I'm moving!

I've wrapped up my participation in the Dig Colab project, but I enjoyed the project so much that I've decided to keep my blog going. I'll continue to write about technology projects, review new tech I use in my classroom, and share my thoughts on issues related to technology and developmental education. If you'd like to follow along, join me at my new site, DevEd 2.0. Hope to see you there!

Capstone Video

Here is my capstone video for this project. I've really enjoyed the opportunity to focus on digital technology - I'd like to do so much more, but time is always so short! It's been great having a motivation to complete some projects.

My Big MOOC Adventure

MOOCs have been a hot topic for a little while now; I've read a lot about MOOCs and I have friends who have taken several MOOCs for personal enrichment and just loved them. As a person who would become a professional student if I could, I've been curious about the MOOC experience, so I decided to give one a try.

I started off by Googling "MOOC" and checking out the course offerings on various sites, like Coursera, edX, and Udacity. Fortunately for me, I'm particularly interested in STEM topics - MOOC offerings seem to be heavy on the math and science. I wanted to find a course that would be interesting and self-paced, as I wasn't sure that I'd be able to stick to a regular schedule of study. (Some MOOCs are more like traditional classes, in that they have set schedules and require submissions of work at certain times.) For this initial experiment, the ability to work independently was a higher priority than the possibility of interaction with other students.

I eventually ended up looking at courses on iTunes U, Apple's "store" for educational materials. I settled on a Calculus course [Calculus I (MA005)] offered by Saylor via iTunes U. I chose this mainly for ease - because of the Apple connection, I'd be able to easily download all of the materials onto my iPad, so I'd have them with me all the time. I've been interested in reviewing Calculus for a while now (since it's been years since I've studied or taught it), so that seemed like as good a subject as any to start with.

I was pretty excited to get started. I bought myself a new grid paper notebook, got out my favorite pencil, and set up a schedule for completing lessons. The materials provided for this course included textbook sections, practice exercises (with answer key), and a link to a graphing calculator app. This was a truly self-paced, self-study course, and I was ready to go...

Until I got incredibly bored. Several lessons in, I lost my enthusiasm entirely, and I knew exactly why. The text was pretty good, and the exercises were interesting enough, but there was no human element to the course. In addition to being self-study, this particular course did not even include any kind of video instruction or messages from the instructor. One thing that I know about myself is that I'm very much a visual learner, and I really missed watching an instructor explain concepts and draw out supporting charts and graphics. The text was not very visually engaging, either, so it was even difficult to do the reading.  I missed the interaction with other students and the opportunity to ask questions or listen to the questions asked by others. Wow, I thought - if I can't stay motivated to do this, how could students ever stay motivated through a course like this? I've heard people advocate MOOCs as an option for developmental students, and based on my experience, I'm just not sure I can see that working.

So, my intitial experiment with MOOCs was an utter failure in terms of reviewing Calculus, but I did learn some important lessons about virtual classrooms and independent study. I've since downloaded another Calculus course (also from iTunes U) from Ohio State, which is much more engaging - in addition to a text, dozens of videos are provided, and they're well-produced and fun to watch. The instructor, Jim Fowler is animated and has clearly thought about how to keep students engaged online. I'll post more on this course when I get further into it - stay tuned.

Note to self: the Dig Co-Lab Blog is a wealth of information!

Funny story...after working through my little Moodle badge experiment, I felt pretty good for having successfully navigated the process for creating and issuing badges on Moodle. I was especially happy that I'd figured out a feature that's only been available on Moodle for a short time. Not long after, though, I was scrolling through the posts on the Dig Co-Lab blog and Moodle page, only to find that Adrienne Mitchell had already posted a screencast on creating Moodle badges. You can imagine me smacking my forehead...

Badges on Moodle!

Since I first wrote about digital badges back in June, I've had badges on my to-do list. Moodle now has integrated badges, so it's possible to assign badges to students for just about any reason. I finally got around to playing with Moodle badges this weekend, and though I'm sure I have a lot to learn about creating and assigning badges, I did manage to assign my first badge.

Moodle allows instructors to assign course badges to students, either manually or automatically based on the completion of activities. For my first badge, I chose to create a badge that students will receive when they successfully log into Moodle for the first time. (This is actually a pretty big task for our students, because some of them really struggle with their intial MyLane log-ins, creation of pass phrases, etc. In addition, the way we assign CRNs in our department is a little different, and while students usually get populated into the correct Moodle classes, sometimes they need to self-enroll.)

I created my first badge by feel and a good dose of trial-and-error. There is a "Badges" link under Settings in Moodle now, with options to manage badges or add a new badge. Since I was starting from scratch, I chose to add a badge. Adding a badge is as simple as giving your badge a title, entering a description of how students earn the badge, uploading an image for the badge, entering issuer name and contact info, and then setting the expiration date ("never" is the default).

