Thursday, May 9, 2013
Welcome to the TRY ONE NEW THING Social Media In the Classroom web log. We are now a "virtual community." From the time our BHSU workshops end on May 17 and throughout the summer up until August's Faculty Welcome Week, we will look forward to interacting with everyone here about social-media-in-the-classroom "findings, updates, discoveries and experiences."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
My one new thing is a slight revision to something I tried last semester...I want to create a way for students to critique each others' TV magazine segments for MCOM 331: Video Production.
ReplyDeleteLast semester, I used Facebook to host the completed videos and Desire2Learn for students to post their comments. But this was clunky and required a lot of clicking back and forth. So today I created a blog for MCOM 331, where I can post the videos and have students critique them in the same place.
I considered using Scenios, but that site only allows 3 users per video project for free...and then gets quite expensive. I didn't want to burden students financially, so I looked for a no-cost solution. Google Drive seemed to be the most practical solution.
Here's what I did...I used YouTube to host the video segments (privately), Google Docs to host the critique (form tool), and Blogger (private) to put the two pieces together. This allows me to give students a one-stop-shop for critiquing one another. The critique results are visible to students within the course (and me), but are not public. I think this is necessary to protect students' privacy and to encourage honest feedback from within the class.
I have temporarily made the blog public so you can test it out and give me some feedback. This is just a first draft. Please let me know what you think! The link to my blog is http://mcom331bhsu.blogspot.com/ . Thanks in advance...I look forward to seeing what you all come up with!
Scott, what a terrifically informative segment. I had to restrain myself from offering kudos in the boxes provided! The format seems very user-friendly, to me. Just a couple of questions--Do students have the option to critique or not, or must everyone log-in comments? How will students know when you post the next available video to be reviewed? Thanks for putting this together so quickly for us to see a really workable application. Bobbi
DeleteHello Scott, I just wanted to throw this out there
Deletehttp://www.viddler.com/
I have used this service before for group video projects - that were completed with online teams. The great thing about it was we were able to click on any spot within the time line of the video and make a comment....So if a team member wanted to make a change they could mark it on the time line and it pops up during the video. When I used it - it was free...but it looks like they have since added a fee.
Another option might be www.voicethread.com...it allows in-video commenting...but I have not used it in that way before.... Check out this example video from their blog.
http://blog.voicethread.com/video-commenting/
Annie
Bobbi...if I use this format, students can critique via the "why did you rate...?" text boxes (through Google Drive). They could also comment directly via the Blogger site. Students would know when the next video is posted via a link from D2L.
DeleteThanks for the suggestions, Annie. Scenios and Viddler look good, but are simply too expensive. It would cost about $600 a year for either service. Voicethread looks better at $99 a year, but I still have no idea how to get that funded. Maybe the university has a technology grant? Or maybe I could use lab fees to cover this...I'll ask the Dean and see what he thinks. I guess I could also use my stipend for attending this session to pay for it myself, as sort of a pilot project.
DeleteHi Scott,
DeleteI don't think you should use your stipend. I think at $99 a year we can talk about this as a group and see if that can be covered.
Gina
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy one new thing is a course Facebook page. I feel like this is the link I was missing for the new developmental English program. Let me tell you why:
ReplyDeleteIn the past, remedial English has been taught as ENGL 033, a 3-credit remedial course that certain students had to complete before moving on to the credit-bearing ENGL 101: Composition I. The BOR was closely following the findings of Complete College America this past year, which reported the need for co-requisite education in developmental education programs to stop the flood of disappearing students. (Something like 30% of students were not passing developmental education courses nationally, and of those who did, 30% were not continuing on to credit-bearing courses.) Thus, all the SoDak schools were charged with revising their developmental education programs. Our revision was for English and it led to the creation of ENGL 101C: a 5-credit course that simultaneously covers both ENGL 101 and ENGL 032 curriculums.
This course is 3 hours face-to-face each week with two hours of supplemental coursework via MyCompLab, Writing Assistance Center visits, and other activities. My fear is that with the majority of the supplemental work on MyCompLab, students will feel this is two separate courses rather than an integrated one. Hence, the creation of the Facebook page.
