And for the Final Review...Music Videos?

Looking for a fun way to help students study for their finals this year? Why not have them make a music video about a topic in class and then share them with one another? Not only will the extra time with the topic help reinforce the content, but putting content to music may actually help with content recall, especially if it's straight memorization--remember how you learned your ABC's? Below is an outstanding example of putting content to music and while your students might not have the time and expertise to create something as exemplary as this, they can still create useful study aids and have fun doing it!

"...involve me and I learn."

I just came across this fantastic quote that I think is a very tangible way to think about the importance of active learning (see previous post!) and very easy to keep in mind when designing content delivery and practice:

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."

   ~ Benjamin Franklin

Active Learning (Online!)

The ease of integrating active learning activities into an online class may be one of the more challenging parts of teaching online but don't neglect it just because it can be tricky! One of the most effective ways people learn is by DOING something so think about what your students can DO even if you can't oversee it the way you would in a physical classroom. One easy way to integrate active learning into a class is to have students use their cameras, phones, ipads etc. to document something they have been learning about. Send them out into their towns and cities to investigate policy, interview professionals, or record a conversation in another language. Have them attend a lecture or visit a museum--there are so many possibilities! Even something as simple as assigning a video to watch with a set of specific instructions to guide them through it will turn a passive activity like watching a movie into something that they have to engage in. (Here is a link to some suggestions for that from Higher Ed Teaching Strategies from Magna Publications :).) Whatever way you find to integrate active learning into your online course, your students will be sure to benefit!

Evidence Based Learning - Insights & Experiences

On Wednesday, Sept. 11th The Office of the Provost and the Office of Information Resources and Technology invites you to attend Evidence Based Learning - Insights & Experiences - a one-day conference continuing our discussion of academic assessment at Drexel specifically and higher education generally. The event runs from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm in the Papadakis Integrated Science Building.

The workshop offers three tracks: 

1. Fundamentals of Evaluating Student Performance 
2. Evaluations: What’s in it for Me – and My Students
3. PAR Experience - Surviving the Process

To register and for more information please view the Workshop Agenda.

I hope to see you there!

TED Talks

Have you thought about using TED Talks as a supplement in your courses? TED Talks have a huge range of topics to choose from including Culture and Communication ;). But even if you can't find a topic that directly relates to your course you could post them in Blackboard as examples of well thought-out, succinct, engaging presentations--something the students can strive to imitate in their own presentations. You could also have students look through the different talks and share their favorite as a way to introduce themselves at the start of the term.

For those of you not familiar with TED Talks--taken from their website:

"TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Along with two annual conferences -- the TED Conference on the West Coast each spring, and the TEDGlobal conference in Edinburgh UK each summer -- TED includes the award-winning TED Talks video site, the Open Translation Project and TED Conversations, the inspiring TED Fellows and TEDx programs, and the annual TED Prize."

The talks are all under 20 minutes and speakers go through a long selection process to be chosen. 

As an example, here is a talk by Susan Cain, "The Power of Introverts", that I think is good to keep in mind  both in the classroom as well as other group settings. Share it with your students!

Voice Boards in Blackboard

What Are Voice Boards
To add a little variety and practice another way of communicating in an online course try using a "Voice Board" in place of a "Discussion Board" from time to time. Voice Boards allow you to ask a question and then set up a space that students can record their verbal answer right in Blackboard. There is an option that allows you to set a time limit so that the students can practice being succinct and you won't be listening to voice recordings all night. The other students can then go in and rather than read each response, listen to each response and respond back with another voice recording. It's a great way for students to practice their verbal skills in an online class--something that is often overlooked--as well as practice their listening skills. It can also be an excellent tool for classes that include public speaking and debates.

Adding Voice Boards in Blackboard
To add a Voice Board to a unit in Blackboard, go to the unit (or area) in your course where you want to add it then click on "Tools" at the top of the page then select "Voice Board". (note: If you don't see that option the tool may just be turned off and it can easily be turned back on under "Customization"/"Tool Availability" in the left hand column--let me know if you need assistance).

Teaching Tips and Techniques in the Culture and Communication Department

The first Teaching Techniques & Tips in the Culture and Communication Department event is being held on Wednesday, May 22nd from 11 am – 1 pm in PSA 114. We are very excited to highlight the different type of work faculty are doing with and for their students and believe that it will be a very beneficial event for all faculty and staff in the department to attend. See the list of presenters and topics below.

