Technology in Transit -- Edmodo

Technology in Transit — Edmodo

Edmodo was March’s technology of the month, an online networking application for teachers and students that can be used to collaborate, share digital content and access homework, grades, class discussions, and notifications from your computer or phone. Edmodo is primarily a tool for within-class communication, making it ideal to cultivate a peer-learning and peer-support environment both in the classroom and online.

Using the app and the browser version in his computer, Presenter David Gwilliam showcased how he uses the platform in his inquiry project with his grade 7 I.B. practicum clasroom to present information, materials and instructions and to build an online learning conversation with his class. Students in Edmodo can post messages to their teachers, or to their entire Edmodo group, but teachers maintain full control of their Edmodo groups and can delete posts, monitor all activity, review student posts before they go live. Gwilliam also demonstrated how the website can be used to post homework information, write short summaries of lessons for students who were absent, place digital resources for students to access and download and to create polls for students to vote online.

Presenter

Our featured student this month was David Gwilliam from the Faculty of Education.

David Gwilliam
Locally born and raised in Vancouver, David has spent the majority of his professional academic life at the University of British Columbia pursuing his undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Arts attaining a double major in the English language and Sociology. A return to UBC saw David venture into the world of real estate and property management through the Sauder School of Business. David is now invested in developing his practice of educating the middle years level with a specialized focus on the International Baccalaureate program and studies in the English language from grades K-12.With such a great group of fellow TC’s to work and learn with, David actively sought inclusion in the Education Students’ Association and has been elected President for 2015/16.

 

Spring 2016 Digital Technology Series

On March 2nd and March 3rd 2016, the ETS office held their first-ever annual Digital Technology Series, designed to provide faculty members and staff with hands-on practice with different learning technologies available at UBC. The series included various workshops on technologies like Camtasia, Collaborate, UBC and Connect Blogs and Connect Assessments and Grading. As part of the workshops, participants were given the space to experiment with the technologies and to consider how they could implement them in their teaching practice.  Ian Linkletter walked instructors through the Collaborate virtual classroom application integrated in Connect, demonstrating how the application can be used to facilitate classes, meetings and presentations. Instructors were able to experiment with several of Blackboard Collaborate’s useful features for online teaching and office hours, including polling and raising hands, a whiteboard area, a chatroom feature and breakout rooms for small group collaboration.

Sharon Hu guided instructors through the process of creating engaging media content using the powerful screen capture and video-editing tool Camtasia. With Hu’s directions, faculty members and staff created their own videos from start to finish and added audio using the interactive and user-friendly Camtasia Studio Editor, preparing them to produce video lessons and tutorials for their own courses. In the Blogging  workshop, Bill Pickard went over the steps involved in creating your own blog using UBC blogs and Connect Blogs, highlighting the potential use of the platforms to encourage student discussion and engagement with course material. In particular, instructors were shown how to customize their UBC blogs, how to attach and embed images, multimedia and links in their blog entries as well as how to comment and provide student feedback.

During the tour of the new enhanced seminar room Ponderosa 1008, Sharon Hu went over the possible blended models of teaching that can be implemented in the room, while A/V representative Steve Sharpe shared the room AV/technical capabilities and demonstrated how to use some of the amenities including the projectors and flat panel displays.

Finally, the Connect Assessments and Grading workshop introduced participants to the Assignment Dropbox and the Full Grade Center in Connect. During the workshop, Tech Rover Andrea Gonzalez outlined the workflow process for submitting, viewing and grading tests and assignments in Connect. A sandbox course was created with a Connect Template for instructors to follow along and to create their own assignments and tests with step-by-step instructions.

Overall, the workshops generated a space for instructors to develop their technical skills through dedicated hands-on activities and to find out about the multiple possibilities to integrate learning technologies into their practice. Participants were able to pose their questions and to share their experiences using technology with their colleagues. The ETS office is planning future workshops in the Digital Technology Series, stay on the look out for more hands-on sessions in September 2016!

For any questions about learning technologies or if you would like to learn more about future events, please contact the ETS office by email at ets.educ@ubc.ca or by phone at 604-822-6333.

Technology in Transit — Edmodo

Session Information


Date: March 7th, 2016
Location: Scarfe Main Foyer
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Registration: Not required

Event Description

Join us at the Scarfe Foyer during lunchtime on March 9th to see this month’s Technology in Transit showcase, featuring Edmodo!

