Emily Whitby

I've learned the importance of reaching out to each student within the first week of class to make a connection with them.

I can think of multiple ways that I could use Twitter to enhance the classroom. Asking students to follow a Twitter account that I post course content and reminders to is one. Requiring students to post replies to a Twitter account that makes posts appropriate to course content is another.

I like the idea of integrating YouTube videos into my course--I even had the idea of asking students to create their own YouTube videos (or TikTok videos) about course content and then posting links to their videos into a discussion or comments on a class announcement. It might be interesting to give an assignment in which students are asked to locate a Twitter post on a particular topic and make a comment on it, then screenshot it and post it into a class discussion. There are just so many possibilities--it all depends on the course content and the type of… >>>

I learned important strategies for creating rubrics for my classes, as well as how to use rubrics effectively to assess student performance, and how to adjust rubrics to fit the needs of classes.

I have learned about several great ways to run a diagnostic assessment--I especially like the "muddiest point" diagnostic and the 1-2-3 questions. I've also learned the importance of conducting formative assessments at regular intervals throughout the course.

I learned the importance of designing multiple types of assessments in a course that can be adapted for multiple learning styles, and also that it is good to get feedback from students on the effectiveness of different types of tools.

I really liked the idea of using jigsaw activities, in which students bring their own pieces of knowledge together with their classmates' to solve a question or problem. I can see multiple scenarios in which I might use this type of activity, and this could be both motivating and beneficial to the students. For example, students could contribute multiple sources to a group forum for a research activity, and then they could evaluate classmates' sources and choose from among them for sources to use in a research essay. Everyone would be equally invested in finding, evaluating, and using the sources.

I really enjoyed this quote from the text: 

As K. Patricia Cross states, “learning is not so much an additive process, with new learning simply piling up on top of existing knowledge, as it is an active, dynamic process in which the connections are constantly changing and the structure reformatted.” As instructors, we often think of this idea of just adding information and knowledge to our students' already existing knowledge, so that when they graduate they have this jar full of knowledge and experience to take with them into a career. But without building these connections and structures between ideas,… >>>

One big takeaway from this section is the importance of having technology available and accessible to all students, so that they can effectively participate in these active learning activities, regardless of when and where they are studying from. It's so important for universities to provide the necessary resources for students living and studying in a digital world.

I also have a concern about these low-stakes, but high engagement activities--while they may be very conducive to higher-order learning and building of critical thinking skills, how can instructors get students to fully engage in these activities when the point values may be… >>>

I have learned so many things from reading about active learning, including multiple ideas for engaging my students in synchronous and asynchonous classes. I love the idea of "student-centered" and "student-led" learning, as well as employing groups of students to find solutions to a problem. I can also envision implementing a "recall" of everything that students can remember from the past 20 minutes as well. This could be really effective in a Zoom meeting, letting students brainstorm and type responses into the chat. There are so many ways to actively engage students beyond the traditional lecture format, and these could… >>>