UNews - iPhone

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.

SU events; there's an App for that

trevor.kenney — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:34:04 +0000

By KYLE DODGSON

As the halls of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge fill with both new and returning students, a familiar, incessant hum accompanies them – the tunes and tones of mobile devices.

Smartphones and mobile devices have become an integral part of campus life and this month, looking to capitalize on this trend, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Students' Union (ULSU) unveils its new mobile application.

The brainchild of SU vice president academic Andrew Williams, the mobile application traces its roots back to December 2010 when Williams was a member of the ULSU General Assembly.

"I noticed that an increasing number of universities were building and releasing iPhone applications that allowed students to access maps, news, events and other informational items on the go. It was something I really wanted to bring to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge," says Williams.

Over the ensuing months, Williams researched numerous application developers and created a detailed document covering all aspects of development and implementation. He then presented his proposal to the Executive Council and General Assembly. Despite initially receiving a lukewarm reception, Williams continued developing the project.

Once he was elected to the VP academic office, Williams received an offer from Canadian developer CollegeMobile, who sought to develop the proposed application for a much lower cost than other competing developers.

"I worked together with the incoming council and the SU staff for about a month on the final details of the application until we had something we were all satisfied and comfortable with," says Williams. "Since then, I've been beta testing each version of the application to make sure there are no errors in the final product."

The mobile app delivers up-to-date information on ULSU events and news, information on every council member, Pronghorns athletic events, an interactive campus map and it integrates both Moodle and Facebook.
"I think that most students will be surprised at how much information it contains and how easy it is to navigate," says Williams.

The ULSU Mobile App is another building block in the Executive Council's strategic initiatives, reinforcing its aspiration to boost the ULSU's on-campus presence, improve communication and promote sustainability on campus.

"The goal of the application is to allow the ULSU to communicate with students through a medium which has become a part of everyday life for most of them," says Williams. "Best of all, the application is free, and I think students will find it to be extremely useful and convenient."

The ULSU Mobile App is available for download from the Apple, Android and Blackberry App stores.

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."

Summer camps for everyone

trevor.kenney — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 17:22:33 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge continues to be a hub of activity throughout the summer months thanks to a variety of summer camp options available on campus:

Life, You, Mathematics and Computer Science (LUMACS)

LUMACS exists to encourage interest in and awareness of Mathematics and Computer Science as a part of everyday life. In addition to being important in almost every field of work, they play a huge part in cool things like movie special effects, in everyday things like how we talk with our friends, and in amazing things like space exploration. Just think how exciting it would be to help design a spaceship to visit Mars, or a new iPhone, or a program to help kids in Africa learn. And it's not hard, because we use math and computer science ideas every day – we just don't realize it.

Sport & Rec

Sport & Recreation Services camps offer elementary aged children and young adults the opportunity to learn and broaden their horizons acquiring fundamental skills in a variety of activities which range from wall climbing, swimming, gymnastics, hiking to sport specific and to our ever popular multi-activity camp. Your child has an opportunity to participate in all these different activities. All of our instructors encourage and promote social interaction skills, emphasizing cooperation and individual improvement rather than competition. Participants are grouped relative to their age and physical ability levels. This ensures all youth are learning and challenged in an appropriate way.

Conservatory of Music

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Conservatory of Music offers music instruction to musicians of all ages and levels. During the summer months, the Conservatory schedules programs that are exclusive to the summer semester. Make sure to add these to your summer plans: Rock On! – a rock camp for all musicians with 2 years experience (ages 9-18). This camp also includes a beginner guitar component; Let's Sing – a junior voice camp (for ages 6-8 or 9-12); Kindermusik Adventures – music and movement for 18m-3yrs and 3-5yrs; and our most intensive summer workshop, Southern Alberta Vocal Experience (SAVE), for ages 13-16 and 17-23. Check us out online, call us at 403-329-2304 or email at music.conservatory@uleth.ca to find the program that's right for you.

