And yet another great digital project

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjrdjc7d5fU



I really enjoyed Melissa’s digital presentation on field trips found under the previous student examples link.  It was clear and concise and well organized.  I think that I especially loved that it contained a nice balance of theory of how field trips can add to student engagement along with several very practical tips on how to make this kind of experience a success.  I especially liked how she even covered important details like having a waiver signed, organizing car pooling groups and making sure that there was an alternate experience for those not attending.  It sounds like being prepared and organized are two ways to make a student field trip a hit. She spoke with confidence and had me convinced that she was a well versed instructor on the subject of field trips and it made me excited about planning this kind of an activity for my own students.  I have had first hand positive personal experience with field trips as a student and learned so much from them.  Sitting in a class having an instructor speak about the subject matter definitely doesn’t compare to an out of class experience!

Storytelling as an Effective Technique for Teaching

http://screencast-o-matic.com/watch/cDhle219sS

I love that this digital presentation on storytelling not only starts with a wonderful story about the importance of focusing on the little things every day that we can do to make a difference, but also that it is one which is presented mainly in oral format like a story itself.  I really like that Jacqueline stresses the importance of knowing your audience so that they can relate to your story and so that you don’t offend or embarrass. Jacqueline also highlights how much more effective storytelling can be when hand and facial gestures, eye contact and pauses are used.

I have experienced first hand through having an instructor that used storytelling in his lectures, how captivating and effective this technique can be.

As with any new technique that we as instructors undertake, I think it is important to realize that it will take more time and energy to prepare and practice in order to become skilled, but the results will be engaged students who can more easily remember what you have taught because you have made a connection with them.

LInks to digital projects

I spent quite a lot of time this morning viewing past digital project submissions.  Wow, lots of great work and fantastic presentations.  This allowed me to start generating some of my own ideas for the digital project that I will have to soon submit.  There were numerous projects that I loved.  Due to my own time constraints today I will share two of them: Andrea's Think - Pair - Share activity and Carmen's Role Playing activity.

Think-Pair-Share

In order to break up lecture and keep students engaged I frequently have students get into pairs and come up with explanations to scenarios, discuss a question posed to the class and/or do a two minute google break to find an answer. 

This particular activity although simple and straightforward and something that could be done on the spur of the moment is a bit more polished than what I have done.  It provides the opportunity for students that are less outspoken to reflect and come up with ideas instead of immediately having to find a partner.  I really like this.  I also like how there is a reference sheet so that answers can be recorded as groups generate ideas, and then as each group shares, answers can be jotted down as well. 

I especially love how the activity can be prefaced by saying that questions will be generated from this activity for upcoming testing purposes.

I will definitely use this in upcoming classes.

 Role Playing 

I have been teaching in a health care technology program and it is quite lab heavy.  This is not surprising as students not only must learn theory but also must practice and be comfortable with the doing or hands on part of their future career.  Where I work the lab is more formal and structured.

 I can definitely see a practical application to role playing in the classroom.  Allowing students the opportunity to participate and interact with each other in various role playing scenarios while learning how to collaborate with different “patient” types to get a good x-ray for example, would be extremely valuable.  The theory behind how best to use different levels of language with patients of different ages could be learned by examples or skits given by students bringing theory to life

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In my program I can see how putting students in a real life situation before they go into their clinical practicums would give them the valuable opportunity to practice their verbal skills for one, and hopefully make their interactions with real patients in the future more natural.