I will use a course FB page as a virtual classroom of sorts to bridge the gap between the two components. It will be used for class announcements, homework reminders, and class discussion. Students will be encouraged to post links and articles that relate to class discussion, and they will be required to visit the page at least once a week to read/view a text and offer commentary and peer replies. This will also be another place and space for me to make connections between what they are doing in the classroom and what they are doing in MyCompLab.
I will necessarily have to cut back on MyCompLab assignments to make room for this new social networking activity, but I think the benefits will be too great not to.
I've started the page: www.facebook.com/Wika101C. Please visit and see what you think.
A few more notes:
1. I will change the cover and profile photos to match each of the five units of the course. The first one is a definition unit that is thematically based on American Identity. (Hence, "American Gothic" and its parody.)
2. I will model responses for the students and engage in the weekly conversations with them.
3. We will spend some time on the first day of class discussing netiquette and what is expected out of peer replies and initial postings.
4. This is what I have drafted for the syllabus so far: The Facebook Page
The course Facebook page is located at www.facebook.com/Wika101C. All students are expected to befriend this page for class announcements, discussions, and links to readings and videos. Note: “Liking” this page will not grant anyone access to your personal FB page. Your secrets are safe. If you wish to create a separate FB account for this course, you can create a gmail account for access: Firstname.Lastname101C@gmail.com.
In addition to being our course touchstone for announcements, you will frequently be required to offer responses to posted articles or links or post your own links related to course content. This will count as part of the adjunct work in the course, which is worth 25% of the total grade.
Courtney, you explain well and reassure about privacy issues. I like your approachable tone both here and especially on the FB page. As everyone shares articles and links and you desire for students to respond, will your model posts be the only rubric/guidelines for students to follow? Bobbi
DeleteThat's a good question. It would probably be good to have a section in the syllabus that discusses netiquette and expectations for peer responses and initial posts, and to offer reminders in class as well. I'll be using this page IN class to jump-start discussions after we've posted/replied, so that will be an opportunity to do so.
DeleteThis is really well stated, Courtney.
DeleteIn addition to posting your netiquette policy on your syllabus you can consider posting it to the information section on your Facebook page. I usually have my policy there and as one of the first entries on the page as well.
-Gina
Hello everyone! I wanted to post this great resource that I use when I am investigating new tools to use.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.go2web20.net/
You can use the menu on the right hand side of the page to tag groups of keywords...this helps you narrow down the search!
Happy hunting!
Annie Woodle
This is awesome!
DeleteI'm definitely going to use this one to create a video explaining the expectations and activities of the new 5-credit course; I'll post it on the FB page as part of the intro material for week 1: http://www.powtoon.com/
Powtoon looks cool! I haven't used it before...I would love to see what you come up with.
DeleteCourtney, thanks for the Powtoon lead. I've been playing with it this morning and will find a need it suits in my fall planning. Great stimulator to launch a concept or direction. Bobbi
DeleteHere is another great blog site you guys can use when trying to find technology resources or when you are learning how to use them...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.freetech4teachers.com/
Thanks!
Hi Everyone - I just wanted to share another link. This blog is a great resource if you are looking into incorporating game creation into your classroom.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.gamesradar.com/how-to-make-a-videogame-with-no-experience/
Here is a great TEDx Talk by Paul Anderson about why games are a great addition to many classrooms... with games we can teach a wide range of concepts, engage students, put them in a mode where they will continue to try completing a task even if it is challenging...In game environments people feel comfortable to fail repeatedly and try again...this is a big thing.
This talk is geared more towards younger students, but I think these are benefits that can be transferred to younger & older adults...Top of mind uses...storytelling techniques, physics concepts....Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=4qlYGX0H6Ec#!
Hi All - I'm looking for ideas! My environmental education class has used D2L discussions in the past - I give a prompt, the students respond to it as well as give 2 replies to 2 classmates. I'm wondering how I could make this more engaging and interactive. Any ideas?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever taken the students to the point of small-group discussion within the larger group on D2L? Sometimes just that format will cause more "intimacy" and you still have access to those discussions, too, so you can interact in that way. The hope is that the small groups (could be as small as 2-3 depending on the size of your class) actually DIVERSIFY in some way from the larger group, and then more perspectives are shared. Potentially has some potential?
