UNews - iPad

Library offers the gift of language

trevor.kenney — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:41:33 +0000

It is always a good time to travel, and one of the great benefits of being able to see the world is immersing yourself in the culture and customs of faraway lands.

A key to many successful trips is the ability to communicate with the local populations. If you are keen to start learning a new language or want to brush up on your existing language skills, then check out Mango Languages – a full-featured languages education resource available to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ community through the U of L Library.

Some of the languages featured in this resource include: Chinese (Mandarin), French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, and Vietnamese. These are just a sample of the available language lessons; there are 23 more languages included – including the whimsical Pirate module!

With this resource, users will develop practical conversation skills through instruction on vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar. Mango Languages also takes it a step beyond the normal language resource and offers users insight into the cultures of the various language groups.

Mango Languages can be accessed via the Internet and is not dependent on whether you use a Mac or Windows-based computer. iOS (iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch) users can also download a free mobile application from the Apple Store.

Another great feature is that, with a microphone, you can also get feedback on your pronunciation. The lessons are not only practical but are designed to be both fun and engaging. With a user-friendly interface that tracks progress, users are able to see themselves work towards becoming an intermediate language user.

There are also language lessons for English as a second language (ESL) users. In total, there are 15 ESL modules for speakers whose native languages may include: Egyptian Arabic, French, German, Spanish and more.

Mango Languages is free for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty, staff and students. You can get started today by visiting http://bit.ly/zlFCas and creating an account for yourself.

A paperless solution

trevor.kenney — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:18:38 +0000

Imagine a tower of completely full binders more than 34 feet tall, or a large stack of photocopy paper packages greater than 19 feet tall.

That's a lot of paper (from a lot of trees), and the approximate amount of printed material required in a typical year to support the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Board of Governors in their decision-making processes.

In mid-November, however, the Board literally stopped the presses on printing hard copies of their materials (other than a set or two for document retention and archival purposes), and has migrated to an iPad-based paperless system.

Graduate Students' Association President Paul Walz and the rest of the U of L's Board of Governors has adapted well to the iPAD changeover. The paperless approach is expected to save both money and resources.

"We are incorporating sustainability and a more efficient use of resources into our operating model, just as other areas of campus are doing," says Jodie Black, the Board secretariat and person responsible for managing the Board's information flow.

"We conducted a complete analysis of our past practices, future needs, efficiency and cost effectiveness. The decision to go paperless was an obvious and sensible choice."

Black says that in addition to cost savings, the flexibility and quick process of information sharing with the new iPADs is becoming very handy.

"There is less paper to manage, we have less paper to worry about shipping, and I can easily get information in front of people very quickly," she says. "As an example, we were able to deliver a 40-page, last-minute agenda item immediately to our Board shared drive, versus printing off copies for everyone."

Board information packages are now available on a shared drive rather than printed, mailed and/or couriered. Over time, the previous folders and binders full of information used by most Board members would get cumbersome, while the iPad continues to take up the same amount of space, regardless of how much information it stores.

Black says the cost of the transition is being amortized over two years.

"The price of the initial iPad purchases will be recouped due to cost savings in printing and distribution."

Chris Robinson, left, from the U of L's IT department helps BOG member Jim Berezan get his iPAD up and running.

The big switch happened last month, and for the Board's first paperless meeting, members of the Information Technology team were on hand to make sure everything ran smoothly.

"Our IT group has been extremely helpful with the process, the transition and for the occasional challenges we've encountered," says Black. "We are also tracking how this works over time, so that other units on campus can take advantage of going paperless if they choose to do so."

Currently, Athabasca ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ uses a paperless system for their board of governors, and Black says that other institutions are watching the U of L's progress with interest as they research their own options.

"I am also willing to meet with any other business unit or group on campus looking to go paperless," says Black. "We're looking to lead by example, and also to have what the Board does to support sustainability be a part of our regular business practices."

Those interested can contact Black at Jodie.black@uleth.ca to set up a time to talk.

Canada West takes a bold step forward

trevor.kenney — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 21:46:13 +0000

Fans of Canada West Athletics and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns will find it much easier to follow their teams this season with the introduction of CanadaWest.TV, a new web-based broadcasting service that debuts this month.

What it means for Horns followers is the opportunity to watch every U of L basketball game, both home and away, as well as all home hockey games and a select number of road contests.