This all seemed pretty straightforward, but I wanted more information about creating badges elsewhere (on a site such as Credly, for example) and then importing them or connecting them to Moodle. I spent some time searching through Moodle Docs, but I never really found the information I was looking for. (Generally, I find Moodle Docs to be less than satisfying - I find the explanatory information to be little more than what I can figure out myself by playing with Moodle features, and following its links to track down information is like wandering through a maze.) I found some forum posts that implied that you could import badges made on other sites, but I never found instructions on how to do anything more than use an image of a badge. So, that's what I did. I copied the image of a badge that I created in Credly, and pasted that into Moodle.

Once I had added my badge, I was given a prompt to make the badge available and manually issue it to students. This was easy - I simply selected eligible students from a list. From there, I did a little searching around and figured out that to make the badge visible on the Course homepage, I needed to add a "My Latest Badges" block to my course page.

Sooo...I think that I successfully added a badge to my Moodle page. If it really is that easy, I'll be adding more badges soon. Still on my to-do list will be to do a little more research outside Moodle Docs and figure out the connections between Moodle badges and all of the other badge creation and collection sites. I'd like to figure out not only how to import badges from other sites, but how students can take their badges with them. There's always more to learn...

Sharing Resources: Study Blue

One of my colleagues is now teaching the Core Reading class that I've been teaching for the last few terms, and we were discussing vocabulary study a few weeks ago. She's had the same struggles with her students that I had with mine around vocabulary - despite trying a variety of vocabulary practice exercises and context work with her students, they were not performing well when it came to quiz time. We were comparing notes on the activities, exercises, and study tools that we had used with our students, and one tool that I had used that she had not was Study Blue.

We did a quick tutorial together - she quickly set up an account, and we created a couple of sample flashcards. We also went over joining classes, sharing cards, and the other review materials that Study Blue provides. I explained how I used Study Blue in class to set up cards and teach students to use the system, then gradually gave students responsibility for creating their own cards.

This past week, my colleague told me that her students had done much better on their last vocabulary quizzes. I'm sure that using a resource like Study Blue is only one small contributor to this - most likely, students are benefiting from practice with the study of vocabulary and with the various study tools they're developing for vocabulary. But, I do think that for some students, digital tools like Study Blue are effective, and all students need exposure to a number of study tools and techniques so that they can find and develop study skills that work for them.

Video Series: Exponent Rules. Still Learning...

We recently spent some time working on exponent rules in my Math 4 class, so I decided to make some explanatory videos covering the rules we practiced in class. My students already had several resources to help them learn exponent rules - links to Khan Academy videos, textbook sections from CK12, and a CK12 study guide on exponent rules. I decided to supplement these other resources with my own videos because a couple students seemed to really struggle with the various rules, and some of those same students have said that they've had a hard time with the Khan Academy videos. I'm hoping that they'll have an easier with videos in which I explain concepts the same way that I explain them in class.

I made this series of videos with Screencast-o-matic and Smoothdraw 4, a free program that does a pretty good job with freehand drawing and handwriting (it's the same program that Sal Khan started with). I think I've got my video-making workflow down pretty well, but I still occasionally have some issues with pen skips or stray marks on the screen. Also, I notice that when I upload my videos to YouTube, some of the videos look a little fuzzy when played fullscreen. I'm not sure what to do about this, as I am recording at the "Full HD" setting. Ideas?

The exponent rule videos are available on my YouTube channel - enjoy!

My Open Math

Another great OER I've been using for my math classes is My Open Math. My Open Math just about does it all - course management, prebuilt math courses at several levels, the ability to customize courses or build courses from scratch, extensive problem banks - and it's all free.

Signing up for a teacher account is quick and easy, but does require verification by MOM. Once you've set up your account, you can create as many course sections as you'd like. You can base your course on template courses ranging from a 010-level arithmetic course up to 150 Calculus, with a number of course options in between. Or, you can start from scratch with a blank course. Template courses generally are set up as chapters or modules, and offer a variety of resources - textbook sections, video tutorials, problem sets, quizzes and tests. 

Assessments in MOM can be customized in numerous ways. Problem types are chosen from libraries and generated for each assessment. You can choose to have multiple copies of a problem generated, give students one or multiple attempts, control scoring and feedback, and set open/close dates for assessments. One of the things that I like best about MOM assessments is that students can complete them online or you can generate print copies (with up to three versions) and answer keys.

When I first started using MOM, I had students create accounts and join the classes I created. I used template classes, occasionally adding my own material to the course shells. Mainly, I used the online assessments to give students practice working math on the computer in preparation for the math placement test and the 2014 GED test. I referred students to the other materials as supplementary study materials. I also created a number of print version problem sets to use in class and for homework assignments.

