When faculty come to the showcase, they can see how someone else has taken the available technology and adapted it for their own needs. The hope is that from visiting the showcase they will find ways to use the technology in their classrooms.

During this year's event, Dr. Abel A. Alves and his students took visitors on a tour of an Aztec marketplace, complete with pottery, produce, and beads. The students built the marketplace in Second Life as a class project for the "History and Historians" course.

Another Second Life project explored ethnic and other identity issues as English department instructor Ms. Elizabeth J.  Nesbitt discussed her use of the technology for coursework with faculty attendees.

Associate professor John A. Fillwalk and Kyle A. Stevens displayed the virtual Ball State campus, complete with Shafer Tower, Bracken Library, the Music Instruction building, and Sursa Hall. This Second Life implementation includes virtual studios where students will have "hands on" movie-making experiences through their avatars.

A different type of virtual classroom was created on open source course management software Moodle by Dr. Paul V. Gestwicki of the Computer Science department. Dr. Gestwicki and his students discussed how integrated RSS feeds and wikis provide collaborative opportunities for students as well as ease of access to fresh information.

In Spring 2009, watch your email for the Sixth Annual Faculty Technology Showcase which will provide another opportunity to talk with your colleagues and learn more about what is happing in classrooms around Ball State University.  Or better yet, be a presenter and show what you are doing with your students.