November
15, 2006
Publish live
lectures as enhanced podcasts
Making lectures
available to students through podcasts is growing in popularity on campuses
across the country. With a new software program called ProfCast (http://www.profcast.com)
instructors can offer live lectures as enhanced podcasts.
ProfCast allows
instructors to integrate live lectures with the PowerPoint or Keynote
presentations that accompany them. It is an all-in-one presentation-to-podcast
tool for the Macintosh, offering an integrated workflow for creating,
recording and publishing podcasts.
The software is
designed specifically around a presenter's workflow. Instructors deliver
presentations as usual. ProfCast provides an intuitive publishing assistant
that helps users publish their enhanced podcasts in a matter of minutes.
A ProfCast-captured
podcast is downloaded to a Windows or Macintosh computer - or on a video
iPod - for a multimedia playback of the class. Student notes can easily
be matched with the lecture slides and audio. Those who might miss a
class can also download the lecture, helping them review for the next
class or an upcoming exam.
Visually impaired
students or those with non-video iPods or other non-iPod devices can
still listen to the widely supported m4b format.
"We have a tremendous
amount of classroom discussion and it's important for students to have
access to that information after the class is done," says Dr. Ken Riopelle,
a research professor in Wayne State University's department of Industrial
and Manufacturing Engineering. "ProfCast is clearly an essential tool
in teaching - and an easy way to disseminate information."
Educators at Duke,
MIT, Stanford, Brown, Penn State, University of Michigan, and University
of North Carolina are also using ProfCast, among many others in the
U.S. ProfCast also is at work in universities abroad, including Obirin
University, Japan; University of New England, Australia; Universite
Paris Dauphine, France; University of Cambridge, England, and elsewhere.
"Everyone knows
that performances are different than rehearsals," says company co-founder
and president David Chmura. "There is a certain excitement from presenting
in front of a live audience. ProfCast captures your voice while you
give your presentation, so your recorded presentation will have a higher
level of engagement."
ProfCast is currently
available for Macintosh users (a Windows version is planned for next
year). It can be purchased at http://www.profcast.com/buy/.
There is a 15-day trial version of ProfCast is available through the
company's website. The full version is $30.
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Why your books
don't sell
by Richard Hull
The Authors Guild
issued a study in 2000 on "midlist" books: those trade books with artistic
or intellectual aspirations that fall below the blockbusters widely
featured in bookstores and on bestseller lists, but which comprise most
books that are published. The conclusion of the 52 page report is that
"the rise to dominance of the big bookselling chains is the single most
important development of the last fifteen years in the book business.
The chains have put a price on every aspect of bookselling and charged
it to publishers. Big publishers, obliged to pay up, have to divide
their lists internally into a few books in which they invest and a lot
in which they don't. Midlist books wind up being printed but not really
published." The report notes that "the same thing has happened in the
record business, the hardware business, the pharmacy business, and many
others. Books, however, are a special case, because they are the life-blood
of culture and free discourse in a society. If the range of serious
books that come to the public's attention is being restricted, that
is a real problem." The full report, written by David D. Kirkpatrick,
may be accessed at http://www.authorsguild.org/miscfiles/midlist.pdf
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McGraw-Hill enhances
UW's podcasting program
Students at the
University of Wisconsin-Madison are using the UW's new Apple iTunes
U site to access new content provided through a pilot program with McGraw-Hill
Higher Education that is allowing several Wisconsin colleges and universities
this Fall access to their educational materials. McGraw-Hill's media-rich
educational content is being incorporated with the UW's very strong
Podcasting program via Apple's iTunes U, a free, hosted content distribution
system. The pilot is exploring the opportunities for digital distribution
of McGraw-Hill's educational content. UW physiology instructor Kevin
Strang said having the new material available through iTunes U allowed
him to enhance his course lectures with his lecture recording as well
as textbook animations of core concepts. Through UW-Madison and other
Wisconsin college and university iTunes U pilots and the feedback they
generate, McGraw-Hill hopes to create the "next 'best breed' distributable
content to enhance student learning and ease the teaching task."
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Smithsonian
announces partnership with Rowan & Littlefield
by Richard Hull
The Smithsonian
and Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group Inc. have established
a publishing partnership for the marketing and distribution of scholarly
publications under the new Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press imprint.
The new Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press will focus on scholarly
works for academic, scientific and library audiences. The books will
be written by scholars from the Smithsonian's museums and research organizations.