This term, I'm essentially doing the same thing, but I've connected my MOM classes to Moodle, so students never have to log in to MOM. (There are basic instructions on this process in the help section of MOM, and videos on YouTube covering this - it's a bit of a tricky process, but once I figured it out, it didn't take long.) Once a week, we have computer lab time, and students log into Moodle, where they can access an assessment I've created to review concepts from previous weeks and practice concepts we're currently working on. I leave the assessments open and available to students for the remainder of the course so that they can go back and complete problems for review throughout the term. 

In the future, I may try to import and use an entire course template in Moodle. This would be an easy way to create some variety for students who repeat the course. In any case, I've found My Open Math to be an invaluable resource for my math classes.

Digital Flashcards and Study Guides with StudyBlue

I've been using the StudyBlue flashcard app/website for a couple of terms now, mainly as one of the tools I encourage students to use to study vocabulary.  I've found that most of my students are not really sure how to study vocabulary for their classes - not surprising, really, considering that many of them lack college-level study skills. I've always included vocabulary study in my reading classes because I think it's an essential skill and because many of my students have limited vocabularies. I tried to help students develop a range of tools for working with vocabulary - I teach context clues and dictionary use and show them various methods they can use to study vocabulary (flashcards, partner quizzing, puzzles, etc.).

Now that I'm teaching only math, I'm still teaching vocabulary, but my approach has changed somewhat. I really focus on using the appropriate terminology for math concepts (saying "numerator" instead of "top number," for example) so that students can be prepared for more advanced college math classes. The study of math and science terminology is unique in some ways, though - it can require the study of both words and symbols, it's a little harder to use context clues, and much of the terminology is completely foreign to students. For these reasons, I've been spending a lot of time this term not only teaching vocabulary, but teaching students how to learn the vocabulary.

StudyBlue is a digital flashcard program that can be accessed through a website or an app. It's a pretty simple, straightforward program, though they are slowly adding more features. The program allows you to create decks of digital flashcards that you can then quiz yourself with by "flipping" the cards back and forth. Cards can be as simple as a term on one side and a definition on the other, or you can make them richer and more interactive by adding pictures, sound, or equations. When creating cards through the website, entering a term on a card brings up a list of cards that other users have created for that same term - you then have the option of continuing to supply your own information or inserting someone else's card into your deck. (This feature is not available on the app.)

Decks of cards get saved to your virtual "backpack," and can be used to study via simple flipping or to create study lists or true/false or multiple choice quizzes. When studying by flipping cards, you record whether you answered correctly or not; when you study that same deck again, you then have the option to see only or more often those cards you missed.

When teachers create a StudyBlue account, they have the option to create "classes" that they can invite their students to; when students sign up, they are prompted to join a class. Members of a class can then share study cards and chat with each other.

I like StudyBlue for two reasons - first, it's a clean, simple app that students can quickly learn to use. Additionally, it's convenient - students can install the app on their phone and use it to study whenever they have a few free minutes. They might not carry actual study cards around with them, but they've always got their phones, so they can study while they're waiting for the bus, etc. I've found that international students, in particular, really like and use the app.

I've been sharing StudyBlue with students and other instructors - stay tuned for a post in which I describe more about these experiences.

Sharing Resources and Knowledge: Google Docs

I'm fortunate to work with a group of colleagues who are all very interested in integrating technology into their classes, though each of them is at a slightly different place in terms of tech skill and comfort. Of our group of six, two of us have been working on the Dig Co-Lab project; the others know this (and one has now signed up - welcome Aliscia!) and are always curious about what we're learning and creating and how they can apply technology in their own classes. In order to help everyone along, I suggested that we add a half hour to our weekly staff meeting for technology sharing. I started things off with a session on Google Drive.

I chose to start with Google Drive because a couple of us had started extensively using the Google apps, and I thought that there were some classroom needs and staff communication needs that the Drive tools could address. I chose to focus on two things: the features of Google Drive documents, and using the Google Drive app on the iPad.

The feature of Drive documents that I think is most useful for communication with students and staff is the ability to share and edit documents - even in real time. It took only a few minutes to demonstrate, and people immediately began thinking of uses for this type of collaborative document. For students, Drive is great because the document is dynamic. Rather than uploading a static document to Moodle for students to access, for example, you can link the document to Moodle. That way, if you edit the document (say, from one term to the next) students will link to the most recent version of the document without the need to update any files in Moodle.  Also, students can be given sharing rights so that they can add to or edit the document, which opens many possibilities for group projects, collaborative writing, etc. Among staff, we've been creating meeting minutes in Drive - one person takes meeting minutes, then saves the document into a shared folder. During or after the meeting, others in the group can add to or edit the minutes. This takes pressure off the notetaker and requires no emailing or saving of notes.

