Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

About this Project

Q. What is the goal of this project?

A. The goal of SUNY Exploring Emerging Technologies for Lifelong Learning and Success is to help participants understand the value and implications of using established and emerging technologies for personal and professional growth. This online learning opportunity helps participants acquire strategies to develop lifelong learning habits to keep pace with technology change.

Q. Who should participate?

A. This project benefits ALL learners, including college students, faculty, current and career-seeking professionals, and anyone from across the globe with a desire to learn how to use emerging technologies to succeed in today’s rapidly changing world. View the following page for Help Enrolling in #EmTech (FAQs).

Q. What is the difference between #EmTech &amp EmTechWIKI?

A. The complete title is, “Exploring Emerging Technologies for Lifelong Learning and Success.” The abbreviated form is #EmTech, which is our social media hashtag. A hashtag is simply a term used within a message to identify a keyword or topic of interest and help to categorize and track topics and to search for related information. This project is also sometime referred to as #EmTechMOOC. MOOC is an acronym that stands for Massive Open Online Course.

This project consists of two associated parts; EmTechWIKI and the #EmTech course.

EmTechWIKI is a socially-curated discovery search engine to locate freely available tools, mobile apps, tutorials, and resources to share information about the continually changing technologies that are available. Everyone is welcome to modify and add content to EmTechWIKI. The WIKI is used to complete the Discovery Exercises in the #EmTech course, and it is also a stand-alone resource.

Anyone can create an account to make edits and changes to EmTechWIKI to add new tools and keep the tools and resources up-to-date. Because technology changes so rapidly, we rely on the wisdom of the crowd to share and rate new tools. Site visitors can also signify the value of a resource by providing a positive rating. Just click the green up-arrow icon underneath the item’s title when viewing the full description. When a technology falls out of favor or is no longer a recommended option, the resource can be given a negative rating by clicking the red down-arrow. You do not need to create an account to rate EmTechWIKI resources. Additional information about how to make changes is found under the “Contribute” menu.

The #EmTech course in Coursera provides a structured course to explore emerging technologies and a supportive environment for dialogue and sharing among participants. You will be directed to EmTechWIKI from the course to help you locate tools and resources to complete the Discovery Exercises.

Q. What topics are covered in the #EmTech course?

A. The topics of the modules in the #EmTech course in the Coursera include Lifelong Learning and the 4Cs of 21st-century skills including Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, and Critical Thinking. A final module in the course provides an opportunity to summarize and reflect upon your learning.

Q. Who is responsible for creating #EmTech?

A. This project was funded through a SUNY Provost’s Innovative Instruction Technology Grant (IITG) awarded to the University at Buffalo, Binghamton University, SUNY Center for Professional Development (CPD), and additional partner campuses. Funding was also awarded through a University at Buffalo Professional Pathways grant. This project would not be possible without the significant contributions of many institutions and the people who helped it become the great resource that it is!

Q. What is the history of #EmTech?

A. This project is modeled after the SUNY Tools of Engagement Project (TOEP) (http://suny.edu/toep ). TOEP ran successfully for 5 years as SUNY-wide professional development to encourage faculty and staff to explore and reflect on the use of emerging technology tools to expand tech-infused pedagogy.

What’s in it for me?

Q. What are the benefits of participating?

A. Enrolling in the #EmTech course encourages you to take control of your own learning. Throughout the course, you are encouraged to explore the project resources and reflect on your personal learning. You will gain experience giving and receiving constructive feedback, a skill that is useful in any academic or professional setting. Full completion of this program will also result in a completed personal ePortfolio. The biggest reward you will gain by participating in #EmTech is the intrinsic reward of being a lifelong learner.

Coursera Certificate of Completion and Digital Badge Awards

Completers who have either paid the Coursera enrollment fee ($49 USD), who are from a SUNY campus, or are otherwise affiliated with SUNY are instantly awarded a Coursera Certificate of Completion and an #EmTech Completer Badge as evidence of their commitment to lifelong learning and personal professional development.

An optional #EmTech ePortfolio Completer Badge will also be issued if the portfolio requirements are met and the badge request form is submitted.

Share a link to your ePortfolio, your Coursera certificate, and digital badges on your resume/CV and through social media to show your accomplishments and demonstrate your learning.

More info about Completion Certificates and Badges is available further down on this FAQ page.

How do I complete the course?

Q. What will I be doing in the #EmTech course?

A. See the #EmTech Syllabus to view the course goals, objectives, and expectations. In the course, you will independently explore emerging technology tools and resources and exchange ideas with fellow participants about how freely-available technologies can be used to enhance 21st-century skills, including communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking. Throughout the course, you are encouraged to share feedback and support with peers and colleagues.

Q. What do I need to do to complete this course?

A. To complete the course and earn a verified Coursera Certificate of Completion and an #EmTech Completer Badge you must successfully complete all 5 quizzes and get a grade of 80% correct or higher.

