3. Kahoot Challenge
Many of you already know about Kahoot as a great in-class tool for quick quizzes or group work, but I like to use Kahoot’s added feature of Kahoot Challenge. After you create a Kahoot you can make it available as a the usual Kahoot or as a Challenge. When you choose Challenge, you are given a class code and you can share that with students. Your students then take the challenge—maybe they have to answer five questions from chapter 3 or solve 10 algebra problems or explain the developmental theories that contribute to constructivism in a classroom (my course). You’ll receive a notification when your students take the Challenge and then you can download their responses and their scores in an Excel spreadsheet or in a Google Sheet. Pretty awesome!
4. Google Drive
Most of our higher-ed students used Google Classroom in high school, but even those who didn’t find it’s a great tool and super easy to use. My trick for using Google Drive is to have students co-create slide shows and documents together. We can then comment on each other’s work and I can give feedback on their additions—sometimes in real time. I try to watch for when students are working in a doc and give brief feedback as they are working. It’s a great way to let them know that I’m available and to also answer relevant and specific questions.
5. Student-run discussions
My last tool is really an easy one: Stop teaching and start listening.
The most popular assignment in my online classes is when I assign my students to run a discussion board. Early in the semester, I give them a topic or have them propose a topic and then send them out to create a discussion board that has to include reading and videos. It’s a great way for all of us to learn about topics that I can’t cover during the course or maybe that need more depth of exploration. My students post their summary, a couple of readings and videos, and then pose questions to me and their classmates. Their classmates participate in the discussion and the student leader responds; I’m just another member of the class. I really love seeing how they rise to this challenge and they always mention this assignment in their reflections as being a great experience and a great learning tool.
That’s it for now. My advice is to ease yourself in and adopt one of these tools or add them to your repertoire. As always, let me know your thoughts or ideas. You can reach me at jingle@bridgew.edu or on Twitter @careyingle or Instagram @teachingandlearningwdringle.
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- It’s a website … it’s a portfolio… Whatever it is, it’s much better than a resume - January 3, 2019
- Have you taken the Kahoot Challenge? - December 6, 2018