Plans call for scholarly publications in categories such as science,
zoology, anthropology, archeology, history, art and art history, aviation
and space, textiles and design. The new imprint will continue to publish
the Smithsonian Contributions and Studies
Series, which began
in 1956. "The new Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press re-establishes
the Institution's scholarly publications
program," said David Evans, the Under Secretary for Science. "The imprint's
focus on the scholarly work of the Smithsonian's curators and researchers
combined with Rowman & Littlefield's standing in the academic and
scholarly community, as both a publisher and a distributor, enhances
our mission for the increase and diffusion of knowledge." Founded in
1949, Rowman & Littlefield is a major independent academic and textbook
publisher based in Lanham, Md. For more information, visit the Smithsonian
Institution Scholarly Press Web site at www.scholarlypress.si.edu.
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Free
E-books on writing:
http://authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com/free_ebooks.htm
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Truth
and consequences
The November 1,
2006 New York Times carries a story posted by Reuters news service about
Muazzez Ilmiye Cig, a 92-year old academic who specializes in Sumerian
culture and history. She was put on trial on charges that she "insulted
the people" and incited hatred in her book, published in the summer
of 2005, titled "My Reactions as a Citizen." The book indicates that
the head scarf was first used in religious rites by temple prostitutes,
to distinguish them from women who worked as priests.
But the BBC online
news service indicated later in the day that Cig and her publisher were
cleared of all charges by the Istanbul court, which held that her actions
and those of her publisher did not constitute a crime. The BBC story
goes on to indicate that this trial is but the latest in a series of
prosecutions of Turkish intellectuals, including 2006 Nobel laurated
Orhan Pamuk and novelist Elif Shafak. The ruling Justice and Development
Party, with roots in political Islam, has tried to lift the country's
ban of headscarves in government offices and universities, so far without
success. The URL for the BBC story is http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6106098.stm
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McKeague donates
$1,000 to TAAF
TAA Foundation board
member Pat McKeague has made a $1,000 gift to the TAA Foundation. He
is a long-time member and major donor to the Text and Academic Authors
Association, making annual gifts of $1,000 to TAA for the past nine
years.
"The members of
the [TAAF] board need to make contributions so that the outside sources
we go to for money know we are committed to the Foundation," he said.
TAA Executive Director
Richard Hull said of McKeague's generosity: "Pat McKeague's quiet and
faithful loyalty to the organization is expressed in many ways. Without
prompting, he makes substantial contributions that help sustain our
organizations. We are very grateful for his exemplary support."
TAAF Foundation
Chair Michael Lennie: "We appreciate Pat's support of TAAF and we hope
it will serve as an example to encourage other author to make gifts
to the Foundation."
A former TAA Council
member, McKeague has published more than 16 textbooks in mathematics,
from basic mathematics through trigonometry. He writes full time and
works as a part time instructor at Cuesta College.
McKeague joined
TAA when it was founded by Mike Keedy in 1987. He attended TAA's first
meeting in Las Vegas, December 21, 1987, held at the Riviera. "I joined
because of Mike Keedy," he said. "He was a very successful author and
I had always looked up to him. The association has grown a lot since
I joined. I use the legal services, the model contract, and I like the
newsletter."
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TAA's first
member dies
TAA's very first
member, mathematics author Paul A. Anderson, died November 8, 2006
at the Nathan Adelson Hospice in Las Vegas.
Anderson was a
key author in the highly successful Holt Rinehart & Winston
basal K-8 math series. When Holt Rinehart breached the authors' contract
after eight editions, Anderson and his co-authors challenged the
breach in court. After a year and a half of litigation, the publisher
settled with the authors for a large six-figure sum.
It was during this
time that Anderson, along with Mike Keedy and Ron Pynn, saw the
need for an author's organization that helped to educate authors to
their contract rights and the need to negotiate contracts that
were more fair to author interests. TAA was formed the year following
Anderson's lawsuit, in 1987, and found an immediate audience.
Anderson chaired
TAA's first committee on working conditions. He was quoted in the Fall
1987 issue of TAA Report, regarding his plans for the committee:
"We need first to learn what are the concerns, problems and options
of TAA members. While we are assembling that information, we plan to
construct a list of questions that an author or prospective author might
wish to ask before signing a contract. Next, I need some new members
for this committee."
Anderson also chaired
TAA's first meeting, held at the Riviera in Las Vegas December 21, 1987. "When
I called the first meeting of TAA I decided to have it in Las Vegas,
mainly at Paul's suggestion," said Keedy. "He lived there and knew a
lot about what to do and how to do it. Because of that fine help we
decided that Paul should have membership number 1. He got it and was
always very proud of it."
Keedy said he first
met Paul Anderson when he was his student in a National Science Foundation
summer institute at Purdue University in the 1960s: "He was a fine student,
bright, creative and with a fine sense of humor. He later became my
co-author on mathematics texts at both the elementary and secondary
school level. He was a fine author and he became a fine friend, always
considerate, supportive and creative. His heart was very much in his
teaching and writing. Would you believe that he was once personnel director
for the Clark County Schools (Las Vegas) but that when his royalties
became sufficient he went back to teaching fifth grade?"
