John Thompson, associate professor, Computer Information Systems, published a column, “Don’t Be Afraid to Explore Web 2.0,” in the June 2008 issue of thePhi Delta Kappan. His educational computing graduate students also continue to have their work published in theKappan. The Web Watch column titled “Internet Safety,” by students Mark Hanes and Matt Roll, appeared in the same issue.

Raquel Schmidt, associate professor, Exceptional Education, delivered the keynote address at the 56th annual commencement ceremony of her alma mater, Silver Creek Central High School, on June 27.

Elaine Polvinen, professor, Technology, will offer a totally online course during the fall semester that uses ANGEL and the Buffalo State virtual island in Second Life. The course, FTT 495: Intro to Virtual Fashion in Second Life, will meet on ANGEL and in the virtual world of Second Life on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. Polvinen has been teaching fashion projects in Second Life as part of Web-enhanced courses, where students and the instructor worked together in Second Life during class, for three semesters. This will be the first time the course is offered entirely online and in world.

Polvinen will guide students through a series of introductory fashion projects and conclude with a virtual fashion show. Students will learn the basics of the 3-D world of Second Life. They will learn how to navigate, communicate with others, and create fashion-related projects. The course includes introductory multidisciplinary skills for 3-D virtual fashion design, brand development, presentation, and fashion-show production. She hopes to involve students from other campuses in this experimental virtual-world teaching project.

At Buffalo State, Second Life is installed on the fashion CAD lab computers in Caudell Hall 311, and laptops with Second Life software may be borrowed from E. H. Butler Library. Butler Library will also have Second Life installed on several computer stations in the library for fall 2008. Students may also download the free virtual-world application of Second Life to their own computers.

Polvinen also offers a series of video and audio tutorialson the introductory functions of Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. She developed FTT 304: Adobe Pattern Development for Industry several years ago at the request of a global retailer. FTT 304 teaches students to use Photoshop and Illustrator to create original motifs for printed textiles based on current trends, industry standards, color impact, and marketability.

Wendy Paterson, chair and associate professor, andLeslie Day, lecturer and director of the Professional Development Schools Consortium, Elementary Education and Reading, presented at the 2007 annual conference of the National Network for Educational Renewal in Charleston, West Virginia, October 4 and 5. Their presentation was on pursuing school improvement through action-based research in the professional development school setting.

Wendy Paterson, chair and associate professor, andLeslie Day, lecturer and director of the Professional Development Schools Consortium, Elementary Education and Reading, presented at the 2007 annual conference of the National Network for Educational Renewal in Charleston, West Virginia, October 4 and 5. Their presentation was on pursuing school improvement through action-based research in the professional development school setting.

Melaine Kenyon, associate director for instructional technology, and Meghan Pereira, instructional support specialist, Instructional Resources, co-presented “Our Solution for Copyright Compliance for Streaming Media in ANGEL” at the ANGEL User Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 19–21. As a result of the presentation, the college has been asked to participate in an ANGEL Learning Higher Education case study on streaming media and hosted services. Buffalo State was highlighted at Educause 2007 in Seattle, Washington, as part of an ANGEL Learning Higher Education case study detailing our migration to the ANGEL learning management system.

Melaine Kenyon, associate director for instructional technology, and Meghan Pereira, instructional support specialist, Instructional Resources, co-presented “Our Solution for Copyright Compliance for Streaming Media in ANGEL” at the ANGEL User Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio, May 19–21. As a result of the presentation, the college has been asked to participate in an ANGEL Learning Higher Education case study on streaming media and hosted services. Buffalo State was highlighted at Educause 2007 in Seattle, Washington, as part of an ANGEL Learning Higher Education case study detailing our migration to the ANGEL learning management system.

Lackawanna Mills, a poem by George T. Hole, SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, was published in theBuffalo News on July 6.

Lee Ann Grace, assistant dean, International and Exchange Programs; Howard Henry, former lecturer, Health and Wellness; and Shiraz Chavan, senior adviser, International and Exchange Programs, California College of the Arts, co-chaired the Poster Session for Intercultural Initiatives for Campus and Community at the 60th annual meeting of NAFSA: Association of International Educators, held in Washington, D.C., May 25–30. This program successfully inaugurated session collaboration between two of the organization’s Knowledge Communities: International Student and Scholar Services and Teaching, Learning, and Scholarship.

Leslie K. Day, lecturer, Elementary Education and Reading, and director, Professional Development Schools (PDS) Consortium; Brooke Salzman, graduate assistant; and Sarah Kwiatkowski and Amy Bianchi, PDS undergraduate student representatives, presented at the 2008 annual conference of the National Association for Professional Development Schools in Orlando, Florida, April 10–13. Both presentations highlighted teacher candidates as critical stakeholders in PDS and its governance. The Buffalo State College PDS Consortium has been locally and nationally recognized as an outstanding teacher education program by the Buffalo Alliance for Education, the Association of Teacher Educators, and the New York State Association of Teacher Educators/New York Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.