I incorporate new technologies by offering students the opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge by using PowerPoint, vimeo, iMovie, YouTube, ReelTime, or any other medium of their choice. They are provided with the assignment requirements as well as a Scoring Rubric; however, they are given (almost) free reign in the way in which they demonstrate the knowledge they have ascertained.
I teach programming courses and many concepts are challenging in an on-line environment. I have identified several areas that students struggle with and developed videos guiding them. I also share my desktop and deliver demos during class. These are two ways that technology helps to support users in their attempts to learn these concepts.
We used to use books to research wiring diagrams and follow steps to diagnose and repair vehicles. Now we use the internet to connect to manufacturers information where we have all those diagrams and Instructions. The nice thing about that is there are no pages to get ripped or dirty!
As a professor I have tried to always incorporate something technological into the classroom. I use power points which I give the students the option of getting them in email as well for tactile students who need the power point on paper, I use documentaries and movies as well as web pages for pictures or imagery to match the topic. One difficulty that Ioften face though and would like to see if anyone has any good sites but my college gave an in service on Copyright when I first began and a lot of websites, social media or videos that many instructors would love to show in their class we quickly learned that they had copyright infringements. Are there are good websites that are allowed and not copyrighten?
I work with the students going out into the working world during the externship. Often is the case that they are unwilling to accept calls or return calls. I have been working with other ways to engage and to get responses and results, email, automated timesheets through their portal, use of their smart phones to send images of needed documents.
Recently, I discovered that my students were having a harder than usual issue with remember the pharmaceutical drugs for quizzes. One student utilized a app they downloaded, to create flashcard, the student shared how it helped in remember these words.
In my next classes, I had suggested this app to utilized, and noticed students drug quiz scores greatly improved, so this now a app I suggest to all current and new students to utilize.
At the risk of creating a distraction, I have found it keeps students engaged to use their cell phones in class to look up information. They like to compete to see who can find an answer the fastest and we all learn new facts together.
as a culinary arts instructor I ask my students to video record my demonstrations and post it online via youtube. I will then ask them to reaserch the same demonstration online and we will discuss the simularities and differences.
David,
It sounds as if in your situation, utilizing phones for in class work should be limited to online searches. I do appreciate the approach your institution has taken, focusing on technology while students are in school in order to become acclimated with how your industry functions.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Ali,
I find well produced YouTube videos to be invaluable when lecturing on a new or difficult concepts. as you mentioned, hearing it explained from another authority does often help if learners are having issues with absorbing the content.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
As an instructor in an auto/diesel career institute, technology is a very important tool when it comes to repairing/maintaining our mode of transportation in today's world.The only real concern we have is that the students use their phones in the classrooms for everything but the learning objective. We use scan tools to communicate with the software used in vehicles today, and they need to be constantly reminded that today's cell phones are not able(as yet)to help with their assigned tasks. We have all the necessary information they will need to be successful already downloaded on our computers. They need to know where to go to find the relevant information to repair the car or truck that is in front of them and not worry about what they are doing for lunch! This is a certain percentage of the student body and is certainly not most of them. Now...with saying that, we DO encourage them to use their phones to google certain terms and perhaps find specific information that might not be found on a specific site on the terminals they are using. I do understand technology/social media and the idea of being connected, but at our school, there is basically a time and a place when not using their cell phones is appropriate.
I teach an online Technology Information Systems course that covers all of the MS Office Products. I have added youtube videos of concepts that can be confusing, such as absolute and mixed cell references. It allows the students to see another instructor showing the concept through screen sharing and has proven to be very helpful.
I have utilyzed social media with my Chef Carlos Mulia Food and Art page as well as Youtube with Chef Carlos Mulia's pan seared Alaskan Black Cod, and Pinterest with Chef Carlos Mulia's Grilled Vegetable Tofu Tower.My students see the culinary techniques and we discuss them.I then encourage them to do the same use these social media for their own culinary dishes.
Within my classroom I also use alot of PowerPoint, however there are videos embedded to keep it interesting. I frequently use YouTube for real life demonstrations of critical techniques we are doing. I have also broke my class up into teams making sure at least one of them has a smart phone, which is not really that hard anymore, and have them research words and topics related to lecture.
My curriculum is also very limiting in what I can add or change. We do use interactive online learning and a presentation format similar to PowerPoint but is locked down and not editable. The options presented in this course show how things could change in the future with some persuasion.
Yes students are required to creative a video resume in the speech class.
In one school all the plain "white boards" have been replaced by the "SMARTBOARDS" and the Math program, in particular, has adopted a series that is almost totally computer generated. I still use the part of the regular white board for reinforcement!
In a different school I've made 4 of my graded quizzes (2 for each class) to be completed and graded online.
We do use Google scholar but I also allow any other resource that ends in .org or .edu. When a student looks something up we discuss what site they are using and whether it is appropriate or not. It helps them realize not everything on the internet is reliable and also how to determine if the information is to be believed.
Brenda,
I do the same during group project time in class, listing reputable sources on the board to ensure the information they are gathering is accurate. I find Google Scholar is a fantastic resource!
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Michael,
Thank you very much for sharing your experience with tablet computers. Skype and Facetime are wonderful tools for educators, especially in an online environment when a student needs additional one on one assistance. I have a son in college and he only purchases ebooks, when available- this trend appears to be the norm with many Millennials in school today.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
