Creating online exercises is a way to stimulate students learning outside of the classroom and for them to take more responsibility for their learning.
Through the use of two specific programs, we will show the variety of possible exercises that can be done and how they can be used.
We will also create an exercise in real time conditions. This will be a basic exercise with questions and automatic feedback. As a part of this presentation, we will show how to integrate digital video files into online exercises. Other examples, taken from exercises we have created for French courses we teach, will also be shown.
Successes with Read & Write Gold
Nedra Atwell,
Marty Boman,
Paula Borland,
Marisa Duarte,
Linda Fishback,
Connie Miller,
Elizabeth Romero
The state of Kentucky has embarked upon a large scale systems change effort to integrate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, including use of digital curriculum and computerized reading supports to improve overall student achievement. A major component of this initiative is the use of Read & Write Gold. As higher expectations are placed on student outcomes, Read & Write Gold offers a host of instructional advantages leading to improved performance for Kentucky’s K-12 students.
Ongoing training and support (Backhouse, 2003) play an important role in successful implementation. Without local, regional, and state level commitment to professional development and technical assistance, implementation will continue to be sporadic and limited. Western Kentucky University, Caveland Educational Support Center and regional teachers through the support of ETRAIN have developed a motivational training DVD to help teachers use Read and Write Gold.
Learning in the Palm of Your Hand
Marge Maxwell,
Marisa Duarte and Amy Kinslow
One of the most striking benefits of PDAs is that they can be used at the site of learning whether in the classroom, another part of the school, or on a field trip. With just one computer in the classroom and a class set of PDAs there is no need to relocate the class to the computer lab.
Numerous learning ideas will be discussed including graphing; creating maps; references such as dictionaries; ebooks; journals; timelines; attachable sensors to monitor pH levels, temperature, dissolved oxygen, heat, and other attributes; create nature journals and field guides of their schoolyard and communities; serving as stopwatches, data collectors, and calculators to teach students how to monitor their own fitness, document their daily nutritional intake and exercise regiments, and track their heart rate after exercise and graphing their cardiovascular improvement over time. Teachers can beam tests or handouts to students. Students can beam answers or essays back to the teacher.
Two classroom teachers will share their experiences and plans in using PDAs to make student learning more exciting.
Video Teaching for visual learners
Connie Miller
There are critical considerations involving instructional strategies and assistive technologies that must be made during a collaborative planning process if educators are to meet the requirements of NCLB and IDEA. Students with disabilities must be ensured universal access to learning environments and adapted curriculum standards and materials so that mastery of the critical functions behind core content standards is achieved. Participants will be able to implement strategies needed for the new alternate assessment using video supports for visual learners. Participants will be able to plan and prepare video teaching technologies to teach academics, behavior skills, and transition skills needed in regular education to make the general curriculum accessible. By using video, teachers will enable students to successfully alter behavior, obtain needed academic skills, and transition to new environments. Demonstrations will target therapists, educators, instructional assistants, university staff, and administrators of all students. This presentation will address needs of ALL students regardless of culture, language, and socioeconomic status, gender, or ethnicity.
Poetry in Your Pocket: Sound, Symbol, & Significance in Literature Instruction
Charmaine Mosby, Lisa Dill, and Terry Elliott
Today’s video-aural students live in a world of sound and image bytes repeatedly replayed on various video-capable devices. Our presentation demonstrates how teachers can use easily constructed video and audio clips to capitalize on students’ familiarity with these devices, thereby helping them master essential information in situations where repetition increases comprehension. A series of short clips (randomly accessible as other MP3 downloads now are) can provide detailed explanations of concepts some students find difficult, and individual students can focus on specific material they find confusing. Our sample clips deal with literary terms usually taught and build on that background to introduce more sophisticated ideas and analytical tools. Such applications are unique. Several schools are experimenting with instructional applications for video-capable devices, but so far the uses have been limited to methods of delivering conventional films and lectures. We believe the potential of these devices now is largely untapped.
Emerging New Genres in Education: The Video Syllabus
Judith Szerdahelyi, George Kontos,
Joyce Wilder,
Rich Patterson, Romero and Leyla
Zhuhadar
This presentation will give an overview of the E-Train project our group was working on during the 2005/06 academic year. It will focus on a new, experimental educational genre we call the “video syllabus.” The purpose of this session is to discuss the implications of turning a traditional text-based syllabus into a multimedia syllabus that provides students with essential course information that they can read and view. The discussion topics will include an explanation and rationale behind the idea of the video syllabus, the theoretical and practical decisions an instructor has to make when deciding on the distribution of information via text and video clip and the technical challenges encountered while implementing the project. When creating the syllabus in this new medium, instructors have an opportunity to rethink the theory behind syllabus design, which includes the re-examination of the consistency among course goals, course content, student activities, and assessment/grading practices. The presentation will include the demonstration of a video syllabus for an online writing course.