What really makes Drive useful for the classroom or meeting is the ability to access documents from nearly any device, including the iPad via the Drive app. The app has it's limitations (you can open Presentations but not edit them; there are fewer formatting tools for documents and spreadsheets in the app, etc.), but for those of us who use iPads in the classroom, it's a great tool. I demonstrated how I create documents and presentations to use during my class - thanks to my iPad and Drive, I know longer use an overhead projector and rarely use my doc cam or classroom PC. I've heard a lot of complaints from other teachers about how finicky doc cams are, so everyone appreciated having an alternative method for projecting worksheets, diagrams, etc.

What I did not have time to demo in this first tech workshop was how I import my Drive presentation slides into an app that allows me to annotate the slides - that will have to wait for another day!

Creating OER Text with CK-12

 

One of the resources that I've been using for my math class this term is CK-12. CK-12 is a nonprofit foundation supporting OER for STEM subjects, with content from elementary to high school level. On the student side of their website, students can complete assessments and lessons, access text and videos, and work on interactive activities. Teachers can not only access these materials, but edit files or create new materials from scratch.

I've been using the CK-12 textbook resources for both of my math classes. CK-12 calls their texts "Flexbooks," because there are a number of options for selecting, editing, and downloading texts, and I've tried a few different things. On one end of the spectrum, you can access and print or download full textbooks that have been created by other educators. There are dozens of Flexbooks on the site - almost 20 just for Algebra alone. For each subject, there are generally a variety of basic, standard, and advanced  level texts, as well as texts in Spanish. Some are better than others, but they are all generally high quality. Some have answer keys; many do not. Flexbooks can be copied, printed, and downloaded as pdf's or ereader files - you just have to include the attribution page for each file if you plan to distribute it. On the other end of the spectrum, the site has tools so that you can upload and create your own text, completely from scratch. (Texts must be approved by CK-12 before being shared publicly on the site.)

I have two Flexbooks that I've selected for use with my algebra and geometry classes, though I sometimes I will use a section from a different text if I like that particular section better than the one in my Flexbook. (You can search the site by topic to find stand-alone copies of text, quizzes, activities and other study materials.) Flexbooks are divided up into lessons which can be downloaded individually; I usually select a section for a lesson I'm going to teach, edit it to remove references to content we haven't yet covered or that I don't want to cover and make any desired adjustments to the problem sets. I then save my edit and download the lesson file as a pdf. I've been posting the pdf's to Moodle so that students can access the files as a reference; sometimes they are required to read the section for class.

I have also used some of the online activities on CK-12 (interactive quizzes, etc.), but I've found that I have to preview them before directing students to them, as some are glitchy or simply don't load correctly. Another resource that my students have found really useful is a series of study guides, which are two-page summaries of important concepts, suitable for printing out and keeping in a binder.

Overall, I've found CK-12 to be a great resource for basic OER math texts - the site is easy to navigate, stocked with a good variety of resources, and pretty reliable. If you're looking for a math or science text, give it a try.

New Term, New Student Survey

Last term I created a Google Forms survey for my reading students so that I could assess their reading skill, comfort, and habits, and gather some basic information about their goals. Students accessed the survey through Moodle and completed it during the first week of classes. This worked well for me as an instructor, because I was able to quickly get a sense of who my students were as readers and gather information that helped me decide how to focus my class. For example, I learned that while I had some GED students in my class, the majority of those students planned to go on to take the LCC placement test. Knowing this, I was able to set up a term plan that included some GED-type questions, but a greater focus (especially at the end of the term) on Accuplacer practice.

The other thing that I really like about using the Google Form is that after the survey results are in, Google Drive can generate a graphic summary of the data.  I went over this with the class once everyone had completed the survey, and it lead to discussions about reading preferences, anxiety, and goals. Seeing the similarities and variations among the group was really valuable to students, who often have trouble seeing other students as a peer group and may not know how they fit in to the group.

This term, I'm teaching only math, and I wanted to collect similar information from my math students. I also had a second goal, which was to collect up-to-date contact information for students. To do this, I created a Google Form similar to the Reading Survey, but with questions about contact information and preferred means of contact. Students again accessed the survey through Moodle during the first week of class. Results for Google Forms compile in a Google Drive spreadsheet, so when all of the surveys were completed, I was able to assess the data and print out a contact list for my own records. I was then able to share some of the survey summary with my class (I took out data for the questions relating to contact information) so that we could discuss the range of previous experience, math anxiety, etc. in the class.

