Each year, I have attended seminars and workshops to learn to integrate technology into my teaching strategies.
After 2011 Tech Training, I used Jing to create an introduction/welcome to each course. The Jing included a welcome from the instructor (along with contact information), emphasis on the objectives and benefits of the course, and comments from students in past semesters. This welcome/introduction was sent via email to registered students about 2 weeks before the beginning of the semester. This strategy served to improve communications.
From D2L courses at MSU, I learned how to create a course on D2L, to upload course materials (syllabi, presentations, and hand-outs), to email students, to hold on-line chats, to set up the D2L grade book feature, and to create quizzes. I practiced all these techniques throughout the year. Between Fall and Spring semesters, I revised course materials to make them more user-friendly through D2L. This strategy proved very beneficial for several reasons:
- Money was saved (for faculty and for students) by not photocopying all distributed materials for the courses.
- Course contents were readily accessible to students at any time.
- Course contents were readily accessible to the instructor while actually teaching the courses in “smart” classrooms on campus or in other locations off campus.
- Course contents could be duplicated from semester to semester.
- Student lists were available for group emails for the instructor or for students.
I attended several D2L courses:
- D2L: Introduction and Basic Course Setup
- D2L: Ongoing Course Administration and Communication
- D2L: Gradebook and Assignments
- D2L: Quizzing
These courses helped me refine my use of D2L to enhance my campus-based courses this year. I learned how to create a course on D2L, to upload course materials (syllabi, presentations, and hand-outs), to email students, to hold on-line chats, to set up the D2L grade book feature, and to create quizzes. I practiced all these techniques in the 10 courses that I taught this year. Between Fall and Spring semesters, I revised course materials to make them more user-friendly through D2L.
On March 27, 2013, I attended “Teaching and Learning with Technology: a faculty development approach” in Washington, DC. Oh, my goodness, this was the best-ever seminar! Click here for a Pinterest board that has a lot of resources for teaching with technology.
Here are the other notes that I took. I learned about these techniques:
a) CarolSticks
b) ClipConverter – app to take video url (e.g., from Youtube) convert it into mp3, mp4, wmv and store it as an url to embed into teaching.
c) CyberJournalism
d) Delicious – bookmark, place, house content virtually
e) EdModo – similar to facebook, with center contents – send alerts, post assignments, add news, calendar, userfriendly, library to add files/video/media, interfaces with google docs, similar to social sites…
f) Google 10x 10, Google docs, Google , Google hangout, GoogleVoice – text or email or voice to/from students using gmail account, so you do not have to use another message platform.
g) GroupMe – phone number / text or voice / cohort or class or group of classes
h) iRubric
i) Jing by TechSmith – screen and sound capture
j) Justpaste.it – share text and images – creates a web site.
k) MeetMe
l) Oovoo – distance communication
m) Pinterest – virtual bulletin board http://pinterest.com/gdmitchell77
n) Pipes
o) Polling technology / clickers
p) PowerPoint presentations
q) SoundCloud – podcast – upload audio to SoundCloud and generate a url to send to students or to embed into blog
r) Todaysmeet.com – share in the “room” to create live thread while class is meeting
s) Tumblr
t) Twitter – create a professional account, follow news, identify good practices for tweeting
u) Wordnik
v) WordPress – generates content – used by CNN, etc – to create websites – userfriendly – thousands of templates – FREE version –
w) Youtube