Interactive Presentation – Learning Skills
Lisa Roberson
There is always a need to improve teacher-to-student and teacher-to-teacher interaction in regular education and special education classrooms. This paper focuses on using current presentation graphic software to enhance learning in the classroom and to facilitate special education career development. The presentation illustrates how teachers may use interactive worksheets developed in PowerPoint to provide a positive learning environment with immediate feedback. It also shows how a student with special needs can have an opportunity to complete work identical to their peers when they do not have the motor ability to keep up. The interest level of the student plays a roll in his ability to receive and retain information. Animated presentations will often hold the students attention and increase participation in classroom discussion. Review of learned material through interactive games will encourage students to try and answer questions, giving them yet another opportunity to receive and retain information. One illustrative game “Who Wants to be a Shining Star?” based on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” allows students to review skills in this fun way. With a tap of the screen the students may choose to answer the question, call a friend, or poll the class for the correct answered. This method of instructional presentation may give students a clearer understand of learned concepts.
Use of Technology to Assist English Language Deficient Students
Nedra Atwell, Kandace Bensonhaver, Brenda Bohannon, Paula Borland, Leslie Brauer, Lou Ann Sanford
Children with limited communication and cognitive abilities are encouraged to perform at grade level with or without modifications. Be it in their daily classroom activities or on the State mandated assessments, these students are expected to demonstrate knowledge at grade level. Our low-level learners receive kinetic, auditory, and visual instruction along with their peers. The inability to read and comprehend the written word is where their greatest challenge lies.
The purpose of our team’s project is to use technology and resources to develop a tool for all students to achieve academic success. By focusing on critical content vocabulary, we hope to create a uniform ‘dictionary’ for every student to use. This project is collaboration between regular education teachers and special education teachers. Since we have the opportunity to teach every student, our goal is to provide assistance to educators and family members with this vocabulary tool to enhance our student’s achievement.
Windows XP Movie Maker
Alan Cowles,
Pamela Petty
(original Presenter: Randy Wilson)
Through visual and verbal demonstration I will show attendees how to access and use Windows Movie Maker. I will begin by showing a movie made just for this demonstration and then I will demonstrate how to import files; how to add pictures, sound and titles to the storyboard; how to narrate a production; and how to add titles and transitions. Finally I will show attendees how to save their production in several formats. A handout will be provided that has quite a few “how-to” instructions to accomplish the demonstrated tasks. If time permits I will also answer questions.
Video Teaching
Connie Miller
Many of our students are visual learners. Each of us enjoy being taught a skill using a model. This instructional strategy uses the student as their own model. This is VERY powerful. It can be used to teach academic, behavior, and recreational skills. Portions of the actual videos will be shown.
Marg Maxwell, Sherry Powers, Sharon Spall and Sheila Cunningham
The theme of WKU’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is Engaging Students for Success in a Global Society. It is based on the premise that active student engagement can spark a passion for learning, aesthetics and service on behalf of a cause helping to shape their worldview and promote their professional and personal development. This presentation will share a significant project from two different program areas which engage students in becoming actively involved in a social action problem specific to the program discipline. The projects define the social problem, the student outcomes, the engagement activity, relevant knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary, and assessment measures and criteria. One part of the assessment is a change in student attitudes and behaviors as a result of engagement in this project. We have developed an online database where students rate themselves and justify their ratings on increased awareness of the issue, ability to communicate about the issue, ability to interact with and interpret information and research about the issue, to recognize personal and social implications of this issue, to apply knowledge of the discipline to address this issue in my community or society, and whether s/he feels a personal commitment to this issue now. This online database will be presented and discussed in terms of documenting success of QEP goals and program improvement.
Cultural Factors of Technology and their Impact on Adult Learners
Jim Berger
This presentation seeks to describe technology and how its design and use embodies values embedded in the dominant culture and is meant to support the hegemonic goals of the dominant culture while suppressing the growth and development of marginalized groups. The presentation explores the viewpoints of several philosophers and researchers in the field of science and technology studies and uses a cultural studies model to define various ways technology is viewed and its impact on adult learners. The presentation will provide various definitions of technology, including feminist and afro-centric viewpoints, and seeks to explore the cultural dimensions of technology and its uses. I will draw from these various views of technology and propose a means of researching many "moments of intersection" between technology, adult learners and facilitators of adult learning.
Estimating the Computer background of Students in a Beginning Computer Class
George Kontos
An instrument to assess the computer knowledge of freshmen in a beginning computer class of a community college is described. The instrument uses a short questionnaire to collect the data, a simple spreadsheet table and Microsoft Excel to analyze the data, and an easy method to interpret the results.
The questionnaire was distributed to 21 students in an introductory computer class on the first day of classes. The questions covered the course’s major computer literacy areas. The results of the statistical analysis showed the areas of this particular group of students’ weaknesses and strengths.
Implications and concerns associated with the study are discussed. One implication discussed here is that using the questionnaire in future computer classes may be helpful in modifying the course to better meet the student needs. Another implication is that the instrument can be easily modified to assess basic knowledge of entering freshmen in any subject area.