I imagine that I'll continue to adjust this survey over time, but I feel like I've created a useful tool that I can continue to use in my classes for many terms. If you'd like to see the survey in full, click here. If you'd like an editable copy of this form, email me and I will send you a copy.

Screencasting with Explain Everything

For my classroom flip, I recorded a short video on solving and graphing inequalities in one variable, using the iPad app Explain Everything. [See the "screencasts" section of my blog for a more detailed post on Explain Everything.] I chose to make my own video for this lesson because I wanted to use some real life situations as examples of inequalities, and I couldn't find exactly what I wanted on Khan Academy or other similar sites.

I started by creating slides in Google Drive Presentation with my title, headings, and examples. Explain Everything can import Powerpoint slides, but not Google Drive Presentations, so I had to save the Presentation slides as photos, then import the photos into the app. This was a little cumbersome, but I'm trying to work with the Google Universe and wanted to test out this workflow.

The app worked well for this video, especially now that I'm getting more comfortable working with the options while recording. The one thing that I don't like about this app is that the microphone on the iPad picks up quite a bit of ambient noise - at a couple of points you can hear my computer chiming in the background. This will happen to some extent with any microphone, but I notice less ambient noise when I record with my Logitech headset.

Uploading the video takes a bit of time, but works smoothly. You can find the video here on my YouTube page.

I took the plunge and flipped my classroom...sort of.

I've been feeling really challenged this year by homework. I think that because the classes I teach are nongraded / no credit classes, students sometimes see them as "no effort outside the classroom" classes. Even those motivated students who are diligent about completing homework sometimes just don't know how to approach homework - they've never learned how to study and how to make the most use of out of class assignments. And because attendance is often an issue (sometimes for totally legit reasons; sometimes for pretty sketchy reasons), I'm always looking for resources for students who need to catch up on things they've missed. I've toyed with the idea of flipping my classroom for a while now and finally decided to give it a go this term because I believe that flipping my class can help me deal with many of those issues.

If you're not familiar with the flipped classroom model, here's the quick and dirty explanation: a flipped classroom inverts the usual model of "students learn something new in class and then practice the new skill/content outside of class." In a flipped classroom, students are first exposed to a new concept or skill before they come to class - usually via a video or reading - then spend class time practicing and applying the new concept/skill with the teacher's guidance. My hope was that flipping my classroom would make students more likely to do the assigned work because they would see more reason to do so, would give me more opportunities to help students with the practice part of the cycle, and would lead to a situation in which students who missed class could easily access information on the content they missed rather than just getting a make-up homework sheet that they hadn't been taught to do.

Since this was an experiment for me, I decided to start with a "mini-flip" of my math class. I began assigning my students a video (or videos) to watch on whatever topic I planned to cover the next day in class. Most of the time, I use Khan Academy videos and/or videos that I create. To add some accountability, I created questions to accompany each video - sometimes questions related to how information was presented in the video, sometimes questions related to the content itself, sometimes questions about the connection between the video content and what we'd already studied in class. Other times, rather than a video, I gave the students a reading and related questions. In class, we discussed what they'd watched or read, cleared up any areas of confusion, and did small group work or independent problems and projects to apply and practice the new material. I do still periodically assign practice and projects for homework, so I haven't truly flipped my classroom.

So far, this routine is working well. While there are still a few students who are not doing homework regularly, some of the students who were not doing homework before the flip have been willing to do the "flipped" work. Students show up to class with questions nearly every day, and we've had great discussions and "aha" moments. I did have to work out some technical bugs related to accessing videos - I started off posting links on our class web page, but some students who were accessing videos with their cell phones were bypassing the class page and trying to search directly for videos on YouTube, with varying results. I worked around this issue by continuing to post links on our class page, but also creating a playlist for our class on my YouTube page. Each week, I post a comment on my YouTube page that links to the class videos, which allows students to more easily find videos with a YouTube app or phone browser.

For more information, Vanderbilt University's Center for Teaching has a great explanation of flipping and suggestions for successfully flipping a classroom. A recent Inside Higher Ed article looks at the pros and cons of flipping. You can also check out the Flipped Learning Network for more information and resources.

Videos with Screencast-O-Matic

Despite my recent post about making instructional videos in which I teach on screen, I decided recently to make a set of videos using Screencast-O-Matic. Why? Two reasons. First, the practical reason is that I haven't gathered the tools and created a space for recording myself. Second, I've never used Screencast-O-Matic, and I know that it's been a popular tool for other instructors. In the interest of exploring options, I decided to give it a go.

For this project, I created a series of videos about place value, expanded notation, and writing numbers. I chose this topic because it's one that I used to cover in Math 10 but currently do not cover in my ABSE Math 3 or 4 classes. I've found that my students could often use a review of these concepts, however (especially if they are preparing to take the math placement exam). You can find the videos on my YouTube channel.

