Technology, Tools and Tips for Active Learning: Five Innovative Ideas for Integr
Technology, Tools and Tips for Active Learning: Five Innovative Ideas for Integrating Technology with Your Teaching
Tab Betts
Where should we begin with integrating technology into teaching? A perennially difficult question, because, particularly in the world of technology, the best starting position is constantly changing, as the landscape of the future forms and reforms in a kaleidoscope of possibilities. Sometimes, in order to understand the future, it can be surprisingly helpful to consult the past. According to the sagacious aphorisms of the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, it is getting started rather than how you start that matters, as “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”. This is also true when it comes to teaching with technology, but the first step can be daunting.
In this chapter, I will attempt to provide some guidance in doing this, by presenting 5 real examples of how technology can be applied innovatively to enhance teaching and learning practice. The examples are drawn from my collaborations not only with a variety of colleagues at the University of Sussex, but also collaborators from far beyond, spanning geographically from Brighton & Hove in the United Kingdom, to Abuja, Nigeria and Phnom Penh, Cambodia. To give a glimpse of what will be covered in the chapter, here is a list of the examples which will be explored in more detail below. If you are reading a version of this text with hyperlinks, then you can navigate directly to the relevant section by clicking on the link.
- Community: Build your learner community using social media as a platform for out-of-class learning;
- Self-direction: Encourage self-directed learning by using hyperlinks to create interactive presentations and resources;
- Creativity: Task learners with time-pressured multimedia creation challenges – such as a Podblast, Booksprint or Videoblast;
- Assessment: Take a structured approach to formative assessment using team-based learning and online quizzes;
- Peer-observation: recording, sharing and evaluating experiences using mobile phone cameras and a Padlet wall.
1. Community: Build your learner community using social media as a platform for out-of-class learning.
Overview
How can you build a sense of community around a module or course you are teaching? How can this be maintained after the teaching has finished? One method is to use social media.
While it certainly has its limitations, social media is a fantastic tool for communication. Not only can we communicate instantly across huge distances, we also have the possibility of sharing almost any form of digital content or multimedia. This can be done on a one-to-one basis with individuals, but it becomes even more powerful when dealing with large groups of people. In this section, I will provide an example of how a social media app, such as WhatsApp, can be used to create a sense of community in the context of teaching and learning.
My colleagues and I recently implemented this approach