CRITICAL REFLECTION WITH ONLINE TOOLSAmber Hinsley, Ph.D.Assistant Professor

Department of Communication

Saint Louis University

Why use online tools?

• Go where the students are• Have prior experience• See utility as learning/professional

• Engagement• Facilitate discussion online & offline

• Make it real• Build professional identity• Showcase communication skills & knowledge

How do I get started?

• Have a purpose• What’s the goal of the assignment?• What do you want students to get from the experience?• How can you structure the assignment to help students meet the

assignment’s objective(s)?

• Choose an online tool• Which online tool(s) are appropriate for the assignment? Why?• How will you help students master using the tool?• How will you communicate the usefulness of learning this tool?• How is using this tool different than more traditional approaches?

How do I choose an online tool?

Short writing

Sharing links

Discussion

Closed group

Longer-ish writing

Sharing media (links, photos, videos) & embedding into posts

Discussion

Open group/public

Video/audio

Confessional/documentary

Discussion

Open group/public

Know your purpose first, then choose tool accordingly

Facebook WordPress

Vimeo

Now what?

• Help students succeed

• What are your expectations for the completed assignments?

• Be explicit • Show examples• Provide feedback

What’s next?

• Bring the online reflections into the classroom • Springboard for class/small group discussions• Comment on each other’s posts/materials

Examples

Upper division class Focus on expanding students’ storytelling skills through technology & social media

Multiplatform

Journalism Lower-level class

Covers wide background of media industries, helps students see how media function/impact everyday life

Media & Society