DeleteChris,
DeleteThis spring I used a "talking circle" at the beginning of class so students helped in the "point" decision making. If students post their initial responses by Friday, that gives the others two days to comment upon the initial responses. I had good results by allowing them to comment "via the talking circle" on how many points should be "removed" for late posts.
Hello all -
ReplyDeleteFor the last two years, I have had my AIS/SOC 422 Issues in Indian Life course post blog on the BHSU Center for American Indian Studies facebook page invovling a controversial issue in Indian Country. I would like to know ways of getting greater visibility for such blogs.
As for a new idea, last year I had my students in my Modern American Indian History & Culture course assume roles in negotiating the acceptance of the "Indian New Deal" Legislation of the 1930's. I created a fictious northern plains Tribe and Reservation. Students were assigned to a tribal or federal team (could include private parties - church, local land owners, etc.), created a bio, determined their team priorities and then negotiated whether they would accept the Indian Reorganization Act which created democratic tribal governments. Historically, 181 Tribes at that time formally voted in favor with 77 voting against it.
I am uncertain as to which format would best to be employed.
Hello Everyone,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to answer Aris's question from Friday about the Schoology grade book.
You can export your gradebook into 2 formats:
1. As an XLS/CSV version of your gradebook
2. As an XLS/CSV file that can be used to import into other systems
Here is a video showing you how:
http://sproutvideo.com/videos/7c9bd8b51a1fe2c6f4
Have a great day!
Annie
I'm working on my syllabus (still!) for the new Engl. 101C which already involves the social media of MyCompLab. I'm deciding on whether or not to incorporate Google drive since so much is built into the software. I'm now working on adding Ted Talks to the flip teaching idea by using Ted talks that could be used to support the particular writing strategies I'm teaching. New goal is to capture ted talks and incorporate them into MyCompLab. I'm sure several of you know how to do something like this. Who? How? And again, it was such a pleasure to work with such interesting people. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteSo My wife and I have been working on blogs for the summer CHEM 106 and 107 sections. The links are for CHEM 106:
ReplyDeletehttp://chemsurvey.blogspot.com/
and for CHEM 107:
http://biochemsurvey.blogspot.com/
We'll see this summer how the students respond. Hopefully we can give the rapid students another outlet for classroom help.
I just checked out the Chem Survey blog - very cool and gives me some ideas! I really like that a Prezi can be included straight into the blog.
DeleteHi everyone. For my social media project, I decided to pursue a goal I've had for some time by developing an collaborative online course scavenger hunt. By implementing a beginning of semester scavenger hunt, I hope to: encourage collaboration among members of a learning community; promote each student's awareness of the course resources and requirements; and, support each student's ability and confidence in utilizing D2L and other web-based resources as a tools to positively support learning.
ReplyDeleteI found a research article that encouraged me to pursue this idea:
http://jolt.merlot.org/Vol2_No2_Jones.htm
I also found an example developed by a University of Wisconsin professor: http://uwmltc.org/?p=2921
I ventured forward and developed a test model for a course that I am teaching this summer. Unfortunately, I tried using a forum in Google Drive that did not work as I hoped it would. The students were very understanding. In fact, several encouraged me to "not give up" : ) Over half of the students sent comments indicating that they thought a collaborative online scavenger hunt would be a fun way to begin a new course and get to know their peers!
So, it's back to the drawing board. The good thing is that I already have the questions and introduction for the scavenger hunt developed. I am planning to try Prezi as the next venue. Crossing my fingers and hoping for success : )
Hi Vicki,
ReplyDeleteI was wondering what issues you were having with Google Drive?...I might be able to help with that! :) Also, have you considered using some type of feed like Twitter that the students could respond to each other on...Getting the class on Twitter could also be a great way to keep them updated about coursework...just an idea, not sure if it would serve your purposes.
Hi Annie. Thanks for the suggestions. Perhaps we could find some time to talk through some options since you are obviously more social media savvy than I am.