Q. What do I need to do to earn an “optional” #EmTech ePortfolio Badge?

To earn the optional #EmTech ePortfolio Badge you need to fulfill the requirements listed on the ePortfolio Requirements and Checklist. A summary is below:

• build an ePortfolio demonstrating your skills and accomplishments;
• complete a minimum of 4 Discovery Exercises; one from each module on 21st-century learning (Lifelong Learning, Communication/Collaboration, Creativity, & Critical Thinking) which involves exploring a specific technology tool or resource from EmTechWIKI (or the Internet) and creating a digital artifact using the tool or resource that you explored. A digital artifact is evidence of your exploration of a new technology tool. An artifact may take shape as a video, infographic, website, image, or some other digital object;
• embed the artifacts in your ePortfolio;
• include a link to the tools and resources you explored;
• add reflections about your learning that have at least 2 paragraphs with a minimum of 3 sentences in each paragraph.

You are encouraged to share links to your ePortfolio with others in the course by participating in the discussion forums and through social media.

Q. How much time must I dedicate?

A. If you love to spend time exploring, you could spend a number of hours on each module. Alternatively, you can spend as little as an hour on each of the 5 modules, completing the course in as little as 5 hours. Even though Coursera is organized around week-based modules, you are free to work as fast (or as slow) as you would like. The course uses soft deadlines to help you keep motivated. You may Reset your personal deadlines to work at a pace that is best for you. If you chose to pay to earn the optional Coursera Certificate and Digital Badge and you do not complete the course within 180 days, your registration will expire and you will need to pay to re-enroll in the course.

Q. What serves as evidence of my completion of Discovery Exercises?

A. Throughout the course, learners can choose to build an optional ePortfolio to showcase their accomplishments. If you choose to not create a public ePortfolio, you can instead reflect on your learning in a personal learning journal. In each module, you will be prompted to create an artifact to demonstrate evidence of your learning and exploration. Artifacts can include an image, video, audio file, infographic, or anything else created through the module’s Discovery Exercise.

Q. How do I share artifacts or evidence of my learning?

A. Embed artifacts directly within your ePortfolio. Embedding just means including an artifact so it appears as part of a portfolio page, as compared to just displaying a text-based link. Most apps and portfolio tools have instructions about how to embed items within its help and support information. If it is not possible to directly embed an artifact, then a text link and a screengrab image will be sufficient. See the following information about “how to create a screengrab/screenshot.” If you use a screengrab, also link the image to the actual artifact that resides on the technology tool’s website.

There are rare instances when an artifact that you create is not suitable to be shared, for example, if you decide to keep the item you create private, or if you chose to explore a resource instead of creating something using a technology tool. In the case when an artifact is not available, using a screengrab or another appropriate visual is acceptable. You can also consider blurring out any information that you wish to keep private.

Q. What is the peer-review process?

A. If you choose to create the optional ePortfolio, you will be requested to share links to your ePortfolio to seek feedback and support from peers. ePortfolio peer-review activities are available mid-way through the course and in the final module. You will submit your ePortfolio to seek feedback from your peers and you will also review 2 ePortfolios that were submitted by your fellow participants. The ePortfolio Requirements and Checklist will help you ensure that your ePortfolio meets the requirements to earn the optional #EmTech ePortfolio Badge. This badge will be issued to you within 2 weeks of completing the course. You are also encouraged to share links to your ePortfolio in the Coursera Discussion Forums and through social media.

Q. How long do I have to complete a course that I enroll in?

A. If you have either paid the course enrollment fee or if you have enrolled through a Coursera promotion or financial aid, you’ll have 180 days from the day that you enroll in the course to earn your Course Certificate.

Participation

Q. Are the tools and resources that are featured in #EmTechWIKI free? What does Freemium mean?

A. The vast majority of the tools and resources within EmTechWIKI are free. Many have a free version and a fee-based version. This is referred to as freemium. Wikipedia describes freemium as, “a pricing strategy by which a product or service is provided free of charge, but money (premium) is charged for additional features, services, or virtual goods.” You will come across freemium pricing for many of the tools found in EmTechWIKI. It is important to always read the terms of use and understand the limits of the free versions. From time to time, features and price structures will change.

Q. May I explore tools that are not included in this course?

A. Absolutely! We encourage you to explore any type of tool to support your personal and professional goals. Technology evolves at a rapid pace and it is impossible for all of the relevant tools to be included.

Q. Can I contribute new tools to EmTechWIKI?

We encourage everyone to regularly Contribute new tools to EmTechWIKI. Contributing to the WIKI is an optional activity in the second module of the #EmTech course. Anyone who contributes a new tool or resource can Request an EmTechWIKI Contributor Badge. It is not necessary to be enrolled in the course to be able to contribute to the WIKI and earn this badge.

Q. How can I rate a tool to show its value to others?

It is very beneficial to regularly Rate the Tools that exist on EmTechWIKI. Tools that have the highest ratings are displayed at the top of the search results. You do not need to create an account to rate the tools and resources.

