Technology that is relevant and successful
What new technologies have you found to be both relevant and successful in engaging learners?
You tube, twitter and Scoology
Prezi and Google apps. It is impossible to print out any google docs, however.
Students at our college seem to use their phone for everything. I certainly encourage the use of a phone in class when students begin looking up information for use in class. What I find interesting is that I am now finding students who cannot use computers as well as they can use their phones. With Google Docs, papers come in not in Word formats.
I've also had students unable to send an email with an attachment on their phone.
At this point I am not sure all classwork can be done by phone, but it will be interesting to see where the technology takes us.
We use an online gradebook called engrade which I have found extremely helpful. The students get a log-in code and can view their grades at any time anywhere they have internet access. It also has a messaging feature and a calendar where I post classroom documents and PowerPoints. This is helpful for those who missed class. There is also an app for it which encourages students to actually use it.
Carlos,
Engrade is a fantastic, relatively new tool available to educators- I am so glad you brought it up with the group! Engrade is well worth checking out when adopting a new platform for managing the modern classroom and I have faith it will be around for some time given the pace the company has grown and the strong financial backers behind the company.
Best,
Theresa Schmitt
I use power points and embed YouTube videos in my presentation to better engage the class. Also we have a portal where student can access their grades, attendance, class assignments, emails, etc.
Technology has made our society global and we are more connected than ever before with other people. Using technology such as interactive whiteboards or interactive tablet computers exposes the students to technology that will address the expected outcomes such as communication and collaboration, digital citizenship, technology operations and concepts, as well as research and information fluency.
I am a technology instructor so I have to incorporate as much as possible. Since we might be limited in not having a PC to work on. We have the students install Operating Systems in a Virtual Machine where they will have complete access to do what they want. We have some physical equipment for demonstration and I also bring in my own hardware including old ones so they may see how quick technology has progress. We use Engrade.com site that is free for tracking grades and attendance but it also provides an area for posting on your own site. I use it to post additional class information including videos links that I found in other sites related to the subject matter. Each student is different and I have a mixed group of varying ages. Some that are older then me. So, we need to accommodate all types, from visual, audio to hands on learners.
Merrill,
Fantastic! Please come back and share your experience with the group.
Wishing you continued success int he classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I plan to use Purpose Games and Quiz star to start. I am talking to my school about using Google Aps and working on Collaborize Classroom topics for my students to discuss. To answer the successful part of your question, I have yet to use any of these ideas in my current class. I think they will work well but it is just my opinion.
Tonya,
So many students are visual learners and turn to YouTube when learning a new technique or to supplement the in-class lesson.
Thanks for sharing!
Theresa Schmitt
I have found YouTube to be a helpful place to send students to also. In fact, my students suggested I find a YouTube video during a lecture class to demonstrate "technique".
When we went into the lab, they were able to use the technique from the YouTube video.
Elizabeth,
I find most careers require at least a basic knowledge of Excel. I imagine advanced knowledge of the app is essential in accounting.
Thank you for sharing, and I wish you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I am an accounting instructor. I find when the students do in class exercises on the PC in excel, it improves their understanding of accounting concepts.
Edward,
I think it is fantastic you incorporate games and motivational applications into your curriculum! When students realize they may need to learn how to type on a keyboard and not only with their thumbs, they often struggle at first- you have found a fantastic solution!
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
I've found that many students want to be able to type faster. There are online typing tests and video games that help teach touch typing. Students have told me that they like these activities.
Some students find that competing for the highest words per minute motivates them to practice touch typing, but I'm careful not to put too much emphasis on this competition, because it can frustrate and embarrass slow typists.
Also, I only allot about 15 minutes for games. I encourage the students to utilize them at home. If we spend too much class time on games, the students begin to get restless.
I have recently started using Haiku. Because of its format, it forces the instructor to be concise and abbreviated in presenting information. This reduces the load on the student while at the same time, drives home relevant and important points without overburdening the presentation. It is visually interesting with a creative component.
Susan,
I find the portal keeps me organized, especially when it comes to posting assignments and updating grades in a timely manner. The ability to transfer course content from previous terms or content from another instructors class is a fantastic feature as well.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Tracey,
As an instructor, I find YouTube an amazing tool for teaching and reinforcing concepts. Just this evening when faced with a technical challenge that had us all stumped, the answer was a short YouTube video away!
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