I created these videos on my laptop, using a Logitech microphone headset and my Wacom Bamboo tablet. Fortunately, I already owned the Bamboo tablet - I use it for editing digital photos - so I didn't need to buy or borrow one for this project. I love my Bamboo tablet, but as you'll see if you watch the videos, I did discover that I really need to practice handwriting with the tablet. Because of the small size of the tablet and the friction between the tablet and the pen nib, I found handwriting to be less than natural. I find writing on my iPad to be easier, and I think that most iPad apps also give you more pen/ink options. I used Powerpoint slides for my "background," and the pen options on Powerpoint are limited.

I generally liked using Screencast-O-Matic. I found the controls intuitive, and I liked that I didn't have to create an account or download any software to create videos. I might go ahead and sign up for the pro account, though, because I would like to be able to use some of the pro features, such as the greater variety of publishing options, editting tools, and the ability to publish screen shots.

I also recently downloaded another screencasting app for the iPad, called Playback. Stay tuned for a review!

More on Instructor Made Videos

Since my first experiment in creating videos for my class, I found a journal article that addressed a few issues I'd been thinking about around course videos. Merlot, the OER repository, has an online, peer-reviewed journal focusing on the use of web-based resources in higher education. The Journal of Online Teaching and Learning (JOLT), is open-access and published quarterly. The article, "Instructor-Made Videos as a Learner Scaffolding Tool," can be found in the December 2012 issue (Vol. 8, No. 4).

For this article, the authors specifically focus on the use of instructor-made videos for online courses, but I believe their findings can be applied to hybrid and traditional courses as well. As a basis for their research, they cite several benefits and disadvantages of the use of videos as an online learning tool. On the positive side, they note that 38%  of adult internet users report watching educational videos online, and that number is expected to rise over the next few years. In addition, many learners can attend to video for longer than other resources, and instructional videos allow users to control the learning environment - pausing, rewinding, and replaying content as much or as little as they wish. Also, the visual and auditory nature of video leads to more effective encoding of information. Finally, videos can now be accessed on a wide range of devices, which is especially convenient for students who squeeze studying into work breaks, bus rides, etc.

On the negative side, many instructor-produced videos are of poor quality because they are produced with low-end equipment. Students may experience connection or playback issues. Recordings of classroom lectures and demonstrations may include class business, downtime, etc. that viewers either need to sit through or try to fast-forward through. Many professionally produced videos are long, don't align with course objectives or content standards, or may spend too much time on basic concepts rather than more problematic concepts. 

For this study, instructors of three online college courses - a business course, a chemistry course, and a math course - created a series of short (10 minutes or less) videos on topics that the instructors knew to be commonly problematic for students. Instructors used the videos to model decision-making and thinking patterns, recommend tools and resources for students, and demonstrate procedures. At the end of the term students were asked to complete an online survey about the helpfulness of the videos.

About a third of the students registered in the courses eventually completed the online survey, and of the 32 who responded, 30 students rated the videos as a "favorable" or "very favorable" resource. (Two students chose "neutral.") Students reported liking that the videos were tailored to their specific needs. Many commented that seeing the instructor in the video was important for several reasons - first, it helped them feel connected to the instructor and the class, and second, they felt that being able to see the instructor's facial expressions and gestures helped them process the information and made the videos more like a one-on-one discussion. Surprisingly, students were split on the importance of video length. While the authors had predicted that students would prefer short videos, about half of the respondents stated that they were open to longer videos (up to 30-40 minutes) as long as the concepts were clearly presented. Finally, a few students did state that while the videos were helpful, they were not those students' preferred learning media.

Instructors involved in the study felt that they had greater involvement with students when they used the videos - one instructor reported receiving more emails from students in sections that watched the videos. Instructors also felt that the videos made their classes more interesting and helped hold students' attention. Instructors appreciated having a forum in which they could express their own opinions and thoughts on the other resources used in the class. Lastly, instructors did agree that creating a script or story-board for their videos was essential.

What interested me most about this article was the point about being able to see the instructor in the video. I've thought about this quite a bit since making my first videos. I had heard that it was a good idea to include a picture of yourself in your videos so that students can put a face to your voice, so I did include a little video clip of myself introducing the video, but as I was working on my second or third video, I began to feel disconnected from the material I was explaining. I worried that if I felt disconnected, students would also feel like they were learning from a disembodied voice. Also, I realized how often I use pointing and other gestures in my teaching - especially with math - and while the screencast software does have a pointing tool, this doesn't always translate perfectly. I began to think that when I make my next set of videos, I should tape myself in front of a white board, explaining as I would in front of a classroom. Even though this is a little out of my comfort zone (I don't care for being video-recorded), I think it would better replicate the classroom experience and connect with students. The students responses quoted in this article really confirmed my belief, so I guess that's where I'm headed with my next videos. 