Destination Exploration

Destination Exploration at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge provides programs to encourage interest and participation in science for children grades one through nine. We offer Learning Quest Science Camps during Reading Week and throughout July and August. We also offer programs throughout the school year including our Bunsen and Beaker and Little Elements Science Clubs. Please call us at 403-382-7161 or visit our website at uleth.ca/sciencecamps for more information.

Destination Exploration is a proud member of Actua. Actua provides training, resources and support to a national network of local organizations offering science and technology education programs. Actua members reach over 200,000 youth per year. Please visit Actua on the web at www.actua.ca.

This story first appeared in the Legend. To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Summer camps for everyone

trevor.kenney — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 21:25:35 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge continues to be a hub of activity throughout the summer months thanks to a variety of summer camp options available on campus:

Life, You, Mathematics and Computer Science (LUMACS)

Sport & Rec

Conservatory of Music

Destination Exploration

This story first appeared in the Legend. To view the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Library's QR codes debut

trevor.kenney — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:22:12 +0000

As smart phones become more and more popular, so do the applications that make them so useful. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Library is catching on to this trend in a practical and useful way.

The library initially delved into this area by introducing its mobile website, which was the first of its kind on campus. Now, the IT folks have done it again: they've created scannable bar codes, known as QR codes, for students to book group workrooms on the spot with their mobile phones. Many future applications are also possible with this technology.

What exactly are QR (quick response) codes? These scannable codes contain all sorts of information, such as URLs or web links, videos, textual information, or any combination thereof. You may have already used them yourself if you've taken advantage of paperless boarding cards to board a flight, a service being offered by several airlines.

These codes can be read by 'scanning' them – basically taking a picture – with a smart phone such as an iPhone, Android, etc. The appropriate software application (downloaded from your phone's app store – available for free or a nominal fee) is also required.

The library has several useful applications for QR codes. The first is for group workrooms. Students now have the ability to check a room, while standing outside, to see if it's been booked, and if it hasn't, reserve it right on the spot. The second application is in the library catalogue, where each catalogue record has a unique QR code included in its display. When you scan the code into your phone, the location, call number, etc. of the item will be displayed on your smart phone, with no need to write down the information.

The Library is proud to once again lead the pack with this new technology. And with the popularity of smart phones on the rise, we can only assume there are more great things to come.

For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Library's QR codes debut

trevor.kenney — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:19:35 +0000

The library initially delved into this area by introducing its mobile website (http://www.uleth.ca/lib/about_Us/display.asp?PageID=272), which was the first of its kind on campus. Now, the IT folks have done it again: they've created scannable bar codes, known as QR codes, for students to book group workrooms on the spot with their mobile phones. Many future applications are also possible with this technology.

The Library is proud to once again lead the pack with this new technology. And with the popularity of smart phones on the rise, we can only assume there are more great things to come.

For a look at the full issue of the December Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

U of L debuts on iTunes U

trevor.kenney — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 16:23:01 +0000

Anybody who's anybody seems to be connected to Apple's iTunes so it only made sense that if the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge wanted to better connect with its students, it too would have to align itself with the indispensable download service.

Now, through iTunes U, students, staff and faculty can access a variety of ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge programming at their own convenience, 24 hours a day. Guest lectures, significant media events, seminar series, convocation and much more are all available through the new service. Simply download content to your computer; sync your iPod or iPhone and a variety of U of L content is available to you wile you walk, drive or even work out in the gym.

For those who already have iTunes, simply click on iTunesU to check out the new service. If you're new to iTunes, it's easy to get involved. Head to this iTunes link and download the version of iTunes for free that works with your system. Both Mac and PC versions are available.

The Curriculum Re-Development Centre (CRDC) is working hard to add fresh content to the site every week and is open to content suggestions. To help out with the development of iTunesU content, send suggestions to the CRDC at crdc@uleth.ca or give them a call at 403-380-1856.

UNews - iPhone

Library offers the gift of language

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