud computing, open-source content, blogging and course management systems. Jon also has a MDiv, Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond (2003) and a BA, Belmont University (1999).

Posted by Jon | Filed Under Teaching and Learning | Leave a Comment 

Blogs at UR and beyond

March 20, 2009

This post is a supplement to Tuesday’s workshop on creating a web presence. Happy reading!

Blogs shown during the workshop:

Where to get a blog:

Posted by Allison | Filed Under Allison, Workshops | Leave a Comment 

Ology: Wake Forest conducting webcam interviews

March 11, 2009

What’s the next big trend in higher-ed recruting?

Wake Forest recently began a pilot program to interview students for its incoming freshman class — online. Its admissions officials are using a version of Skype to conduct half-hour virtual interviews to members of its prospective class of 2013. Webcam interviews can differentiate those students are serious about attending but might not have the financial means to or time to travel to faraway colleges during a busy senior year. Then again, as David Hawkins of the National Association for College Admission Counseling reports, cash-strapped students may have difficulty finding access to a webcam-enabled computer.

Though UR does not interview incoming students, what do you think of this initiative? Will it become the wave of the future? Could a successful interview tip a student toward attending a higher-education institution?

Posted by Allison | Filed Under Allison, Higher Ed News | Leave a Comment 

The Mighty Mac: Resources

March 3, 2009

Mac blogs:

Workshop Resources

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Office 2007: To Cheat, or not to Cheat?

March 3, 2009

I have a moral conundrum. When teaching someone how to use the new features in Office 2007, is it OK to show them how to install a “classic” user interface to regain the old menu structure? A product such as Ribbon Customizer allows a user to do just that with a free version of their Office 2007 plug-in (advanced features can be had for an additional $29).

There are numerous new tools now available in Office 2007, and the new Ribbon structure to the menus makes this functionality more accessible. The company marketing RibbonCustomizer admits that “If one defers learning the Ribbon, one will eventually be simply behind.” I choose to look at it much the same way I view nicotine patches… not great in their own right, but a useful tool for someone looking to change their habits.

Posted by Jake | Filed Under Jake, Teaching and Learning, Workshops, office 2007 | Leave a Comment