"Our biggest goal with CanadaWest.TV is to try and strengthen the Canada West brand," says U of L Sports Information and Events Co-ordinator, Eoin Colquhoun.

Partnering with Stretch Internet, Canada West will be able to present a first of its kind university sport broadcast network. It will serve initially as the exclusive home to all Canada West basketball and volleyball games, along with selected games in other sports including football, hockey and soccer.

"The big step towards this took place last year when we mandated that all Canada West basketball games needed to be webcast," says Colquhoun. "Volleyball is also mandatory and then it will be up to individual schools to make decisions on what sports they decide to webcast. This year we'll also include our home hockey games."

Not only will the games be available by accessing CanadaWest.TV online from your computer, all streamed games will also be available on Flash 10.1-enabled mobile devices and, for the first time in Canadian university sport, on all iPhone OS devices – including the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

The overriding theme of the partnership is to expose Canada West sports to as many people as possible.

"It provides us with a unique opportunity as a conference and as individual schools to have our product seen by fans across Western Canada and around the world," says Ben Matchett, Canada West VP, Marketing. "Our new mobile platform also means they will not miss a minute of the action no matter where they go."

For Colquhoun, the logistics of staging a webcast are relatively simple, thanks to the support of Stretch Internet. He says the conference looked at eight to 10 proposals before signing on with Stretch.

"They provide us with all the software we need," he says. "We literally need to have somebody running the camera and whatever else we want to do with it is up to us. Their software allows us to interlay some stats and so forth and as we learn how to work with it, we'll probably be able to do a little more."

It's up to member schools as to whether they will include play-by-play description of the games. Colquhoun says that, at least for the first year, the Horns will go with picture only.

"What's great about it is that it provides one place where any Canada West fan of any school can go and find the webcasts," he says. "It's not a different location for every school or every sport as it may have been in the past, it's all in one place and hopefully we will expand fans of the whole Canada West product as a result."

GET THE FACTS

• Available at http://canadawest.tv, the first game broadcast on the new network was the Sept. 2 Canada West football game between the Regina Rams and UBC Thunderbirds.

• The Horns debut on the network Sept. 30 when the men's hockey team hosts the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Saskatchewan.

• The Canada West basketball season begins Nov. 4. Pronghorn fans will be able to watch the Horns on the road at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Winnipeg.

This story first appeared in the September issue of the Legend. For a look at the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

CanadaWest.TV to debut in fall

trevor.kenney — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:20:24 +0000

Fans of Pronghorns Athletics will have the opoportunity to follow their hockey and basketball teams on the road this season with the launch of a new television service that will broadcast Canada West sports online.

The Canada West Universities Athletic Association announced on Wednesday a partnership with Stretch Internet to launch CanadaWest.TV, the official home of web-based broadcasting for all 14 Canada West member institutions during the 2011-12 season and beyond.

The first network of its kind in Canada, CanadaWest.TV will be the exclusive live home of all Canada West basketball and volleyball games along with selected games in other sports including football, hockey, and soccer.

The U of L is planning on broadcasting all its men's and women's basketball and hockey games initially. The bonus for Horns fans is that they can know follow their teams on the road.

"We are thrilled to announce this partnership with Stretch Internet and launch this online network, which will greatly enhance the experience of our fans who want to catch live Canada West action for those who cannot make it to the game," says Ben Matchett, Canada West vice-president, marketing. "It provides us with a unique opportunity as a conference and as individual schools to have our product seen by fans across Western Canada and around the world, and our new mobile platform means they will not miss a minute of the action no matter where they go."

Live video for all streamed games will be available online as well as on all Flash 10.1-enabled mobile devices and, for the first time in Canadian university sport, on all iPhone OS devices – including the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

"I cannot emphasize enough how thrilled we are to partner with Canada West," said Stretch Internet President Ryan Ermeling. "Our platform is perfectly suited to the needs of the conference and its 14 member institutions. Fans will enjoy an incredibly user-rich experience, with high-quality live and on-demand video along with integrated live stats and other features – on both desktop and mobile platforms. Since our very first discussions in Calgary, it has been evident to us that quality and professionalism are of the utmost importance to the conference, and we are confident we will deliver on both fronts."

UNews - iPad

Library offers the gift of language

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Canada West takes a bold step forward

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