Category: Faculty Technology Institute

Dr. Kelley Mayer White
1-1-1, Assessment, Collaboration, Faculty Technology Institute, instructional technology, Mobile, Presentation, TLT, Video

Guest Post: Comparison of two video projects in an undergrad and a grad class

Mendi Benigni

Today our guest blogger is Dr. Kelley White, Assistant Professor in Teacher Education.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to attend the summer 2013 FTI (Faculty Technology Institute).  It was a great experience for many reasons.  I met and collaborated with new colleagues and learned about several new tools that could enhance my teaching and research.  Based on what we learned about video projects, I decided to require students in two different courses to create videos as part of their final projects in the course.  In both classes, students were required to choose a topic of interest, read research on the topic and write an annotated bibliography.  Then, they were to choose an audience (parents, children, elementary school teachers, or community members) and create a video to share what they learned about the topic in a meaningful way.  I used a similar assignment in the past, but often simply required students to present their work using PowerPoint for the final presentation.  After seeing what other colleagues had done with video, I thought using video might challenge my students to present their work in a more creative way. I was particularly interested in how they would create the video with specific consideration of the audience they selected. A majority chose to make videos for parents or teachers, but I had one create a video for young children.

As far as tools go, I gave the students the choice of using iMovie, MovieMaker, VoiceThread or Splice, but a majority of the students chose to use iMovie. Honestly, I did not provide a whole lot of support to them in class in regards to use of technology or in creating the videos beyond providing them with a rubric. I did make myself available for individual meetings if needed, but very few requested them.  The majority of the rubric focused on evaluation of video content, implications and consideration of audience, but I also evaluated creativity, editing and video construction. Looking back though, the rubric needed to be much more specific in differentiating levels of quality in regards to “good editing” and “smooth transitions.” It’s also important to note that this criteria was worth only 15% of the grade on the project so it may have needed to become a more significant portion of the grade in order for students to better understand its importance.

As mentioned previously, I used different versions of this project in both a freshman class and a graduate course. In the freshman course, students worked collaboratively to create the videos.  In the graduate course, it was an individual assignment and the requirements for topic selection, length of video, annotated bibliography and sources were more rigorous.  As you might expect, the projects were fairly different in quality. The freshmen did not seem to be as concerned with quality of the video.  Several had major problems with audio and transitions. Whereas it was obvious that most of the graduate students spent a good deal of time editing and polishing their work.  The graduate students were also much more thoughtful in their consideration of audience and in how they integrated research and theory.

If I were to do this again, I would provide more support across the semester to the freshmen in particular.  I would require them to check in with me at least once prior to the end of the semester with a detailed plan for the video. Perhaps, requiring them to plan their video using a storyboard and incorporate it into their grade. I also would take more time to better review my expectations for quality of the video (beyond what I included on the rubric), show more examples, and spend more time in class teaching them how to appropriately edit.  Finally, I would also consider requiring use of a specific tool (Splice, for example) so we could troubleshoot and discuss video construction and quality together as a class.  Overall, it was a good experience for me and for the students and I would definitely try it again.

Rubric available upon request

Dr. Bill Barfield
1-1-1, Faculty Technology Institute

Guest Post: Dr. Bill Barfield

Mendi Benigni

Dr. Barfield is a professor in Health & Human Performance.  As a result of the 2013 Faculty Technology Institute he implemented AirSketch in his classes.

I use Air Sketch in kinesiology and personal and community health (summers) and plan to begin using in biomechanics class.  The Air Sketch (app) allows me to make notes on PowerPoint slides in real time and can even have the students participate (by having them write on the slides). It is especially helpful when I walk around the room and can make points from anywhere (without being tethered to the teacher station by a cable).  I think the students think it is cool too the I can actually use technology, simple as it may be.

Dr. Reid Adams
1-1-1, Faculty Showcase, Faculty Technology Institute, instructional technology, iPad, TLT

Guest Post: Evernote and Remind101 for Teaching and Scholarship

Mendi Benigni

Our guest blogger is Reid Adams, an Assistant Professor in the Teacher Education Department.

During the 2013 FTI, we were introduced to a number of iPad applications and given tutorials on how they might be implemented into our courses and in a few case, our research. The applications all seemed interesting, convenient, and relatively easy to use. Some of the apps were specific to video editing (Splice, ScreenChomp), some to document editing (GoogleDrive,  and others to aid in the delivery of lessons (AirSketch, SyncPad) and apps used for organization and communicating with students (Remind101, EverNote, Dropbox). The next step was deciding which ones made the most sense to incorporate into existing courses I taught or current research projects.

I chose two apps to use based on a couple of existing needs. First, I was looking for a better way to organize the work I was doing on a couple of manuscripts being developed and an ongoing research project. Evernote seemed the obvious choice and I began using it as soon as the FTI ended. It allowed me merge a number of existing digital texts (notes from other iPad apps, articles for lit reviews, links to articles online, videos) into one central location. Better yet, I could take this collection anywhere with the iPad and also run the same application on my home and office computer while keeping all three synced. So far, this app (Evernote) has allowed me to streamline how I work on manuscripts and also allowed me a new tool to help keep texts organized for courses I teach. In short, the app allows for easy organizing.