Creating Tutorial Videos with Explain Everything

I've used a number of different math tutorial videos with my students over the years - mainly from Khan Academy, but from a few other sources as well, but though I've been meaning to create some of my own, I just hadn't got around to it until recently. Several factors inspired the set of videos I just created. First, while teaching graphing Spring term, there were some consistent issues that I thought videos could help address if students could access them while working on homework outside of class. Second, I've been interested in iPad screencasting and wanted to try out the Explain Everything app. Finally, while I find videos made by others to be helpful, I think that my students would really benefit most from being able to watch / listen to me explain concepts the same way I explained them in class. With those things in mind, I set to creating a series of videos on graphing equations in slope-intercept form.

Explain Everything is available through the Apple App Store for $2.99. There are some things that I really like about this app. The interface is generally pretty intuitive, though there were a couple of menu buttons that I had to play with a bit before really figuring out what they could do. You can create files with multiple pages so that when you do your screencast, you can record each page separately (and go back to edit single pages) but create one seamless video in a single step. Photos and videos can be imported onto slides; you can add text and drawings to slides; and you can minimize/expand and move around elements on a slide. In addition, you can open a video recording screen on a slide and record video right into the app. Finally, you can open a live web page on a slide. Recording quality is good and I found the audio to be satisfactory, even when using only the iPad's built in microphone. Uploading to YouTube was a little slow but not at all difficult.

There are a few things that I don't like about the app. Editing videos seemed a little glitchy - when I would pause and try to re-record a section of video, the active tools would switch on me, and a couple of times changes that I made to elements on the screen didn't "stick" as I started recording again. I believe that you're supposed to be able to edit video and audio separately, but I had a little trouble with this. When you open a live web page, the page loads quickly and page elements are functional, but web page text and graphics (and especially video) are lower resolution than in a browser. Finally, while there is a tool for inserting elements like arrows and lines on slides, it's really limited in the shapes it can create; I'd like a more robust shape tool.

I plan to play around with this app a bit more, but based on my initial impressions, I would recommend this app to anyone who really wanted to screencast from an iPad, with the caveat that this is not the best screencasting tool out there. For my next video project, I intend to use a web based tool (like Screencastomatic) on my PC. 

As for the videos themselves, I don't think they're too bad for a first try. I did realize after completing my fourth video that I did not use a single example with a negative y-intercept, so I might go back and either change one of the videos or add another to the set. I had been told by a number of people to write a script before recording, and that was good advice. I did find that I needed to revise and adjust my scripts as I went along, but they were good guidelines. The biggest challenge I had was making sure that there was nearly always something going on onscreen - I tried to avoid having too many segments with more voiceover than visual. 

Thinking ahead to making future videos, I'm toying with the idea of recording myself at a whiteboard or chalkboard, rather than screencasting. I did start each video with a little clip of myself - another great piece of advice I'd been given was that students like to see a picture of the person behind the voice on the video. I think for a lot of students there is something to watching a teacher explain something - the gestures, body language, and other visual cues add something important to the instruction, and I always feel like that's missing from screencasts. So stay tuned for future videos - maybe you'll see more of me in front of the camera!

The set of five videos on graphing slope-intercept equations is available on my YouTube page: http://m.youtube.com/channel/UCjU1lK3l5Vi0uz7dnvMypeQ?feature=guide.

SoftChalk

I've been meaning to learn about SoftChalk this year, but the workshops offered this past term or two didn't sync very well with my schedule. So I was grateful when Alice Warner set up a SoftChalk workshop during finals week - thank you, Alice!

Meredith Keene-Wilson did a great job of introducing SoftChalk and helping us put together a couple of activities that we'd be likely to use on our Moodle sites. I appreciate SoftChalk for its simple interface - I like programs that keep the screen pretty clean so that you can focus on what you're building.

I think that I'll be using SoftChalk quite a bit in the future to create online content for my students. In addition to teaching content, a big focus of my classes is getting students accustomed to working online so that they'll be comfortable with online testing, as all of my students are preparing for either the Accuplacer, math placement exam, or GED - all of which are now or will soon be computer-based. Though there are some good resources out there for computer-based practice in these areas, I often need or want to create my own materials, and Moodle's tools for this are pretty limited. Especially for the new GED format, it will be valuable to be able to replicate some of the question types.

As far as specific content goes, I've already thought of several ways I could use Softchalk. In my reading class, I've been focusing on vocabulary development, and there are several activities (matching quizzes, multiple choice exercises, the crossword puzzle maker) that could support this. The identify activity could be used to help students use a visual modality to study terms and definitions or connotations.