Q. May I explore any web tools that I am already using?

A. It is expected that you will use this opportunity to expand your expertise and practice. If you are already familiar with a resource, you should use this opportunity to consider how to expand your knowledge about the tools to best support your lifelong learning efforts. If it is clear that there has not been any new learning or discovery in relation to a module’s artifact or reflection, it may not qualify toward the optional ePortfolio requirements.

Q. Can I use any images or media I find on the web for my activities relating to this course?

A. No. Just because something is available on the web and able to be downloaded, it does not mean that you can use it. You should always ensure that you have the right or permission to use a particular resource. You can learn more about copyright and Creative Commons guidelines through many EmTechWIKI resources. It is necessary and proper to always cite the source or original author of images and media you use.

Q. Can I use my native language on my ePortfolio and in the course discussion forums?

A. Of course! We highly encourage learners from all over the world to participate. However, since the majority of participants, mentors, and instructors mainly speak English, it is required that the person creating the ePortfolio or discussion forum entry also provide a translated version. Google Translate, or any translation app, works well for this purpose. After completing the course, participants are free to remove the English translations from their portfolio.

Q. Can I participate in #EmTech using a smartphone or a mobile device?

A. The course is accessible using a smartphone or a mobile device. If you have any difficulty using a smartphone or mobile device, contact the #EmTech team and we will work to get any issues resolved.

ePortfolios

Q. Am I required to create a public ePortfolio to participate in the #EmTech course?

A. #EmTech relies on the benefits of a community of learners. Having a public ePortfolio is necessary to earn the optional ePortfoilo Badge. You can choose to create a private ePortfolio or a personal learning journal to track and reflect on your learning, however, you would not be eligible to earn the SUNY #EmTech ePortfolio badge.

Q. What ePortfolio platform do I need to use?

A. You can choose to use any appropriate tool to create your ePortfolio. A list of a few ePortfolio tools to build your ePortfolio is available through EmTechWIKI. Just about any tool can be used to create an ePortfolio.

One platform to consider is Merlot’s Content Builder, which is sometimes referred to as an academic’s LinkedIn. Other platforms that you may want to consider if you desire more creative freedom includes website development tools like  GoogleSites, Jimdo, and others.

See this page for more info about ePortfolios.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Digication no longer provides free accounts through SUNY EmTech. Editing access to previously created Digication ePortfolios expired December 31, 2020. Read more about this update here.

Q. If I used Digication to build my ePortfolio can I move my portfolio to another system?

A. You can export your Digication ePortfolio to standard HTML format and upload it to any traditional web server platform.

Certificate of Completion and Digital Badges

Q. Where can I find information about Coursera Certificates of Completion and Badges?

A. Check out this page for additional information about the Coursera Certificates of Completion and Digital Badges.

Q. Where can I find my Coursera Certificate of Completion?

A. Coursera Certificates will be available on your Accomplishments page in Coursera.

Q. Where can I find information about the badges I’ve been awarded?

A. The Credly site has information and a video tutorial that explains how to claim the digital badges that were awarded to you through the #EmTech course.

Q. How do I display the badges I earn?

A. You may optionally share your badges on your CV, through your personal website, and through social media to proudly display your accomplishments.

Q. Are certificates and badges awarded instantly?

A. Coursera Certificates of Completion and the #EmTech Completer Badge are awarded right away.

Awarding the ePortfolio badges is a manual process. #EmTech ePortfolio Badges will be issued within 2 weeks of completing the course.

When #EmTech badges are issued you will receive an email about how to claim and share your badge. More info is available on the #EmTech Certificate and Digital Badges page.

Q. I never received/can’t locate/deleted my badge award email. How do I retrieve my badges?

A. If your badge is not available and you completed the requirements and requested your badge, contact the #EmTech team.

Privacy

Q. How do I manage all of these new usernames and passwords?

A. Throughout this experience, you will work at presenting a positive identity. It is important to always take steps to keep your identity secure. As you participate, you will be setting up usernames and passwords for several new tools. You will create accounts with a number of third-party organizations to take advantage of various tool capabilities. Always carefully read the Terms and Conditions associated with the new accounts that you will create.

Never use your campus’ authentication (username and password combination) to register on a third-party website. It is OK to use a campus email address, however, you should always use an alternative password when creating any accounts that are not directly associated with your institution. If you forget a username or password, you can easily retrieve or reset your password from the site that sponsors the tool or resource. Consider using password management systems to maintain secure sign-on across different sites. We encourage you to explore EmTechWIKI Digital Literacy/Fluency resources.

Support

Q. Is help or support available?

A. Yes. There are a number of ways to get assistance:

Q. Does #EmTechWIKI change?

Yes. Technology changes every day. Updates are regularly added to EmTechWIKI. When a tool changes, the EmTechWIKI community is encouraged to make updates. This means that when comparable tools become available you also have the ability to add new resources to EmTechWIKI. If a tool becomes unavailable, you can also delete outdated items.

(Note: All WIKI modifications need to be approved. Contributors – can add and edit tools and resources, but they cannot publish changes to the live site. A member of the EmTech Team needs to approve and publish new content.)

Contact us if you have questions that are not addressed on this FAQ page.