LOW-EFFORT, LOW-COST, HIGH-GAIN TECHNOLOGIES FOR TEACHING & LEARNING

Brett Christie, Ph.D., Sonoma State University

April 19, 2011 @ METU University, Ankara, Turkey

LearningEfficiencyOutcomes

CollaborationEngagementAccessibilityInnovationCreativeEffective

Acknowledgments

• Dr. Oya Yerin Güneri, DirectorLearning and Student Development Office

Items to Explore or Consider• Wordle: Create “word clouds” with many uses• VoiceThread: Create more engaging discussions• Wallwisher: Online Notice or Discussion Board• Quizlet to create flashcards and practice quizzes• GoogleDocs: Forms/Survey, Drawing• Virtual Office Hours (Skype, Elluminate)• Glogster to create multimedia web posters• Prezi for visual-spatial presenting• Wikispaces to create course, research, or project wikis• Zamzar for easy conversion of file types• Doodle for meeting times- www.doodle.com• Dropbox- http://www.dropbox.com/

Explanation of “Clouds”

Word Clouds as More than Web Data

• Create your own “word clouds” using Wordle• Copy and paste (or type) any text to see how it is represented in a word cloud

• Copy and paste a series of articles to perform a

visio-cumulus-meta-analysis• Copy and paste a mission statement or guiding document to see what is most prominent. Does it match the intended message?

Other Uses of Word Clouds

• Show a Wordle of a reading for discussion prior to assignment

• Start a discussion with a Wordle of the assigned reading

• End a discussion with a Wordle of the assigned reading to see if all was covered

• Use Wordle to preview vocabulary for a reading, topic, or unit

• Have students create a Wordle of their term paper and analyze

Other Uses of Word Clouds

• Have students Wordle an article and analyze• Create an “audible Wordle” by having students read each word aloud in the tone according to word size and meaning

• Supports vocabulary, literacy, language learning• Have students create a Wordle biography• Have students create a “who am I?” Wordle • Create a cultural identity Wordle• iTunes playlist Wordle (related to biography?)

Additional Uses of Word Clouds

• Paste a threaded discussion into Wordle• Paste two sides of an argument into separate Wordles and compare them visually

• Comparing oratorical messages • (e.g., State of the Union address 2010 vs. 1930)

• Create interesting topic slides to evoke discussion

• Create a Wordle about yourself as an introduction

• Enter histogram data into Wordle (advanced)

Turning Histograms into a Wordle

Vanilla

Chocolate

Strawberry

Coffee

Lavendar

MintChoc

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Favorite Flavor of Ice Cream

Select All, Copy,

Wordle.net,Paste,Voilà

VoiceThread for Engaging Online Conversations

What is VoiceThread?

• VoiceThread combines the purpose of threaded discussions with visual media and social web communication.

• A VoiceThread starts with a series of images.• Author can post a welcome message and instructions.

• Students can then post comments in the form of text, audio, or video.

• All this is done with particular ease of use.

Who is Using VoiceThread?

• K-12 teachers for oral histories and student book reports

• As a part of group projects• As a way to deliver a group presentation• Art appreciation/history professors• Language instructors• Instructors instilling media literacy• Any instructor who wants to build community, inside and outside of class

How Does VoiceThread Work?

• Simple interface to upload media:• From desktop• From social media sites (e.g., Flickr, Facebook)• Others can then view and comment

• Can be open to course or peer-group via password• Or, can be publicly available for larger dialog

• Author can send url or embed in a blog, web page, or LMS page

Why is VT Significant?

• Ease of use• Unique platform to combine social media and social communication with educational purpose

• Allows for participation via text, audio, video, or mark-up

• Flexible and scalable from still frames to audio to video

What are the VT Downsides?

• Initial rethinking in terms of how students are allowed to communicate

• This new form involves developing new assessment strategies

• If video is the focus, bandwidth access can be an issue

• Flash technology can limit use on mobile devices

Where is VT Headed?

• Has evolved significantly since release• Options for local branding or design• Options for have one account administrator for a large number of users

• You can progress from chatting about a slide to offering narrated demonstrations or tutorials

Implications for Teaching and Learning

• Simple venue for sharing, creating, and assessing media projects

• Promotes digital literacy and other 21st century skills

• Effective for posing a topic and having students choose sides and debate

• Power of digital storytelling and group/individual reflections.

Credit to Michelle Pacansky-Brock for “VoiceThread: Getting Started” slideshttp://www.box.net/shared/774tqdat8f

Questionsor

Comments?

• A virtual bulletin board or discussion board• Place post-its, images, video, or audio• Each post is 160 characters• Author gets to create the url for the Wall• Author can control who sees a Wall• Author can moderate what gets posted• Share, RSS, and Embed features

• Allows you or students to create study sets• Or, search the 5 million existing flashcards• Work in different study modes

• Flashcard, Matching, Learn, or Test

• Create study groups around a card set• Study on the go with mobile Quizlet apps• Edit and improve existing sets• Free (limited) or $10/year

Google Docs Options

•Forms• Create surveys and report forms• It’s free and you own the data• Live look at the data• Allow others to see the data• Export into SPSS or other stats package• Unlimited for free

Google Docs Options

• Drawing• Create concept maps or topic diagrams• Built-in drawing and text tools• Import images• Collaborate in real time• Share work-in-progress• Share finished product• Export as jpg, png, or pdf• Unlimited for free

https://bubbl.us/

Virtual Office Hours

• Makes you much more accessible to students• You can still set parameters:

• What day and time• How much notice to be given• Professional conduct (netiquette)

• More efficient. Can be more productive.• Can be 1-on-1 or group meeting.• Easy to use Skype.

Elluminate “Three for Free”

• Go to www.learncentral.org• Create a free user account• Schedule office hours• Put link on syllabus and in LMS• Use for audio meeting, as well as whiteboard participation, such as going over an assignment, rubric, or test.

• Create multimedia posters• Interactive content poster• Collaborative project poster• Student research posters• Embed them into course web page• $99/year for 200 students• http://edu.glogster.com/

• Visual-spatial presenting• Web-based presentation software• “3D Infinite Canvas”• Avoids linear presentations• Allows for sequence or free-flow• Can auto-play• Hosts audio and video content• Can be embedded within a web page or LMS• Free for up to 100 MB• www.prezi.com

• Available for free (small ads in right margin)• Great way to organize resources• Create one class wiki for lecture notes to be posted by students

• Have students create a research project wiki• Have group collaborate to create a project wiki

• You can track who contributed what and when.

Convert any file type to another for posting to web or LMS

• Seamless organization and synchronization of files between all your devices

• Access from anywhere via the cloud• Collaborate on files or share folders• Set up a JotForm that allows others to submit a file

directly to your DropBox• Free for up to 2GB. $100/yr for 50GB• Extra 250MB referral link, http://db.tt/jW8hRKm

Tools for 21st Century Teachershttp://issuu.com/mzimmer557/docs/tools_for_the_21st_century_teacher

References and Resources• Wordle.net• 7 Things You Should Know About VT

• http://teachingwithoutwalls.com/userfiles/file/VTIntroduction.pdf

• Introduction to VoiceThread• http://teachingwithoutwalls.com/userfiles/file/

VTIntroduction.pdf• Educator’s Guide to VoiceThread

• http://teachingwithoutwalls.com/userfiles/file/VTEducatorsGuide.pdf

• Tools for 21st Century Teachers• http://issuu.com/mzimmer557/docs/tools_for_the_21st_century_teacher

• Brett.Christie@sonoma.edu