I really like the HotSpot activity and have several ideas for using it. For writing, students could be given an image of a sentence and asked to identify parts of speech. In reading, students could be given an image of a paragraph and asked to click on the topic sentence. In geometry, students could be given a diagram and asked to click on various parts of a figure. In algebra, an image of an equation could be used to test student knowledge of correct terminology for different parts of the equation (variable, exponent, coefficient, etc.).

Another feature that I really like is the TextPopper. My students often have widely varying backgrounds, and I like the idea of being able to add supplementary information to text lessons without having to actually include that information as part of the content. This could also really help out ELL students, as you could use TextPoppers to define difficult words or idioms.

I'm looking forward to using this tool to enhance my Moodle sites and encourage online student learning.

Digital Badges

As a young Girl Scout, I was a fervent badge-earner, so when I saw the listing for the Badges in Education workshop during Spring Inservice, I knew where I'd be spending an hour. For those of you who didn't attend the workshop or don't know about digital badges, today's badges don't get sewn on a sash - they are digital icons that students can earn in recognition of various achievements.

Digital badges are an example of the gamification of education: the application of gaming principles to educational settings. If you've ever played a video game in which you were rewarded with a new life, a special power or tool, or some other kind of recognition or bonus for earning a certain level of points or reaching some other achievement, you'll understand how digital badges work. Just as many of us will repeat levels of Angry Birds in order to achieve the full three stars on each level, students are motivated to complete lessons or quizzes in order to earn digital badges that they can post and share on course management or social media sites. (For more on gamification, see Gabe Zichermann's TED Talk ).

 So how are digital badges any different than sticking a gold star or stamping a smiley face on a student's paper (also surprisingly good motivators, I've found)? Well, because they are digital, they can be more widely shared. Sure, a paper with a sticker or stamp can be shown to friends and parents, or hung up on the fridge, but that's about as far as most students would choose to share them. Digital badges, however, are portable - they can be shared on special badge sites, such as Mozilla Backpack, on social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, or on a personal web page or blog. As a result, students can show off their badges to a larger audience for an indefinite period of time.

Perhaps the key difference between a sticker and a digital badge is that the badge is embedded with metadata that authenticates the issuer, the requirements for earning the badge, and other information. This gives the badge a legitimacy and use beyond the original issuer and recipient. A student could use badges as evidence of accomplishments in a portfolio or resume, for example. In my department, where we do not issue grades or credit, badges could serve as evidence of successful completion of units, classes, or skill levels.

Mozilla has a good FAQ with more information on digital badges here.

Following the workshop, I created a Mozilla Backpack account and completed my first badge - the Web Navigator badge, which required that I practice some simple web navigation tools. I then opened an account with Credly, a site where you can build and issue your own badges. Credly has some nice customizable badge templates, or you can start from scratch with your design. I chose to start with a template, and it took me about ten minutes to design a badge that I plan to use for completers of my Math 4 class. The design process was very straight-forward; the hardest part was deciding what information to include in the badge description. This

probably would have been easier had I looked at the information attached to other badges before I started mine, but I just jumped in with both feet. Fortunately, it's pretty easy to edit badge information.

Students don't have to be members for you to issue them credit - if they are, you can easily use their member names to send them credit, but you can also send them a badge via email. You can also upload a csv file to send a badge to a whole group. When you issue credit, there is also an option to add a testimonial about the student's achievements and a link to add evidence from a web page that supports the student's accomplishment.

I plan to use badges in my courses next term. To begin with, I plan to offer badges for completion of units and the course - and I imagine I'll structure the badges so that students must earn the full set of unit badges in order to earn the course completion badge. In the future, I can see breaking this down even further - giving concept badges or project badges, which lead to unit badges, which lead to course badges - but for now I plan to start with a simple structure. I understand that the newest version of Moodle will incorporate badge display, which will make it even easier to issue and use badges in our classes.

Using Merlot

I had used Merlot to search for OER materials, but prior to the CoLab, I had never tried to contribute to Merlot. I'm pleased to say that my first experience with uploading material (my textbook preview Prezi) was a success.

Setting up the member account was easy and the confirmation email did not take long to reach my inbox. Contributing material took several steps, but the process was not lengthy. The hardest part was deciding on an attribution for my presentation, but that is an ongoing internal debate and a topic for another post.

The main thing that I don't like about Merlot is it's interface. I find their website to be incredibly busy and dense. The scrolling text at the top of the home page is distracting, and there are too many links, tabs, etc. The iPad app is not much better - it also is very text-heavy, with almost no graphics. I'm glad to see that a website redesign is about to be released.

I also created a Connexions account, but I haven't tried to upload anything there yet. Stay tuned...