Keedy last saw
Anderson in October 2004. "We had a wonderful visit," he said. "Paul
was my friend. During his last two years, the years
when he knew that he had cancer, we talked by telephone and/or
e-mail at least once a week. He will live in my heart as long it beats."
Said friend and
fellow TAA member Michael Lennie: "First and foremost, Paul Anderson
was the ultimate gentleman. He treated everyone with great respect.
Generous to a fault, he often had 'guests' in his home who needed
a place to stay for 'extended' visits. In the last year, when asked
how he was doing health-wise, Paul would reflect that 'it's all
part of growing up.' Paul introduced the closing 'Cheers' to me and
to many others, which was representative of his outlook on life."
Ron Pynn, a founding
member of TAA, and past executive director, said he was saddened
to hear of Paul's passing: "We all knew it was coming, as did he. A
group of us visited him in 2005 when our convention was in LasVegas.
Then he knew it was a matter of time. Paul was a great educator, a worthy
colleague, and an ardent supporter of TAA. He will be missed by
all who knew him."
Anderson taught
3rd to 5th graders for more than 20 years before becoming principal
of West Charleston Elementary (K-6) for two years. He was then hired
as Personnel Director of the Department of Education for Clark
County in Las Vegas, Nevada. He left the Department of Education
to teach elementary and high school student-teachers at UNLV for four
years before retiring (to "teach them how to survive in the classroom"
according to his wife, Elva).
Anderson is survived
by his wife, Elva, daughter Kathryn Malo, son David, and granddaughter
Casey, all of whom were with him at the time of his passing.
The family requested
no funeral and no flowers. Those who wish to contribute a memorial,
should direct their contributions to Nathan Adelson Hospice, 4141 Swenson
St., Las Vegas, Nevada 89119. Donations may be made via the web
at http://www.nah.org
Paul A. Anderson (right) with Mike Keedy at Red Rock Canyon near Las
Vegas in October 2004.
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Column: It's
not over until it's edited
"At last your
manuscript is complete. The end is in sight. All that's left is the
editing.... Authors who have seen their books through publication know
that if the manuscript has not been editing, the end may be quite far
from sight. Editing involves much more than most people realize—it
can run the gamut from advice about organization and point of view to
checking for typos and misplaced commas." Check out this new column
by Diane Feldman from AuthorCraft Editorial Services: Click
here
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Hull, Gray promote
workshops at POD conference
TAA Executive Director
Richard Hull, and TAA Council member Tara Gray, presenter of the TAA-sponsored
"Publish & Flourish: Become A Prolific Scholar" workshop, attended the
Professional Development Network in Higher Education (POD Network) annual
conference in Portland Oregon, October 25-29, to promote TAA's new Academic
Authoring Workshops.
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Read two new
member testimonials from new members Andrew P. Johnson and Jan Lyons:
Click
here to read the testimonials. Send your testimonials to kmpawlak@centurytel.net
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Gift Memberships
TAA member Richard
Hull gave a gift membership to Melissa Ganus. TAA member Chris Harris
gave a gift membership to Janet Belsky. TAA member Robert Christopherson
gave a gift membership to Dorothy Sack. Thanks Richard, Chris and Robert!
Welcome Melissa, Janet and Dorothy!
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TAA
welcomes new members
Miranda Barton,
Tunna Barauh, Janet Belsky, Carole Cangioni, David Carmichael, Christie
Daniels, Melissa Ganus, Fernanda Garcie, Robert Gunn, Kastro M. Hamed,
Vikram Jayaram, Andrew Johnson, Pat Lara, Dana Wessel Lightfoot, Kien
Lim, Vanessa Lougheed, Virginia Borden Maier, Thenral Mangadu, Cristina
Morales, Stormy Morales, Guillermina Nunez, Sylvia Peregrino, Richard
Pineda, Judy Reinhartz, Brenda Risch, William H. Robertson, E. Lee Rosenthal,
Gerardo Rosiles, Dorothy Sack, Stacey Sowards, Milijana Suskavcevic,
Craig Tweedie, Hua-Hsin Wan, Phillip Webb, Ronald Weber, Huiying Yu.
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Sustaining Members
TAA thanks the following
members for renewing at the Sustaining Member level: Michael S. Matta
($150).
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Author's Resource
Center
Have an authoring
question? Get an answer from the authoring experts at TAA: TEXT@tampabay.rr.com
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Search the TAA
website
TAA recently added
a Google-powered internal search engine to its website. Put in your
search terms (e.g. textbooks, journals, grant writing, etc.) and relevant
pages on the TAA website that contain those terms will be shown on Google.
Go to the TAA home page to begin your search.
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Renew your membership
online!
TAA has just launched
a new online member form that will allow members to renew online using
a secure server. The form can also be used by new members. Check it
out in the TAA Member Center here.
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