I really enjoyed the team tech talk today on video - I have a youtube account and have uploaded videos, but I did not know that there was a built-in editor. Very cool! Easy to use, and free. That is just the right price :-)

I also enjoyed the "controversial topic" activity. This activity could be useful in many classes to get students talking and thinking about their own opinions. Nice job, Rumplestiltskin!

Our first Team Tech Talk today was about synchronous methods of teaching.

First, they told us a little about different synchronous tools, including Second Life, Blackboard Collaborate, and Skype. Synchronous tools can be great for including experts who cannot physically come to your classroom. Also allow you to do similar types of activities as in the face-to-face classroom

Our second tech talk was about ethics in using technology. The team shared information about copyright and fair use, monetary costs of requiring technology such as laptops, clickers, tablets, etc, and also security and privacy issues. Following the information session, the class debated two issues:

1. You should provide alternatives to each assignment so that you give your students more response/self expression options (ex. they can post to either Pinterest or Delicious, or choose between blogging and tweeting).

2. It is better to use hardware/software that students already have access to (ex. having a twitter account v. not, or having a smartphone v. not) than to require that they use technology that is new to them.

The groups all came up with great arguments for their sides, and some even convinced themselves to change their minds! These are great questions to think about before assigning tech-related assignments.

Two more great tech talks, one to go!

Time for class: Everyone open Facebook

The second team tech talk today was by (JL)² about using Facebook in class. They started by asking pairs to think about frustrations with eLC or other learning management systems.

• Not consistent across classes
• Can't have more than one window open at the same time
• Just doesn't work!
• Not user-friendly
• Software conflicts - browsers, Java, etc
• Too many clicks

Using Facebook may not address all of these, but it does address some.

Next, Lindsey gave us a history of Facebook and some statistics.
Jeremy talked about some of the research about usage of Facebook in higher education.
Jessica showed us a video she made with some of the procedures involved in creating and using a Facebook group. 
Denise shared some drawbacks of using Facebook -

• distractions, advertising, instant messaging
• It may discourage face-to-face communication. 
• Some students may not participate as often as other students. 
• Also, it may be difficult to locate older posts/discussions. 
• Privacy is also an issue - for both students and teachers. However, some amount of teacher disclosure may be good for student motivation for class.

Good talk!

Flipping Out!

Before class today, Team! asked the class to review a narrated PowerPoint about flipping the classroom. They then started with an activity for the class to open our blogs and type a sentence or two about how we would define flipping the classroom. After about a minute, they asked us to pair up with another person to discuss what we wrote. Next, they asked the whole class to share.

Some of the things that came up:

• Takes the homework out of the home and puts it into the classroom. 
• Some disciplines may already be doing this, such as in literature. Students have to prepare for discussion and activities. 
• Some traditional faculty may feel that they have to sacrifice content coverage for "active" learning. 
• There may be a disconnect with some people regarding what the activities can be. 

The next activity was a small group discussion, with a member of Team! facilitating each small group's discussion. As I looked on, it appeared that everyone was participating and contributing to the conversation. There were four prompts: challenges, benefits, assessing the success of flipping, examples in different disciplines. Some ideas that came up...

• Getting students to do the work at home - there must be incentive.
• Students may be more likely to watch a video than do reading. Although, an actual assignment that will be handed in has a grade. Or they may "watch" the video at the same time they are doing other things. 
• It is important to continue to assign critical reading.
• This is not necessarily a revolutionary idea, just repackaged and branded.
• Flipping may not be appropriate for all topics.
• One example was for a research methods course - students work in groups to create a moderator's guide for a focus group. 
• Another example is a public speaking class - allowing more time in class to practice speaking. 

The final activity was back to blogging - we were told to respond to the original blog post with reactions and additional reflections.

Great job, Team!

Connections

Just read a post on Inside Higher Ed - Dangerous Curves - about students who staged a boycott of their class final...and all got As. At first I was intrigued by the outcome, but after reading the post, I was more interested in how the students organized themselves via social media. It really should come as no surprise, but since social media meant phone trees when I was a college student (yes, that makes me feel like an ancient human being), I am still in awe of the connections students have with one another today.

How can faculty help students use their connections to facilitate learning?

Teaching and Learning Conferences

Attending a teaching and learning conference is a great way to get excited about teaching, learn new teaching strategies, and meet others of like minds. I am fortunate to be registered for three teaching & learning conferences in the coming months: the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting, which I will attend online, the Virginia Tech Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy in Blacksburg, and the University System of Georgia Teaching and Learning Conference right here in Athens.

While there will be many great sessions to attend at each meeting, I most appreciate the networking opportunities at conferences. For the VT and USG meetings, that will be easy. I will be sharing meals and social activities with fellow attendees, participating in collaborative activities during sessions, and stopping for hallway conversations between events. I'll exchange business cards with new acquaintances and hugs with long-time friends.

