What new techologies have you been using in your classroom?
I provide a lot of options for student to use Web 2.0 tools like Voicethread, Animoto, Voki, Flickr to do their assignments. What have you used?
Jaclyn,
Can you share how you actually use these technologies with students? What kinds of activities and assignments best suit these?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I use them as a matter of course as I teach EdTech
Here is a website/wiki I used for my gifted 3rd through 5th graders: Creative Web Tools For and By Kids. http://weewebwonders.pbworks.com/w/page/9067396/FrontPage If you click into the students individual pages found in the sidebar, you will see how they used these tools to describe their topics.
I use Voicethread to have students reflect on their learnings
Here is one from my undergraduate course on Interpersonal relations http://voicethread.com/?#u1025159.b2349919.i15073398
Teaching online career planning courses, I use an online tool called Optimal Resume to enhance interview practice. Students are able to video/audio record their practice interview sessions and then upload to share with me and the class in live chat sessions. A bit intimidating for some, but great practice.
Cheryl,
Great idea...thank you for sharing it.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Teaching writing means I am often focusing on the actual traditional paper, which means fewer options for the new stuff.
But I do use MyCompLab from Pearson which allows students to customize the work they do based on their own needs.
I use Blackboard for its blog spaces and wiki spaces. In some courses (Bible as Literature),
I've allowed students the option to create a film version of a Bible story and upload it to YouTube instead of a more traditional research paper. Film students love that. YouTube is a great source for me. I love it.
iTunes has iTunesU, so my class has access to expert "guest lecturers" from all over the world. And iTune is something they know.
I am primarily engaging my students on Black Board and Global Crossings. Unfortunately, live labs and office hours are no mandatory and our students are not very committed to attending the latter sessions. Joe Skeens
Joseph,
Yes, everything that you see as critcal to the leanring process should receive a score that is included in their final grade. Otherwsie, students will not just do it :) Having said that, the more self-directed learners will use any means to contact the instructor when they need to -research supports that.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I have used many new technologies in the class including the white board which I find very active and engaging. We have also started using ipads for fun fact quizzes and the students seem to love it.
I have also used social media tools as well.
With our type of school really the only thing we can use are the computers with AllData and Mitchell on Demand for looking up specs....but even with just that you must really watch and guide the students through...what I have found is the first thing they try to do is use the search and not all the time will what they are looking for come up in the search....just a generation that is used to googling everything I guess.
CORY,
Very true and great that you are incorporating that into your class with guidance. It brings a wonderful "immediacy" to the group time.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Hi Jaclyn, thanks for introducing me to VoiceThread. It looks like a great app. Our school is not approving any purchases though. Do you use any other tools that might be freely accessible off the web?
I share these programs with my students, but I have not had an opportunity to use them in the classroom.
I love Animoto. What about Prezi and Corona?
denise,
My students se Prezi and seem to prefer its animation and creative potential over PPT.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I have used a variety of tools including Skype, screencast (short videos showing students how to do something or how to find something - also great for grading); chat, videos from youtube and other sites, collaborate, and more. Some students really thrive when they are introduced to new technologies, others are scared. Providing a variety of technologies provides options for all learning styles.
I'm not familiar with Pearson's MyCompLab, but I use their MyITLab for most of my IT courses. Online tools like this allow the students to work on projects at their own pace and gives them real-time feedback and guidence. It also allow them to practice new skills outside of the course work. Best part is it tracks what each student is doing whether its project work or if they watched the assigned tutorial videos.
Other publishers are offering similar websites with student resources and instructor control. I like this because I'm an IT guy and it lets me program (customize) the courses. Use of these companion websites and online tools not only works for online courses, but on ground courses held in a campus computer lab where all students can access them during the class.
Walt,
Great information! I like the customization that is possible as well as the individualized learning plan - great methodology for instruction.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I recently implemented a live polling feature in my classroom. It's done via PollEverywhere.com. Students can text or Tweet their responses. They can also go to the PollEverywhere.com website to respond to the poll question. I try to ask questions via poll about once a week. I ask questions that recap the information that we covered in the class. Or I ask questions about their needs. For example, I recently asked who was in need of MS Word software for their assignments (the school provides it to the students). So it's been extremely helpful in gauging the pulse of the class.
Stacie,
I have used these sites as well and it does immediately raise the interaction in the class and engage students who might otherwise be drifting. I have seen it done also in traditional university classes of over 200 students. It is an efficient way in such huge classes to get an idea of which concepts are being grasped and which aren't
Dr. Ruth Reynard
A colleague has recently turned me on to an online utility called Eyejot. (http://corp.eyejot.com/) They bill themselves as “an easy way to send and receive video e-mail from your computer or mobile device.†And that’s pretty much what it does. (You don’t need to download an app to “see†the videos as well—a plus.)
His experience has been that a student is far more willing to click on a link that will direct them to a brief video of you explaining an assignment or offering a clarification than they would to actually read the same content in a brief e-mail.
I know that perhaps this comes down along generational lines, but if the “wow†of linking to a tiny video makes the traditional-aged student more likely to take in the content, then it’s probably certainly worth exploring.
Has anyone used this in the past (or a similar utility), and if so what has been your experience?
Best,
Mica