DeleteI chose a blogging project for my "one new thing .." I thought the upper-level Hydrology students might be more interested in the research that is being discussed in social media and may enjoy creating their own blog on an sub-area of hydrology that they are interested in.
ReplyDeleteWith that in mind, I decided I should join the students and start a blog of my own that would mostly serve as a guide for their blogs and the blogging project, with a few interesting things thrown in. If anyone has the time/chance to check out my blog and give any feedback/insights into how I could improve it, that would be greatly appreciated.
http://geol370hydro.blogspot.com/
We have some ideas on the survey as Bobbi, Gina and I did a similar survey with HSR approval last fall and also this spring -- we can formally share results with you if you are all interested.
ReplyDeleteALSO -- Here is an interesting "abbreviated" email I received from my alma mater on traditional universities doing MOOCs -- I know it might seem a bit far-flung at this point, but not really....that's what we were all saying about using social media a couple years ago. I think we need to have this possibility on our radar and be prepared.
June 2013
Dear Mary,
Our university recently joined a movement that will allow our faculty members to explore an educational delivery system that has the potential to revolutionize higher education. In late May, CU signed a contract with Coursera, a leading provider of massive open online courses (MOOC). MOOCs are free courses delivered via the Internet to potentially hundreds of thousands of students across the world.
Coursera was founded just over a year ago by Stanford professors Daphne Koller and Andrew Ng, and with more than 3.5 million registered students, it is already having an impact on how education is delivered. Some of the leading universities in the country use the platform, including Princeton, Duke, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan. Our alignment with Coursera will allow CU faculty to develop courses (or adapt existing ones) for our students and for students around the world.
CU-Boulder signed a separate agreement with Coursera in February, but expanding the scope allows faculty from all CU campuses to develop courses. CU recently joined 10 other state university systems partnering with Coursera.
While CU (like most universities aligned with Coursera) is not now offering courses for credit using the platform, we are excited about the possibilities of developing and delivering content with the potential to improve access, quality and completion for students. As Michael Lightner, professor and chair of the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Energy Engineering and co-chair of the CU Task Force on New Technologies, framed it, MOOCs can expand on the scholarship of learning and teaching. Lightner also says MOOCs not only provide the opportunity to share CU teaching excellence with the world, they also give our faculty the chance to incorporate MOOCs into blended courses, with the potential to enhance learning.
...
Incorporating MOOCs into what we do is a next step in the evolution of learning and teaching at CU. We don't know for sure where the technology will lead or what it will look like in a year or five or 10. The ground is quickly shifting for CU and for higher education as technology changes how we educate our students.
Professors across CU are having discussions about how best to proceed with MOOCs and other technologies. I have every confidence that our faculty members, who are steeped in innovation and are always looking to improve learning and teaching, will remain on the leading edge of providing a high-quality education. They have been doing so at CU for 137 years, and will continue to, no matter how fast technology changes.
Bruce D. Benson
President
IF YOU ALL HAVE A CHANCE, try looking up the text of this article FYI: Schrader, P.G. (2008). Learning in technology: Reconceptualizing immer- sive environments. AACE Journal, 16(4) 457-475.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone. I am teaching a three hour senior seminar this semester on the Civil War. I chose to do a blog with this class, as I thought it might help keep the discussion moving even if we only meet once a week. I also hope it will be way for the students to connect, share their interests, and add information that can be brought into the classroom. However, as I am writing the section of the syllabus regarding the blog, I keep changing my mind on how to assess this portion of the class. For those who have used blogs before, do you incorporate the blog as a part of the class grade? If so, how? My thought was to have a separate "blog participation" grade. Are there any other suggestions?
ReplyDeleteKelly, I use a blog each semester with my Humanities class, and I require one reply/reaction by each student, each week I offer a post. (I can have up to 48 students, so one reply is plenty.) The student replies come to my email box. I quickly read the replies and mark the credit on a tabulation sheet I keep next to my computer. Once the class is over, I transfer point credit to my D2L gradebook. The posts will be of higher quality with points. I reduce points for tame-observations. I also jot student ideas and discussion launchers in the margin of my tabulation sheet. Then I use these to initiate discussion in the next class, after the post. My blog posts save class time that I used to use for viewing short videos about various artists. Now the students come to class already having seen and remarked on the videos. Their reactions are more thoughtful and productive. Hope this is helpful. Bobbi
DeleteThis is Aris by the way. I got an email saying i should post this...
