The replacement of the traditional black- or whiteboard with the interactive whiteboard was an important step in bringing all the content of the internet into the classroom whilst giving the lecturer the power to edit and narrate the content during the lecture. This has opened up possibilities to make the transfer of content more entertaining and engaging. Thanks to the availability of wifi it is now also possible to incorporate a variety of media such as film, images, sound and presentations in a lecture. It also gives students the opportunity to use learning enhancing tools to interact with each other and the lecturer, via PCs or personal mobile devices such as mobile phones and tablets.
Getting started
There are a few distinct domains of engagement to consider:
Collaborative learning:
Students learn from each other through peer assessments, discussions and group assignments.
Recommended tools:
Coggle (Mind-mapping): This interactive tool allows students to share complex information. It is a collaborative mind-mapping tool that helps make sense of complex things. The Faculty of Humanities has a subscription. Visit https://coggle.it/ for more information.
Pitch2Peer (Peer feedback): This tool allows students to record presentations on video and invites other students to rate the presentation and to give structured feedback. The students will learn from receiving and giving feedback and will be more involved in each others’ projects. Pitch2Peer is available via Brightspace. Watch the video to learn how academics use this tool at LU (in Dutch).
PeerMark (Peer review): This written-assignment reviewing tool is integrated in Turnitin and can be found on Brightspace. It allows students to review each other’s work and incorporate feedback into their work before handing in. Watch the video to learn about the possibilities.
Assessment and feedback:
Providing instant formative assessment and feedback
Recommended tools:
PresentersWall (Polling): The university has a subscription to this interactive polling tool. It gives you instant information on opinions or knowledge. Students vote via their mobile phones; the results appear on the screen. The participants can vote anonymously, create tag clouds and ask questions themselves! Easy to use, no download required. You can log in with your university username. Visit www.presenterswall.com for more information or watch the video.
Enhancing the learning experience:
Providing a richer learning experience through the use of augmented reality (adding layers of information to a real life environment), mixed reality (blending real life with a hologram) or virtual reality (creating an imagined reality or experience).
Recommended tool:
MS Hololens (mixed reality): Mixed reality brings people, places, and objects from your physical and digital worlds together. This blended environment becomes a canvas, where a wide range of experiences can be created. One example is an App developed for the LUMC. This tool (demonstrated in this video) helps medical students to study the anatomy and movements of their own ankles in detail. It makes use of a hologram and blends with the movement of the user’s ankle. The user wears special glasses to study the effect of movement. More Apps are in development.
See also
- Activating teaching and learning
- Application of Technology in Teaching and Learning
- Tip: What steps are needed to create a Blended Learning Programme? (to follow)