B Hill: February 2008 Archives

Wikis are typically used to collaboratively write documents, but I used a wiki page in class today to compile a list of websites as students found them on their laptops. I had pairs of students search for certain types of sites, and when they found something they liked, they copy/pasted the URL into the wiki page--all right there in class. Simple and effective, and now we have a master list for everyone to reference as they continue through the class project we're working on.

Don't slap me - a wiki is simply a web-based document that all invited participants can edit collaboratively. It's much easier than emailing updated versions of a Word document, for example, and works great for group (or committee) projects. I'm trying it this semester - more details later.

Apple's iTunes has revolutionized the music industry, but the iTunes website has also quietly built quite a selection of podcasts made by faculty for their courses. Most of these are free, so go poke around and see what's there. It's easy to make your own podcasts as well, so you could post them on your website (or somewhere at LVC). One great use is to time-shift your lectures so you can use valuable class time for more interactive activities.

You know, we spend so much time discussing great things to try in our classes we often don't think to mention the things you really should not do. Here are a few examples that occur more than you think--usually because instructors simply don't realize what they're doing:

It's near the end of the semester and your students just don't seem to get it. Or perhaps you thought they were getting it, but the final exams and projects were not what you expected. You can head this off earlier through quick assessment techniques that provide helpful feedback from your students as to what they're not getting. There are a variety of ways to do this, a couple being the minute paper and an informal mid-course evaluation. The minute paper

If you read any of my documents or keep up with recent literature in education, you'll see the word authentic quite a bit. Authentic learning is not merely a buzzword--it's an approach to designing learning environments that helps students connect to what you want them to get from your course or program. Authentic does not mean practical, or vocational, or anything like that. Authentic means that the course goals, content, activities, and assessments reflect what real experts would actually do in that field. It means that you design experiences that are what happens in the real world. Don't make them

No, I don't mean failing classes. I'm talking about providing a safe environment in your class where students can try things, experiment, explore, without fear of penalty (such as a grade). Did you write an elegant essay the first time you picked up a pen? Was your first research experiment an unqualified success? As brilliant as you undoubtedly are, I doubt it. It takes 

During the last weekend in January of 2008, Barry Hill, Joel Kline, Mike Fry, and Jim Duffy attended the Educause Learning Initiative Conference in San Antonio. For me, (Barry), it represented a completely unexpected mindshift in my perspective on how students approach not just learning, but life in general. I have not generally used a great deal of technology in the classroom, and only viewing it as a tool to simply supplement what we do in our classes. It finally dawned on me that students don't just use technology, they live it and don't even think about it. They obtain information, collaborate with friends, and generate content in a totally digital media world. In other words,