Blog Post 10: My 3 Big Ideas

 

VoiceThread: Strategies for Online Learning and Engagement

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Blog Post 8

 Carissa Dembinski

Responding to Students Who Are Not Participating

    There could be so many reasons why students may not be participating in class, especially an online class. I believe that the first step I would need to take as the educator would be to find the source of the issue. Oftentimes there are deeper issues going on rather than a student simply not feeling like or wanting to do their work. Students could feel overwhelmed with the amount of work they have in their other classes, or they may not understand the materials but are too afraid to ask for help, they could simply not have time due to other extracurricular activities, etc. Therefore, if I noticed that one of my students had not been participating in class or doing their work, I would reach out to them and maybe schedule a meeting to figure out what the real problem is then try to work out a solution that would work for both them and myself. 

    If a student was demonstrating a skills deficit, I would reach out to them and have a one-on-one chat to figure out what they may not be understanding or holding them back from being able to complete the classwork. Once we have figured out where the struggles are, I would work out a schedule, that would work well for the student, to tutor them or work with them on the class work. I would also make sure I am being accommodating in the way I am teaching the materials to be sure that I am going over the information in a way that suits their learning style. With these students, I think it is important for teachers to set aside time when they can have their undivided assistance and attention. 

    If I noticed that a student seemed to be struggling with a performance deficit, I would try out different methods of motivation. My first step would be to break down assignments into smaller tasks. For example, if they were working on a big essay, I would have them complete one paragraph at a time. My professor did this in my English Composition course and it really helped me stay on task and not fall behind or wait until the last minute. Each week when we came into class we were to have one or two paragraphs done. I would also try giving them their work in a fun way, such as using game-like activities or apps. Overall, for this type of student I think it would be important to figure out what their motivators are and break down large, daunting assignments into bite sized tasks so as to not overwhelm them. 

Blog Post 7: Strategies for Online Motivation

 Carissa Dembinski

Online Motivation

    Keeping students engaged in an online setting can be quite challenging, but there are many ways that it can be done. The first strategy that I would use is educational games or game-like activities. This approach makes learning more fun and easier to understand as the students feel more like they are simply playing a game without even realizing that they are learning and retaining the class material. The next strategy I would use is regularly communicating with students or taking polls to find out what their current interests are and update lesson plans based on that information. The next thing I would do ensure that I am always "present" in the online setting by replying to students in a timely manner, answering any questions, holding zoom or other video meetings, offer tutoring, post regular announcement, etc. I would also make sure to have assignments and activities that need to be worked on in groups as well as having peer review and editing assignments when working on things like essays or studying. However, I do understand that even in an online setting, there will be students who experience extreme social anxieties when working in groups of people that they don't know well, which in turn, will can cause them to not become engaged in such activities so I would like to create some kind of way for them to participate in these assignments in a way that would make them more comfortable, like perhaps allowing them to pick their group or have their work reviewed by a family member or teacher instead of a student they don't know. The last strategy that I would use to keep my students engaged online is giving the class materials and information out in a way that fits each of their learning styles. Each student learns in a different way so presenting information in one particular fashion will not be helpful to most. 

    For the online games I would use apps such as Kahoot or Bottle or create my own "quizzes" for students to test their knowledge in a fun, stress-free way. I would also make sure I am always updating my lesson plans according to the students interests. An example of this would be something I have recently done with my preschoolers. Many of them were very much into dinosaurs at one time so instead of doing the art activity I had planned for that day, I had them dip our toy dinosaurs in paint to make "dino footprints". Doing this got them really excited and they actually wanted to take part in the activity and didn't get bored with it within minutes. In order to appeal to all of my students' learning styles I would post my lectures in different formats for the different learning styles. For example, I could post the key points as flashcards or videos for visual learners, lectures or podcasts for auditory learners, etc. Overall, I would make sure I am always available to answer questions and assist with class work and check in regularly to ensure my students are engaged and interested. 

Blog Post 6: Online Assessment Infograpgic

Blog Post 5: Nearpod

 Carissa Dembinski

Nearpod

        Nearpod is a great interactive tool for educators to use for things like quizzes, polls, videos, etc. This tool can provide many benefits to the classroom, including bridging the gap between technology and learning to get students more engaged and interested. When using Nearpod teachers will be able to create presentations that are more interactive than google slides or powerpoint, grabbing the attention of students. Instructors can also use this tool for assessments and checking for students' understanding in real-time. This gives instructors the opportunity to adjust lesson plans and activities when needed. Nearpod gives learners the chance to test their knowledge, retain information, and learn new materials by playing games, increasing classroom engagement and offers students a fun way to learn. These are just some of the benefits that this application can provide to todays classrooms. 

        There are some drawbacks to using Nearpod. Firstly, if a teacher/school does not wish to pay for the premium plus account, they will be limited to 40 students per lesson. So there are some features that may not be accessible unless paid for, something teachers may not be able to do. These features include student-paced lessons, individual student reports, BBC videos, Nearpod lessons, and extra web content. These subscriptions are also pretty costly with the "gold" subscription costing $120 per year and the "platinum" costing $349 per year. There is also the obvious need for a laptop in order for each student to use this tool. Schools would have to be able to supply these laptops to the students. These limitations can make it impossible for many teachers and schools to access this application. 

        As mentioned previously, teachers can use Nearpod in lesson planning by implementing games and interactive presentations in place of traditional lectures and worksheets. Teachers with a platinum subscription will also have access to the lesson plans and tools that Nearpod provides, making lesson planning that much easier. Instructors will also be able to use this in place of traditional assessments to better track student progress. 

Blog Post 4: AR Tool For the Classroom

 Carissa Dembinski

Blog Post 4

    After doing some research into different VR and AR tools for education, I chose to dig deeper into Merge Cube. This AR tool really caught my attention when I began reading about it so I believe it would capture the interest of students as well. Merge Cube allows students to virtually hold artifacts and objects in their hands. A simple foam cube can transform into almost anything by simply holding it in front of a camera on one of the Merge's apps. Students can view the object or scene from different angles by rotating the cube. For example, the DinoDigger app would allow whoever is holding the cube to "hold" and observe dinosaur fossils as well as excavate them. When using the Hologlobe app, students could hold visualizations of Earth. Students would quite literally have the world in the palm of their hands with this tool. 

    This tool could really be used by anyone but I believe teachers could benefit from it the most, especially science teachers. Merge Cube can be used to create lessons and activities to explore STEM concepts, enable students to experience history and science, or illustrate complex systems. This tool would be a great way to get students engaged and keep them interested in something they would normally be bored by. To read and listen to lectures is one thing, but to be able to virtually hold and observe what is being taught is a complete game changer. 

    I believe this tool could have a positive effect on both students and teachers. Students will be way more involved in the lesson thus allowing them to fully take in the information and have an easier time remembering it. Many students are also visual learners so doing this kind of activity, rather than simply reading or lecturing, would be a huge help for them. This would also benefit teachers because it would allow for them to create fun and informative activities that will capture and hold their student's attention. The more interested the students are in the lesson, the more information they will retain, and the better they will do when it comes time to take a test on the subject.