The Instructional Center for Educational Technologies, or ICET, is available to the University of Wisconsin-Platteville students or instructors in need of assistance with Desire 2 Learn and other computer applications.

“Our mission is to support educational technology for students and teachers,” Lisa Landgrat, ICET Director, said.

There are multiple purposes for ICET. The center provides training and support for software programs used by teachers and students and assists with research activities that use technology to enhance teaching and learning. ICET also provides opportunities for teachers to share their successes and approaches to using educational technology.

“We help teachers and students use equipment to learn better and more efficiently in a classroom,” Regina Nelson, ICET Emerging Technologies Manager, said.

“If someone wants ICET’s services, there are real people you can talk to by phone or email,” Nelson said. “We also reach out with social media like Twitter.”

Information on ICET’s website is available to help guide students to learn how to use Atomic Learning and MyMedia services.

“Atomic learning is an online resource that has tons of tutorials on different technologies. You can log in by using your net ID and password. For example, if you wanted to learn how to crop an image in Photoshop, just go on Atomic Learning and search Photoshop,” Nelson said. “One to two-minute tutorials will pop up. There’s also information on other skills like how to cite sources and how to fill out the FAFSA.”

Atomic learning can be found on the items bar on ICET’s webpage.

MyMedia is a tool on D2L for content creating and sharing.

“From a student’s stand point you can create a video through a computer or a screen cast. It’s like creating a video of how you did something on the computer,” Nelson said.

These videos go on your private profile but can be published for other students to see.

“Something some students might not know is how to use the online rooms on D2L. You can create an online room with a white board and have the ability to share your desktop. Anyone in your class can just drop in the room, but anyone else can drop in if they have the link to your room,” Nelson said.

“I used an online room to chat with my grandma about Women’s Rights for my Women of Psychology class,” Emma Duval, junior criminal justice major, said. “It was really helpful and easy.”

“ICET is a chance for us to reach out to teachers and students and to help support educational technology,” Landgrat said.

Information on ICET can be found at uwplatt.edu/icet.