ReplyDeleteI am using blogger.com for my Social Psychology 441 class. Students will be asked to comment on a variety of sensitive topics at the beginning of the semester. We will eventually cover all topics, and students will return to their comments at the end of the semester to critique their comments now that they have learned more about those topics through the class material. Blog is still a work in progress.
I am going to use the blog assignment as a separate line item for grading. Maybe 20% of semester grade? 15%? Not sure yet.
Aris, what a great application. I may borrow this myself in a future semester and ask students to write pre and post in Humanities about "What is Art?" Revealing way to track one's personal growth and learning. Thanks for this helpful post. Bobbi
DeleteI actually completed my try something new project over the summer. I wanted to try it out with a small class to see if it would be practical for use in a larger class. The project itself was to find an article in the news relevant to the class (positive psychology) and describe how it related to a topic covered in lecture or the text. Generally speaking, I think it went well. The students really seemed to enjoy reading the posts and I didn't hear any grumblings about the workload, additional websites, or anything. I think this is definitely something that I would try again in future sections. However, one thing I learned is that specific instructions for the type of posting would be important. For the first week, students were posting lectures or talks, rather than news stories and applying the principles.
ReplyDeleteMy goal was to develop a collaborative scavenger hunt that would provide a fun and interactive way of introducing students to requirements for the courses I teach. This summer, I discovered that Google Forms was great for individual student responses, but was not collaboration friendly.
ReplyDeleteSo, I explored further and decided to use a format that I was more familiar with ... Prezi. You can access the scavenger hunt via this link: http://prezi.com/hgrfcuwmwota/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
This will be a Week 1 learning assignment for a face-to-face course I will teach this Fall. I have also developed a scavenger hunt in a Google doc format to use for an online course that I will facilitate this coming semester.
Your feedback is welcomed!
Vicki
It's really helpful to get a sense of what others are doing. My project is a blog to encourage dialogue in an English 101 honors class about a novel we will be working on, Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake. This novel is part of the NEA's The Big Read, and students will be asked to take part in related activities at the Matthews Opera House. I hope that the electornic discussion and the face-to-face activities will complement each other. I'm still trying to conceptualize this, though, and we have only a week before class starts. Yikes! Advice welcome.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAmy, I learned of your Big Read project through Sian Young at the Arts Center. I'm going to do a naming assignment with my Humanities class, a getting-to-know exercise that's kind of a class generated art project as well. I'll take a picture and send to Sian as part of the Arts Center focus on naming, under the grant they received. I'm taking my idea for this from the Six Words Minneapolis project. Here's the link:
Deletehttp://www.slideshare.net/elloyd74/6-words-minneapolis-a-public-art-project?utm_source=slideshow&utm_medium=ssemail&utm_campaign=weekly_digest
Maybe you can use something here as well. Bobbi
So, I know we're only a few weeks in, but it would be great to hear how everyone's ideas are panning out.
ReplyDeleteMy project was to have my students write their own blogs on a hydrology-related topic of their choosing. I feel like I could have given them more guidance to start with, but to be honest, they have taken to the assignment wonderfully (even the ones who state that they've never read a blog) and have all picked really great topics. I'm really excited to see what comes of the blogs, especially as many of the students have personal experience with these topics.
If you get a chance, please check out the student blogs on the right hand side of my blog: geol370hydro.blogspot.com.
Abigail, your students DID really take to this assignment. I enjoyed ranging through the topics and seeing how each blogger personalized his or her page. The moving fish on the first blog are clever! The contents show much promise. These blogs can become part of each student's portfolio and resume materials, particularly if they continue to build on them, even after leaving your class. Definitely an engaging social media application. I'm wondering if you gave student search efforts a boost by suggesting research sites, or if the students have located their post links essentially on their own. Bobbi
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete