Have you ever watched a video from say TED or YouTube and thought - "Wow I could use that in the classroom"? But it's too long or there's really only one small section that you want to use. Plus you would like to add your comments and ask the students questions during the clip. How would you do that?
Well there's WeVideo which lets you create video mash-ups using a variety of media content from the web. It's great for doing professional looking videos but there is a bit of a learning curve. And then there are the commercial products like Camtasia and Capitvate. But they too, take some time to learn and a lot of time to develop.
EDpuzzle on the other hand is a quick and easy to use free web-based application that produces professional looking videos tailored specifically to your curriculum. You can even track your students understanding of the content. Here's a quick overview of how it works.
Pretty simple? Plus there are apps for iOS and Chrome. Imagine taking a clip of a someone teaching and being able to stop, talk, ask a question and get feedback from you students and then go on critiquing. Definitely more engaging.
Since we're a month into the new semester, I want to take the opportunity to remind you about some fantastic resources we have in the library. Don't forget to check out our Alexander Street Press 60 Minutes collection. The collection spans 2 decades and can be streamed directly into your classroom or uploaded to your Moodle class. And if you do use the collection, let me know what you think! We aim to please here at the Atkins Library and user feedback is super important.
I wonder if any of you have heard of Alexander Street Press's Education in Video series? Click on the link for more information about the collection and if you think this resource would be a valuable addition to our collection, please let me know!
Finally, I'd like to beg and plead with you to send me (and Judy) monograph titles you would like added to the collection. I've received book requests from several of you, thank you! I would be thrilled to get book requests from ALL of you. So don't hesitate to send me a wish list of titles you want me to buy. Don't forget to include instructional materials on your wishlist. Our CIMC needs the newest publications to best serve our pre-service and in-service teachers!
But this post is more for your grad and doc students since it's about the ICPSR Summer Program. The program is recognized throughout the world as a leading program providing basic and advanced training in a wide range of methodologies and techniques for research across the social, behavioral, and medical sciences. The courses emphasize the integration of quantitative methodological strategies with the theoretical and practical concerns that arise in research on substantive issues. Their unique and supportive social environment facilitates professional networking and encourages the exchange of ideas about research theory and practice.
The program is designed for students, faculty, researchers & policy-makers. Topics include beginning to advanced levels in statistics, data analysis, methodology, research design and more. Courses range from 3 days to 4 weeks and participants will be engaged in hands-on analysis of actual research datasets. All courses are offered on a noncredit basis. However, program can provide official documentation of classroom performance to assist participants in receiving credit at their home institution. The courses are reasonably priced, and fees are lower for those affiliated with an ICPSR member institution and we are a member. For more information go to www.icpsr.umich.edu/sumprog.
The Akins Library is hosting a National Library of Medicine exhibit called, From DNA to Beer: Harnessing Nature in Medicine and Industry, from February 8th to March 20th. In addition to the exhibit, we are planning activities such as student and faculty lectures, book displays, a special collections display, a photography exhibit, and hopefully (fingers crossed) a beer tasting event with several local breweries. Literature about the exhibit and complementing activities will be published on our website and on posters and flyers very soon. I encourage you all to consider bringing your students to the library to see the exhibit. You can contact me (amoor164@uncc.edu) for more information or take a look at the exhibit website.
Last year I wrote a brief post about our recently resurrected Popular Reading & DVD collection. The collection, including a New Books section, is located in the library’s atrium near the security offices. Take advantage of the comfortable seating near the shelves and browse our newest and most popular titles. The collection is always changing so stop by regularly to see the newest additions.
Hope everyone had a great winter break. It's hard to believe another semester has begun.
This post is a bit late because I am currently at the Future of Educational Technology Conference (FETC) [formerly the Florida Education Technology Conference] in Orlando. It's a great place to see what teachers are doing with technology in the classroom. I am feeling a bit overloaded from all of the informative and thought provoking sessions.
One of my favorite presenters, Leslie Fisher, talked about two relatively new assessment apps Quizizz and GoFormative. Quizizz is similar to Kahoot! in that it's an online, multiplayer, timed game, which can be accessed via any device. One major difference is the students can see the question and the answer on their device. The students also see a point total for each question which diminishes as time passes. Leslie had us take a Dr. Seuss quiz to see how it worked. I found it a bit easier than Kahoot since I didn't have to remember the color and/or shape of the answer.
GoFormative is more like a traditional way of assessing students with a few great twists. It's difficult to explain verbally how this app works, so here's a very quick video -
This app appears to be a blank slate for creating a wide variety of assessments, which teachers can easily grade and provide feedback. You aren't limited to multiple choice questions like Quizizz, Kahoot or Plickers. Students can type responses to open ended question and even draw answers. Hopefully the developers will add the ability to dictate answers. What's really cool is you can actually watch the students as they respond.
I will be discussing other apps and gadgets I learned at about FETC in future posts. I don't want to overwhelm anyone. So take a look at these two promising apps and try them out on your students!
Great news! We’ve added the Alexander Street Press 60 Minutes collection to our streaming video services. Almost 2 decades of episodes of 60 Minutes are available online in one huge streaming video resource. This collection grants access to the CBS News archives from 1997-2014, including many episodes not widely seen since their original broadcast.
I’m happy to inform you that due to high demand, we’re bringing back our Popular Reading shelves. On December 16th, the Popular Reading section on the first floor of the Atkins Library will be open for browsing -- just in time for break! Stop into the library and find a few good books to read during the long vacation. I know I will.
As you are fanatically trying to draw the Fall semester to a close and gearing for the Spring semester (there is no rest for a weary professor), I wanted to remind you that you may be able to save your students and yourself some time, energy and money. You can do this by checking if Atkins Library has your textbook and/or further readings in an electronic form. If we don't, we can try and get a copy for you and your students. Below is a video reminding you how to find and/or order eTextbooks.
If you happen to have some spare time for personal reading over the holiday break, try searching our catalog for your favorite title. Here's how...
What ever you are doing over the break, I hope you take some time to relax and enjoy!
