WI DTL Conference Takeaways

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July, 2017

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2017 UW–Madison Distance Teaching & Learning Conference – Madison, WI

 

 

 

 

 

The following are some of the ideas, applications and strategies gathered during the conference.

Wow Takeaways for me

  • FlipGrid – www.flipgrid.com video discussion community for your classroom that supercharges your students’ voices. You add the topics, your students respond with short videos, and everyone engages! Free for one class/section or $65/year for 1 instructor unlimited grids/sections.
    http://blog.flipgrid.com/news/all-new-flipgridFlipgrid
  • TTry it out! Respond to this FlipGrid topic: How do you think you could use FlipGrid in your class? https://flipgrid.com/1de62a
  • Officelens – Scan whiteboards and flattens them.
    Office Lens trims, enhances, and makes pictures of whiteboards and documents readable. You can use Office Lens to convert images to PDF, Word and PowerPoint files, and save to OneNote,  OneDrive, or your local device. Available for Android and Apple
    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.microsoft.office.officelens&hl=en
  • LMS vs PLN (Personal Learning Network)
    • Dr Couros (University of Regina) creates a WordPress blog (own URL) for each of his classes. He utilizes that blog for assignments and resources. Each student has their own blog and Couros compiles their individual posts onto his blog with a plugin https://en-ca.wordpress.org/plugins/feedwordpress/. This allows students to always have access to the information and resources they had in class.
    • I am planning on using a combination of the blog and BB.
      • Assignments will be written as a post and published to student blog under category (Class Name Assignments). In our orientation class, Marketing students create and purchase a URL of their name and hosting from a local hosting company, QTH.com, at a discounted/student rate.
      • Students will then copy the URL address of their actual assignment post and paste it into the BB assignment link for grading by instructor using the BB rubric.
      • On many if not all assignments, I will use the “Feed WordPress” plugin to compile all of the students’ posts on my class web site. This will aid in SEO for each students as well as creating a portfolio of work for the student to use in job search.
      • Instructor will grade in BB keeping grades private. Peer grading will also be used in BB keeping that private.
      • Students and instructor can comment and interact on actual blog post with topic enhancing, not grading, comments.
  • Last assignment ideas
    • Advice for next class – Each student provides words of advice and/or tips for the students in the next term’s class. Can use Instructor WordPress blog post with comments, Padlet or Flipgrid for this activity.
    • End of Class Multimedia Artifact – Each student creates a multimedia product about what they learned in the class. The student uses their imagination, find and learn the tools they use on their own. Examples he showed were takeoff of video game Mario, video of 2 students writing and then singing the song they created about the class. Let the students use their imagination and have fun with it. Then they post it to their blog.
  • Padlet – Compile multiple sources, blog posts, videos etc. into one grid.
    Whether blogging, bookmarking, or bolstering discussion, no need to look elsewhere.

    • 3 vastly different layouts that convey information as a square board, a feed of information, or as an open canvas
    • Utilize wallpapers as organization tools, from a Venn Diagram, to KWL chart, to a calendar, to a To-Do list
    • Use as a publishing tool or private notes app, thanks to comprehensive privacy options
    • Supports minimalists and maximalists alike
    • From sticky notes to essays, encompasses all types of writing
      https://padlet.com/
  • Twine – narrative building tool. An open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories.
    https://twinery.org/

Strategy Takeaways

  • LMS vs PLN (Personal Learning Network)
    • Dr Couros (University of Regina) creates a WordPress blog (own URL) for each of his classes. He utilizes that blog for assignments and resources. Each student has their own blog and Couros compiles their individual posts onto his blog with a plugin https://en-ca.wordpress.org/plugins/feedwordpress/. This allows students to always have access to the information and resources they had in class.
    • I am planning on using a combination of the blog and BB.
      • Assignments will be written as a post and published to student blog under category (Class Name Assignments). In our orientation class, Marketing students create and purchase a URL of their name and hosting from a local hosting company, QTH.com, at a discounted/student rate.
      • Students will then copy the URL address of their actual assignment post and paste it into the BB assignment link for grading by instructor using the BB rubric.
      • On many if not all assignments, I will use the “Feed WordPress” plugin to compile all of the students’ posts on my class web site. This will aid in SEO for each students as well as creating a portfolio of work for the student to use in job search.
      • Instructor will grade in BB keeping grades private. Peer grading will also be used in BB keeping that private.
      • Students and instructor can comment and interact on actual blog post with topic enhancing, not grading, comments.
  • Last assignment ideas
    • Advice for next class – Each student provides words of advice and/or tips for the students in the next term’s class. Can use Instructor WordPress blog post with comments, Padlet or Flipgrid for this activity.
    • End of Class Multimedia Artifact – Each student creates a multimedia product about what they learned in the class. The student uses their imagination, find and learn the tools they use on their own. Examples he showed were takeoff of video game Mario, video of 2 students writing and then singing the song they created about the class. Let the students use their imagination and have fun with it. Then they post it to their blog.
  • Balancing privacy for the students
    • Students can opt out and not make their blog public or share with classmates unless it is peer review. Students can choose in WordPress Admin panel to exclude from Web Catalogue
    • Opportunity for students to cleanse their existing identity
    • Have students search their name in Duck Duck Go and then Google to get a better idea of what is out there and why cleansing their identity might be wise.
  • Student Expectations – Students assume we can read their minds because everything else does….
    Think about it Google, Amazon, mobile apps, etc. We have to start moving towards more elective or custom content than basic.
  • Elective Content or Choose your Own Adventure – creating 2 or more scenarios that lead to the same outcome but student can choose the path based on their interest. Example given in Early Childhood Development an instructor has the same outcome but the scenario that students work through to get to the outcome is their choice between Daycare Instructor, Child Counselor, Social Worker, etc.
  • The Learning Project Blog – Find something you want to know about but never have been taught. Start researching and learning it and blog about your experience along the way.
    Example – A student decided to learn to play the guitar and he did both written and video posts of his journey. Several weeks into the project, a group of guitar high school guitar students found his blog and were a bit horrified at how he was doing with his guitar playing so they decided to take turns giving him lessons. It turned into a fun project for everyone.
  • Embedding Credentials – Are their industry certifications or milestones that you can make into certificates within a class? Example – Working with Google Analytics Academy so that students who complete Advanced Analytics in our Digital Marketing program can also take the Google Analytics exam and gain Google’s certification. (www.credly.com)

Discussion board – Ways to improve engagement

  • Guest lecturer – invite an expert on a topic.
    • Read/Watch – Guest provides a few things to read such as articles or maybe videos.
    • Watch – Guest lecturer records a 10 minute video lecture about the topic
    • Assignments
      • Discussion board of questions for the guest lecturer that the lecturer and instructor monitor. Lecturer answers questions posed by the   students and/or instructor
    • Video Case Studies – You could also do this with video cases however the instructor would need to field the questions
  • FlipGrid – www.flipgrid.com video discussion community for your classroom that supercharges your students’ voices. You add the topics, your students respond with short videos, and everyone engages! Free for one class/section or $65/year for 1 instructor unlimited grids/sections.
    http://blog.flipgrid.com/news/all-new-flipgrid

 

Online tools/apps to explore

Open Access Sources

https://www.oercommons.org/browse/featured-item/400?f.general_subject=business-and-communication&f.sublevel=community-college-lower-division&f.sublevel=college-upper-division&f.sublevel=graduate-professional&f.material_types=textbook&f.material_types=full-course

https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm?action=find

http://www.collegeopentextbooks.org/textbook-listings/textbooks-by-subject/business

https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/

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