A light lunch will be served. Please e-mail Liesl Wuest (lmm88@drexel.edu) if you will be able to attend any of the event by Friday, May 17th.

Presenters:

• Allison Keene - Drexel Center for Academic Excellence Overview and Upcoming Events
• Cyndi Rickards - Community Engagement
• Rob Kane (pre-recorded) – Examples of Whiteboard Screen Casts to Deliver Course Content
• Lawrence Souder - Bringing Students' Voices to Online Learning
• Judy Giering - Online Learning Council and Teaching Fellows Overview
• Simone Schlichting-Artur (pre-recorded) -  Student Created Audio Recordings to Practice Learning German
• Rob D'Ovidio - Using Articulate Engage to Create Interactive Content Presentations
• Jack Maxwell - Student Debates in an Online Course

First Annual Showcase of Teaching

Drexel is hosting it's First Annual Showcase of Teaching in Behrakis Grand Hall on June 5^th. Proposals are due by Friday, May 3rd and I encourage you to apply. For more information, see the First Annual Showcase of Teaching website linked here. We will be hosting a mini faculty showcase of best practices in teaching both in the classroom and online in the Culture and Communication Department so look for more information on that event in the near future. Events like these are wonderful ways to come up with new ideas and to hear about creative ways to invigorate student learning. I hope to see you there!

Screen Casts

Screen casts or online lectures have been used profusely in online classes but they are also catching on in face-to-face classes as well as a tool to give information that students can review at any time. Face-to-face classes are starting to embrace the idea of the "flipped classroom", that is providing one-way course content like readings and online lectures to students to complete outside of the classroom and using more class time for active learning. For a more indepth look at this view Salman Khan's TED talk embedded here:




And here is a link the Khan Academy website that hosts all of the mini-lessons that the Salman Khan has created.

At this point the question may arise as to whether or not this is really helping students and recent research shows that YES! it is! Here is a link to an article in the The Chronicle of Higher Education that talks about some of this research: Data on whether and how students watch screen casts.

So whether you are teaching an online course, a hybrid course or a face-to-face course, consider embracing some of these methods and create long-lasting course resources and tutorials for the students to access at any time. If you need help getting started, just give me a call!

Digital Storytelling

Digital Storytelling is a great way to introduce concepts to students. Using images, videos, songs and spoken words, digital stories are an engaging way to deliver information. View this Digital Story of the Gettysburg Address to see how the audio and video really bring the speech to life. You could also assign a digital story project to students as an alternative to writing a paper or preparing a presentation.

The University of Houston has a great introduction to Digital Stories: The Educational Uses of Digital Storytelling. Read through the home page and watch the video to get a sense of what a Digital Story is and can be.

To help you get started on creating your own digital stories or developing assignments for students to create a digital story, the Culture and Communication department is partnering with the OLT to introduce faculty and staff to the process and tools needed to create a Digital Story. The workshop will be held on Wednesday, February 27th from 9:30 am -12:00 pm. At 9:30 we will meet in Korman 115 for coffee and pastries and from 10:00-12:00 we will be in Korman 116 working on the computers. Please note, if you are full-time faculty or staff and are able to attend the entire workshop the OLT will be able to put a full Camtasia license on your computer without having to attend the Camtasia workshop that they offer as well. If you are interested in attending please contact Liesl Wuest (lmm88@drexel.edu) to sign up.

Preparing for the Workshop

Before you come to the workshop it would be useful to begin thinking about a digital story that you might like to create. Read the Getting Started page under the Create tab on the Digital Stories website and begin gather images, video and audio that you might like to use. Your digital story doesn't have to be for academic purposes--you could use the workshop to create a digital story about a recent vacation, your current research or a book review. Be creative and come to the workshop ready to have fun and create! If you are not able to collect your own media, don't worry, I will bring a set of files that you can work with instead.

If you are using your own computer, please download and install the 30-day trial version of Camtasia linked here: Camtasia Download. Please note that there are different versions for a Mac and a PC.

Last but not least, don't hesitate to contact me ahead of time with any questions about the workshop, I am here to help! I hope to see you there!