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Now let's have a look at a few select easy to learn tools and strategies for classroom engagement.
First let's have a look at Socrative.
From their web description, Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms
through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets.
So several student device options are possible. Let's
look over to the Socrative information on the web,
and have a look.
From their landing page you can view an introductory video,
and learn more about how it works.
For example,
"exit tickets" could be used to check student understanding as they leave class or even check class attendance for the day.
Some of you may be familiar with the former name of Padlet Wallwisher.
Padlet is described as a Internet application that allows people to express their thoughts on a common topic easily.
It works like a online sheet of paper, where people can put any content including images, videos,
documents, and text anywhere on the page, together with anyone from any device.
Padlet suggest thinking of the online space as a multimedia friendly, free form, real time wiki.
Completed walls can be published on popular social media networks, emailed as a link to friends, or embeded on a webpage or site. Let's have a look at their web information.
From their landing page you can view some of the things that they say make Padlet your best friend.
They also say that you might cry over how easy it is to use.
I want to show you a wall I created as a demonstration
and the multimedia features I took advantage of.
I customized the page with my own name,
I was able to add by double clicking comments, there is simple text, I was able to take a shot from my webcam,
I even embedded the video that can be clicked and played from here.
So imagine that you might embed a video and ask your students to comment on it.
I added a document and all this remember , can be shared using a link or an embed code
Google docs can support many options for sharing and collaborating online; live, real time, in class, and beyond.
You'll need a Google account to create a document for sharing, but sharing options make it possible for your students to collaborate via the document link
no account necessary. The real-time collaboration option lets multiple editors collaborate simultaneously
on the same document from multiple devices provided they have Internet access.
Real-time collaboration is availablefor Google docs, sheets, slides, and drawings.
Sharing is easy
and real-time collaboration is possible.
Piazza offers another approach to managing class Q&A
Piazza provides a robust set of functionalities including, polling, discussions,
a customized course page, sharing of announcements,
and the formation of teens and study groups. I would invite you to have a look at their features list for this powerful robust engagement tool.
Finally a course specific hashtag on Twitter can offer a variety of class engagement options.
A hashtag can be used to tag conversations around class topics, assignments, media, documents, and much much more.
A course specific Twitter account can be used as question clearing house.
Let's take a quick look at one example from professor Angela Starrett's technology intensive college algebra Twitter account, SMTH 121 Assistant
or @121assist.
Student's post questions to this account any time, in class and beyond.
Let's consider a few additional strategies that can be used with the tools we've looked at and more.
Socrative, as we've noted can be used for in class polling to engage students and gauge their understanding of class ideas.
Free apps are easy for students to download to their devices and can be used from most operating systems.
Live document editing can be assigned to rotating class slides, class conversations, and questions
can be documented and shared. Students can work and create in groups and much more.
There many creative ways to imploy this strategy where one student in class or all class members Google to answer questions posed in class or find
more information about what is being discussed. This method called Google jockeying
offers many possibilities.
Results can be assembled into a collaborative Google document as we've noted and shared as a record of the class conversation. This
can be particularly effective when students are learning to appraise quality of web information they gather.
Note that this effective engagement strategy does not require any special software to use.
Keep the getting started suggestions from our previous tutorial in mind as you consider these possibilities. When you
choose a tool or strategy to try be sure to
explore their web information more carefully including steps for account creation, terms of service, and privacy options before you begin.
For more information on tools and strategies for using devices in the classroom, visit the BYOD resources section on the web.
Additional support and consultation is available from the Department of Learning Technologies and the ITS Helpdesk.
Now let's get started!