The second app I chose was based on my effort to communicate more efficiently with my students and provide another level of access to them. I often teach field-based courses that don’t allow as much face time with students that one gets in traditional courses so I am always looking for new ways to interact with them. I decided to try Remind101. The app is fairly straight forward.  It allows you to send text messages to students. Most of us are aware that students spend a good bit of time texting and that many of them find texting more efficient than emailing. I used Remind101, along with email, to send students reminders about assignments in all courses but the app was really helpful in getting “last minute” messages to students when scheduling was disrupted or changed in field- based courses. These were instances when they may have not had access to email or they weren’t checking email regularly. With Remind101, they would receive a text (IM) from me and be alerted to it on their phones immediately. Students do have to register for the app to work but it is free and fairly easy to initialize. I informally surveyed all three courses and most students agreed that getting texts from me was much easier than having to check emails. I saw a slight bump in student evaluations regarding access and I feel like this additional tool probably helped.

Overall, the apps discussed in this post were very helpful. It was nice to find ones that applied to teaching as well as scholarship and I plan to continue using both. Since both apps are straightforward in their use and setup, I would encourage other faculty to give them a try.

screenshot of the article
1-1-1, Collaboration, Faculty Showcase, Faculty Technology Institute, Innovative Instruction, TLT

Collaboration through Technology

Mendi Benigni

Our  guest blogger this week is Tracey Hunter-Doniger in Teacher Education.

This year, the Faculty Technology Institutes focused on Engaging the #Tech Generation. TLT delivered sound
pedagogical practices, demonstrated technological tools, showcased experiences from CofC faculty, and provided a forum for open discussion. In these sessions I learned how to embrace technology through Twitter, Instagram, and other social media. I also learned how to get my students to work together collaboratively through a program called Popplet.

Popplet A VISUAL MAPPING TOOL

Screen Shot 2013-10-24 at 3.55.57 PMPopplet is a tool that allows users to visualize ideas though an organized mind map. A mind map is a diagram used to visually outline information for a project, an idea or research. It is often created around a single word or idea. From that central idea lines radiate in all direction to which additional ideas, works, phrases and images can be attached.

A single individual can design a mind map easily with a pen and paper; however, through Popplet technology the mind mapping becomes even more organized. What is more useful, classmates can “invite” their peers to join a Popplet and collaborate  simultaneously. This is useful when planning group projects. The students can work from a single location or from anywhere there is internet access.

Popplet in my Class

My students are required to create a cultural unit infusion the arts into their academic lessons. These groups of 4-5 usually find it difficult to schedule a time to plan their unit. Popplet has allowed my students to collaboratively work on their projects from across campus, while creating an aesthetically pleasing outline of their lessons. When they meet with me to discuss their lessons, it is well thought out, easy to follow and I can clearly see that each student participated in the process.

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1-1-1, Faculty Technology Institute, Innovative Instruction, iPad, Mobile, TLT

iBook Author

Mendi Benigni

Our  guest blogger this week is Tracey Hunter-Doniger in Teacher Education.

craft

In the FTI (Faulty Technology Institute) I learned several ways to implement technology into my class. One specific tool I demonstrate using with my pre-service teachers is iBooks Author. In this example lesson for their future classes I show my students how this program can help bridge learning through a hands-on creative process.

In recent years the United States has seen a decline in test scores in Math and Science as compared to other Westernized countries (White, 2010). As a result, the U.S. appears to be losing competitive ground with other first world nations. This has sparked a directive in the advancement of science, technology, engineering and math, also known as STEM. There is no question that the STEM subjects are vital to learning but it is missing an important component, the arts. STEAM provides the missing component to STEM by adding the “A” for Art.

THE LESSON:

  • The students learn about the scientific components of a nature Field Guide (species of animals, where they can be located, diet, unique qualities of a species, etc.)
  • The students gather multiple items from nature.
  • The students create their own imaginary species from the found objects from nature.
  • Then the student creates an original page for a “class field guide” describing the name, species, classification, etc. of their creature.
  • Publish the pages in iBooks Author and enjoy.

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Faculty Technology Institute, Innovative Instruction, Pedagogy

Engaging the #TechGeneration

Bryan

There are many varied opinions (and some myths) about the characteristics and capabilities of current students. In fact, there is no single accepted label for Americans born after 1990: Net Generation, Digital Natives, and the Tech Generation are all referring to the same demographic.

However, here are three commonly held beliefs about this generation of students:

  • They constitute a largely homogeneous generation, and speak a different digital language from their parents.
  • They learn differently from preceding generations of students.
  • They demand a new way of teaching and learning involving technology.

(Thomas, Michael. Deconstructing Digital Natives. New York: Routeledge, 2011)

In addition, the common wisdom describes this generation (though somewhat contradictory) as technically savvy, participatory, isolated, free-spirited, socially aware and engaged, lacking fundamental skills, distracted, and action oriented.

To address this fundamental shift in instructional design, TLT will offer a week-long Maymester session, know as the Faculty Technology Institute (FTI).

The purpose of this professional development seminar is to:

  • Identify the challenges and benefits of engaging the current student population.
  • Examine “alternative” instructional strategies and technologies for engaging and assessing students.
  • Analyze their own instructional practices to:
    • Identify areas of potential improvement
    • Incorporate appropriate technology tools into their instruction
    • Provide ample opportunity for reflection, creativity, and engagement with the provided content.

We are excited to offer this to the CofC Faculty.  For more information about the expectations and application, please visit the Faculty Technology Institute page.