10 ways to_spice_up_your_learning_room_with_anna_v1.4

Anna ArmstrongCentre for Professional Learning & Development

Ten ways to spice up your NOW learning room

Anna Armstrong

Technology Learning and Development Adviser

Centre for Professional Learning and Development (CPLD)

Logistics

• Toilets

• Drinks and Refreshments

• Fire Alarms

• Questioning Policy

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/major_clanger/382513/http://www.flickr.com/photos/tonytoo/4692186465/

By the end of the course you should be able to:

• Make your NOW learning room a hub for all information and resources for your module

• Enhance your face-to-face sessions with videos, topical subjects and competitions, dates, definitions and events

• Have your learning room automatically updated by linking to live feeds from the internet

• Provide a rich source of new information, wider reading, activities and learning resources

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http://now.ntu.ac.uk

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Imagine…

10 Ways to Spice up your NOW Learning Room

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Discover the Ten Tips…

• In groups of two or three look at the learning room page Ten Ways to Spice up your NOW Learning Room (under your Student tab).

• What do you like/dislike about the learning room, from a student perspective?

• How many new ideas can you find?

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Practise in your Sandbox Module

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Colour code your learning room

Why?• Give your learning room a

distinctive appearance• Have an agreed house style

with other related modules• Highlight important

information

How?• Edit the homepage layout• Change the colours of the

widget headings / titles

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Colour code your learning room1

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Learning room layout

• Widget layout is based on standard template (uneditable)

• Create a new template (editable)

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https://my.syncplicity.com/share/kx92ie0gd8/Creative_Commons_Infographic.png

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Find copyright-free images

Pose a question/competition/incentive

Why?• Question of the week• Create interest• Brighten up learning room• Raise awareness• Increase engagement with the

learning room• Link to more information• Teaser before lecture• Share your photos• Answer revealed in lecture• Test knowledge• Spark discussion• Revision of difficult concept

How?• Create NOW widget• Add an image, text or link to it• Add widget to your learning

room page

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Provide live topical news updates

Why?• Provide topical content

automatically updated• Wider reading• Create interest in the topic

How?• Get an RSS feed from website

of your choice• Convert to code suitable for

NOW• Add to a new widget in NOW

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1• Create a new widget in NOW

2• Find a relevant RSS feed link. Copy it.

3• Paste into the Feed code builder and copy code

4• Paste code into NOW widget in HTML mode

5• Add the widget to your NOW learning room

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Open new tabs and go to • tinyurl.com/makecode• www.guardian.co.uk

Definitions/Glossary

Why?• Revision• Explain commonly

misunderstood terms• Exam rubric terminology

How?• Use NOW’s Glossary tool

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Provide automatically updated links to current and topical reading

Why?• New material on each visit• Topical content• Wider reading• Create interest in the subject

area• You don’t have to provide the

information

How?• Get a feed from Twitter• Create a new widget in NOW• Add Twitter feed into widget

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2112 April 2023

Twitter in Education8

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tT6N_8wcn4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Automatically updated links and reading

www.twitter.com

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Find a good quality source of information8

• Using Twitter, find an individual or organisation who regularly tweets on your subject of interest

• Reflect on the quality and relevance of their contributions, for your learners

• Look at the people they follow, and find another quality source of information

• Identify a person/organisation you found which could be useful for your learners, and share this with the group

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1• Use Firefox web browser

2• Turn on a customisable home page in NOW

3• Create a new widget in NOW

4• Go to twitter.com, to find the information you need

(code). Copy and paste the code into the NOW widget.

5• Add the widget to your NOW learning room

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Welcome to the Module or Programme

Why?• Orientate students with the

learning room• Explain how you will be using NOW• Highlight documents in the

Content area

How?• Use News to create a welcome

message• Add a picture and a link to module

handbook/other contentOr• Create a video welcome message

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Publicise forthcoming events/dates

Why?• Information• Keep students up to date• Reminders• Guest lectures• Coursework deadlines• Highlight relevant events• Exam board dates• Engagement with learning room• Provide interest and links to further

information

How?• Use NOW’s Events widget

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Which are your three favourite tips??

Photo by fauxto_digital http://www.flickr.com/photos/fauxto_dkp/4822742072/

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http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/NzI1NDY0Njk5

Further Support and Guidance

• Self help resources: NOW Community learning room

• Help desk support for immediate issues: elearninghelp@ntu.ac.uk, ext 86030

• Staff development: CPLDenquiries@ntu.ac.uk

• Curriculum development: Centre for Academic Development and Quality

http://www.flickr.com/photos/b-tal/116220689/12 April 2023 29