Networking during an online meeting is a bit more challenging, and perhaps not as socially rewarding, but it is absolutely possible. Participating in online conversations during sessions, particularly via Twitter, has been an invaluable way of meeting others with similar interests and getting my name out there professionally as well. The best example of this in action was when I was invited to review chapters for a new book by a colleague who had been following me on Twitter. We had never met, but she knew my work and areas of expertise via my tweets. That was very rewarding.

Never been to a teaching and learning conference? I recommend registering for the USG meeting - it's an excellent opportunity, and only $35 for students! I hope to see you there.

Back to class

Every spring when it is time to step back into the EDHI9040 classroom, I am filled with a mix of emotions. Among others, I am excited about what I can share with my students and what they will teach me during the semester; I am nervous about class dynamics and logistics; and due to mixed reviews from former students, I am reluctant to include the blogging assignment. Usually, my excitement is sustained throughout the term, pre-class jitters subside, and my hesitation regarding blogging is replaced by confidence that it is a good assignment.

One of the goals of this course is for students to "reflect on the roles of instructional technology with respect to his or her personal teaching philosophy." While there are a number of ways to encourage this reflection, blogging makes the most sense for this course. Blogging gives everyone a personal space to think about the technologies we are studying and to share those ideas with others in the course. Blogging also gives participants an opportunity to practice an activity that might be appropriate for their own students and to understand the challenges and rewards of blogging. 

Over the next few weeks, I will provide prompts and ideas about the blogging activity. And this year, I am looking forward to it! 

Midterm

I've posted about midterm evaluations before, so I think I'll take this opportunity to link to a few resources that may be helpful as you think about whether or not to implement this strategy in your own classes.

Link to a previous post on this blog - March 2010

A post on the UGA CTL Blog - October 2010

Recent ProfHacker post on using Google Docs for evaluations (!) - February 2012

Do you ask your students for midterm feedback?

I just read a post on the ProfHacker blog about the challenges of teaching multiple sections of the same course. This is not something I've had to do in some time, but I can definitely relate to the issues raised. Dr. Hara makes a number of great suggestions for addressing things like varying class size and dynamics, but instructional technology does not seem to come up at all. I wonder what sorts of technologies might help? What do you think? Also, if you were in her shoes (maybe some of you are) and you were using a learning management system, would you combine the sections into one course space? Or would you keep them separate? What are the pros and cons of each option?

A GarGANTTuan Discovery

In a previous post, I noted how UGA was investigating learning management systems. Now that the investigation process is over, I am turning my attentions to planning and implementation of our new system, Desire2Learn. Fortunately, I have an awesome team to work with, and many of us have been through this before. That means we can improve on processes and project management, starting with communication. We plan to use Google tools, including Docs, Spreadsheets, and Blogger. We are still thinking about whether or not to use Sites as well, particularly for collaboration within the team.

We will use Docs and Spreadsheets  to outline the project plan, and Blogger to inform the UGA user community on the progress of the project. I am very excited (in a nerdy way) about a Google Gadget that I found. It's a Spreadsheets Gantt chart tool, which takes each item in our project plan and plots it on a timeline. Super cool, and pretty easy to use. Watch a future post for more info, but in the meanwhile, you can see an example.Thank you, Mr. Gantt!

Breakfast and Blogs

The first thing I do when I sit down at my desk each morning is read my e-mail with a glass of cranberry juice. If I've been to the gym (doing pretty well so far this year!), then I'll have second breakfast, too. My inbox looks pretty much the same every morning, with deal mobs and groupon offers, the latest sales from my favorite shopping outlets, and higher ed news. The former are pretty easy to work through quickly - half off on cupcakes (must have - that's why I go to the gym), LL Bean is having a sale (what else is new?), etc. I try to take a little more time with the news. I follow The Chronicle of Higher Education Academe Today and Wired Campus, Inside Higher Ed, and LinkedIn Today. I also check Facebook and Twitter. All of this can get a little overwhelming at times, and my browsing may look something like little Billy running around in a Family Circus cartoon, but this is my routine. I have just started investigating Diigo and the "read later" feature. Not sure if I'll ever get back to those items I've marked, but it's worth a shot.

Do you have a similar routine?

Shopping for Technology

I hope you don't mind, but I am re-posting this entry from 2009, the first time I taught this class. It still applies, and I still like the shopping analogy!

photo by flickr user arbyreed

I have discovered that Sunday morning is the best time to grocery shop. Saturday night revelers have just gone to sleep, many families are in church or sharing breakfast together, and those of us at the store early on a Sunday just want to get it done in peace. Knowing what to buy when I am there is not so easy. I have my habitual purchases - milk, juice, cereal, chicken, and so on - but I am often easily distracted by new products and items on the end caps. I am also a snoop, curious at what others have in their carts. I think, "if that person likes store-rolled sushi, maybe I will too." Sometimes I have a little trouble with these unusual purchases when I get home, but I have a lot of fun experimenting with them. Sometimes, they turn out to be purchases I make more often, perhaps even sharing with friends at a party or potluck.

