Free and Cheap Technologies to

Supercharge Your Teaching

!Meredith Gorran FarkasPortland Community College

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28413589@N04/5090468672/

Three Big Trends

Mobile and point-of-need learning

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567825@N03/3137422976/ and http://www.teachthought.com/technology/12-principles-of-mobile-learning/

• Short for Quick Response

• Originally developed for inventory control

• Need a QR code reader to read

• Scan a QR code to access info or take action

QR Codes for point-of-need help

QR Code Generators & Readers

Uses of QR codes

Uses of QR codes

Uses of QR codes

Uses of QR codes

• A way for devices to receive information at close range

• RFID is an example

• User no longer has to take the initiative to scan something.

Are near-field communications the next step?

To be successful with mobile and point-of need learning...• Know your users

• Know their needs

• Know what technologies they use

• Know their info-seeking behavior

• Don’t make the technologies a barrier

• Many do not have QR code reader apps

Gamification and badges

http://www.flickr.com/photos/77343377@N00/3707964045/ and http://www.flickr.com/photos/47326183@N07/9400228603/

Passport!

Flipped instruction

http://www.flickr.com/photos/t2thestreet/5967035566/

• Instructional videos

• Websites with instructional content

• LibGuides and other research guide software

• Survey software

• etc.

Lots of tools for flipped instruction

Three Simple Tips

1. Focus on the needhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/florianric/7263382550/

2. Think beyond “typical uses” http://www.flickr.com/photos/lel4nd/6062809527/

Tools for...

Synchronous Online Teachinghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/67193564@N03/6173548853/

Can’t Afford Collaborate or Connect?

• Video (web cam) chatting with up to 10 people

• Can use just audio

• Screensharing

• Mobile-friendly

• Can record for later viewing

• Requires a download

Google Hangouts

• Free video chat for up to 12 participants (can use just audio)

• Share files, images, or your desktop

• Can be recorded (.avi format) and uploaded to YouTube

• Mobile-friendly

• Requires a download

oovoo

• Screensharing, VoIP and text chat for up to 10 participants

• File-sharing

• No download for the participants, quick download for the presenter

• Mobile-friendly

Join.me

• One-on-one video chatting (free)

• Pro offers video (web cam) chatting for up to 10 people (approx. $60/year)

• Free audio chats for up to 25 people

• Mobile-friendly

• A familiar technology for many

• Requires a download

Skype

Rules of thumb with synchronous online instruction

• Don’t implement tech that will create barriers for students

• Don’t try to implement in asynchronous online classes

• Don’t just lecture

• Active learning

• Tailored to their needs

Movie-Makinghttp://www.flickr.com/photos/29454428@N08/3676790621/

Can’t Afford Camtasia or Captivate?

• Free download

• Screenshots and short (<5 minute) video screen captures

• No editing features (can edit in Camtasia)

• Output to SWF, easy upload to Screencast.com, Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

• Puts Jing branding on video

Jing

• Cheap ($50, less for educational use)

• Screenshots and video screen captures

• Can edit and annotate screenshots, but no video editing (can only edit video in Camtasia)

• Multiple output formats, easy export to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc.

• Extremely easy to use

Snagit

• Free or $15/year for Pro

• Video screen and web cam recording, web-based product

• Nice editing features available in Pro version

• MP4, AVI, and FLV export; easy publish to YouTube, more publishing options with Pro

• Extremely easy to use

Screencast-o-matic

• Can record web cam and screen (PowerPoint, Prezi, searching a database, etc.)

• Pros: Easy lecture capture, automatically uploads to YouTube

• Cons: It’s publicly available on Google Hangouts and YouTube; no editing

Google Hangouts

• Free web-based video or audio annotation tool

• The useful: Add pop-up annotations, cut sections, add pauses at different places on the video timeline

• Other fun features: Add pop-up Wikipedia entries, images, maps, and loop video.

• Provides link to video and embed code

• Could be useful with screen capture products that don’t offer editing

Mozilla Popcorn Maker

Rules of thumb with video instruction

• Keep it short

• Always offer closed captioning and transcripts

• Film it all in one take

• Watch out for split attention effect

• Match audio with screen actions

• Don’t have text on the screen that doesn’t match what you’re saying

Engagementhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/29454428@N08/3210687729/

• Open source software for tutorial creation

• Active learning

• Tutorial is in a left-hand frame on a live web page

• Pro: Easy to create a guide on the side, students can use the database while learning to use it

• Cons: Easy to make a bad one, needs to be installed on a server, doesn’t work with databases that open in a new window, doesn’t work with Google Scholar

Guide on the Side

• Open source software for tutorial creation

• Active learning

• Tutorial is in a left-hand frame on a live web page

• Pro: Easy to create a guide on the side, students can use the database while learning to use it

• Cons: Easy to make a bad one, needs to be installed on a server, doesn’t work with databases that open in a new window, doesn’t work with Google Scholar

Guide on the Side

Assessmenthttp://www.flickr.com/photos/fylkesarkiv/8424034566/

• Free online polling tool using text messaging and a web form for getting feedback

• Answers can update in real time on a PPT slide

• Great for icebreakers,

Poll Everywhere

getting feedback, formative or summative assessment, etc.

• Free software for creating quick, mobile-friendly assessments and learning activities (quizzes, one-minute papers, games, etc.)

• Works on tablets, smartphones, and computers

Socrative

• Free survey software

• Can embed on any website

• Can only embed video in personal (non .edu) accounts

• Responses placed automatically into spreadsheet

• Useful for quizzes, satisfaction surveys, pre-assignment worksheets, one-minute papers, etc.

Google Forms

Rules of thumb with assessment tools

• Figure out what you really want to learn

• Think beyond the multiple choice or true/false quiz

• Make it easy to access (shortened link, no login)

• If in-class, do you have enough computers for everyone to complete (or does it not matter)?

• If out-of-class, is it assigned by the instructor?

Create Infographics

Rules of thumb with infographics

• Start with learning outcomes

• Keep it simple

• Show, don’t tell

• Don’t rely on typical MS Office-type graphs and charts

Any questions?

Find me at:

gmail: mgfarkas

Twitter: librarianmer

Facebook: meredithfarkas

http://meredith.wolfwater.com

Thank you!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trucolorsfly/2401196653/