I found the link to many different App based resources interesting. I will try exploring some of the free Apps to see how they may enhance the classroom experience.
Story telling can enhance teaching environment.
I take a lab skill and turn it into a story by bringing it alive with humor and classroom participation. Example: I teach a surgical tech program, there is a process the surgeon uses to enter the abdominal cavity. ( marker, knife, clamp, tie, suture scissors., etc. ) So I chose 5 students to be each item above. A narrator starts out with I AM A - and the student who is the marker stands up and says I am a marker, the next student stands up and says, I am the knife. can you see the lesson coming alive?
A good story can encourage input from otherwise quiet students and start the ball rolling for optimum engagement.
EVERYONE appreciates humorous story
I use this method in clinical lab, I start the session with a scenario, share how the nurse made a mistake, and then allow the student to critically think through the correct way to approach it.
Like most of us, some of my fondest learning opportunities came through the use of a good story. Whether this was during my education or childhood from an grandparent, a story always had/has a way to making a common fact become a valuable resource.
Stories that are interesting and full of humor can help connect the storyteller to the audience, who then releases dopamine, and that helps secure the information in their long-term memory.