You're wondering what all of that has to do with our class, right? There is logic to it, I promise. In this class, we are shopping for instructional technology. There are some technologies that we use habitually - listserv, eLC, maybe blogging - but others are new. They are the latest and greatest, on the end caps or in someone else's cart. We may not know exactly what to do with them, but the good news about this class is that we can throw everything in the cart and try it out together. Facebook as classwork? Sure! Twitter assignments? Why not! And when class is over, we might have some new favorites that we use every time we teach.

Looking forward to shopping with you!
>>Sherry

Choosing a new LMS

Today in class, we talked about a variety of learning management system options. UGA is just beginning the process of evaluating our options for our next centrally-supported system. How will we choose? It is a lengthy process, so we are starting now. The first step is to assess how the current system is used and the needs of the user community. This involves doing as much as we can to get feedback from faculty, staff, and student users. Want to contribute? Go to the LMS Executive Committee Web site and click Participate! Community feedback, along with technical requirements from the system side, goes into a "requirements document." We will then compare the requirements to the systems available, and narrow the field of possibilities. From there, we will invite the user community do some testing and provide feedback about those tests. Using that information, along with cost information, we can write a recommendation to the administration. Stay tuned!

What's the "technology culture" in your department

I've learned in my time at UGA that every department has a "technology culture." Most departments have their fair share of innovators, early adopters, and laggards, but there are some that have more than their share in one of these categories. Those often set the tone for others in the department to follow. In the case of the departments with more innovators, those who tend to be laggards are more likely to try new things anyway. On the other hand, departments with more laggards can be frustrating places to be for those who like to try new things. What is the culture in your department? How has it affected you and the way you think about teaching with technology in your discipline?

Can't make the conference? Follow the tweets!

This week in DC, many of my colleagues will be gathering at the EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative Annual Meeting. The theme this year is "Educating in the Open: Philosophies, Innovations, and Stories." Although I am unable to attend, I hope to learn a lot during the meeting via the #ELI2011 Twitter stream. Following tweets from a conference is a great way to get involved and get ideas, even if you are not physically there. What conferences are coming up in your field? Visit the conference Web site to see if there is a designated hashtag, and prepare to follow it!

The Joy of Goals

I was delighted this week to work with two faculty members in the vet school who are revising the curriculum for their program. I was showing them the learning modules and assessment tools, and they asked about linking their content to learning objectives. Blackboard Vista (eLC) has a terrific tool called "Goals" that is perfect for them. Using this tool, you can link from almost any content or activity to the appropriate goal or goals. Students can then see the content and activities that help them accomplish each of the goals listed. It's great for designers, too. When adding an activity, if it does not align with any of the listed goals, it becomes obvious that something is amiss. Either she has an unwritten goal in mind, or the activity is not appropriate for the course. 

The joy of archived reflection

I confess to you, my students and friends, that I only blog when I have to. Yes, it's true. I am a fair microblogger and love Twitter...but for work. I don't do much tweeting as @sherryclouser, but check out @ugactl, and you'll find something new most days.

Like many of you, I consider this blogging exercise for EDHI 9040 a "have to." It's a good "have to" though, because as I look back at the archive of this blog, I am pleasantly surprised by some of my posts. There are some good resources there, some good ideas, and a shopping metaphor that I think holds up two years later. I hope when our blogging is done for the term, you will find some joy in your archive as well!

A Quote for Spring Break

The teacher is the one who gets the most out of the lessons, and the true teacher is the learner.
- Elbert Hubbard

This is particularly relevant to me this week, as I am participating in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Commons conference at Georgia Southern. If you haven't heard of SoTL, there are a few sites you might be interested in browsing.

SoTL at UBC: http://tag.ubc.ca/isotl/
SoTL at Illinois State University: http://www.sotl.ilstu.edu/
SoTL at Vanderbilt University: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/cft/resources/teaching_resources/reflecting/sotl.htm
SoTL at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse: http://www.uwlax.edu/sotl/

The Twitter Experiment

Monica Rankin, History Professor at UT Dallas, was looking for a way to better engage students in a large survey course. She developed a technique that included using Twitter once per weekduring class. Watch and read for the details of this innovative teaching method.

Is this something that you would consider doing? What do you see as the risks and rewards?

Midterm is upon us...

According to the UGA Academic Calendar, midterm is March 2. Does “midterm” mean anything in your classroom? For me, it is the perfect time to do a little reflection on how the course is going so far and whether there are things I can do to improve the learning experience for me and for my students. Besides looking back myself, I like to do a brief online survey of students for their take on the class so far. It’s usually nothing fancy, just a few simple questions – what’s working, what’s not, and what could make it better? I like technology for this purpose, and use a web-based survey tool, but some instructors have a colleague come into the class to do a facilitated activity with their students and then report back with the results. Regardless of the delivery strategy, it is important to talk about the results with the students, including what changes can be made and what can’t be changed.

What do you think of incorporating a midterm evaluation in your own courses?



BTW, survey coming soon to EDHI9040...