Edmodo is a web-based platform that provides a safe and easy way for your students to connect and collaborate, share content, and access homework, grades and school notices. It is like Facebook, but in a safe and  controlled environment appropriate for school. Instructors can place digital resources for students to access or download, create polls for students to vote online, write short summaries of lessons for students who were absent from class, and post homework information.

At Educational Technology Support, we are passionate about raising technology awareness and showing how technology can be used to enrich teaching. On the second Wednesday of every month, Educational Technology Support (ETS) hosts Technology in Transit to provide an environment for students in the Faculty of Education to showcase the technologies that they have been using in their classrooms. This one-hour session offers passers-by the chance to observe and engage with educational technology as they walk through Scarfe Foyer during their lunch break.

Presenter

Our featured student this month is Dave Gwilliam from the Faculty of Education.

Dave Gwilliam
Locally born and raised in Vancouver, David has spent the majority of his professional academic life at the University of British Columbia pursuing his undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Arts attaining a double major in the English language and Sociology. A return to UBC saw David venture into the world of real estate and property management through the Sauder School of Business. Returning to campus this year, David is now invested in developing his practice of educating the middle years level with a specialized focus on the International Baccalaureate program and studies in the English language from grades K-12.With such a great group of fellow TC’s to work and learn with, David actively sought inclusion in the Education Students’ Association and has been elected President for 2015/16.

 

Technology in Transit — Explain Everything

Explain Everything was February’s technology of the month, an easy-to -use interactive whiteboard and screen-casting app that allows students and teachers to create rich, dynamic multimedia content to support teaching and learning. Presenter Amanda Schoepp showcased how the interactive video recording feature in the app can be used to visually and orally present information, materials and instructions. Using both the app and the browser version in her computer, Schoepp also demonstrated how Explain Everything can be used to type, import images, videos, PDFs and Powerpoint presentations that can be edited and narrated over. Teachers can take advantage of the multiple features of the app for supplementary instruction and particularly to support ELL students in explaining their thinking and reasoning. For more information about Explain Everything, please refer to the showcase handout.

Presenter

Our featured student this month was Amanda Schoepp from the Faculty of Education.

Amanda Schoepp
Amanda Schoepp (BA, MA, CELTA) is a teacher candidate in the Personalized Learning and Technology cohort in the Elementary program, who enjoys exploring integrating various aspects of technology into her teaching practice.

 

Technology in Transit — Wikispaces

Wikispaces was January’s technology of the month for Technology in Transit. Presenter Jolene Loveday demonstrated how she uses Wikispaces in online classrooms to create a collaborative social environment for her students. Using Wikispaces, teachers can monitor their students’ work as it happens so they can give feedback, assistance, and encouragement as needed and gain direct insight into student engagement and contribution. Loveday also covered how teachers can quickly and easily create assignments, share resources, make announcements, and foster discussion and community in Wikispaces. For more information on Wikispaces, please refer to the information handouthere from this presentation.

Presenter

Our featured student this month was Jolene Loveday from the Faculty of Education.

 

Jolene Loveday (BA, MA, CELTA) is a teacher candidate in the BEd Middle Years (English and IB-MYP) program. She is the student representative for the Faculty of Education in the UBC Vancouver Senate and the Academic Director of the Education Students’ Association. Additionally, Jolene is an experienced adult educator, having taught English as an Additional Language and English literature for the past decade. She is currently a faculty member, on leave, at Vancouver Community College.

Technology in Transit — Explain Everything

Session Information


Date: February 10th, 2016
Location: Scarfe Main Foyer
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Registration: Not required

Event Description

Join us at the Scarfe Foyer during lunchtime on February 10th to see this month’s Technology in Transit showcase, featuring Explain Everything!

Explain Everything is an easy-to -use interactive whiteboard and screen-casting app that offers a variety of uses for students and teachers. This app features interactive, video recording that takes “explaining everything” to a whole new level. Drop by Amanda’s booth on Wednesday February 10th to learn more about how how can use Explain Everything in your own classroom!

At Educational Technology Support, we strive to raise technology awareness and showcase how technology can be used to enrich teaching and learning. On the second Wednesday of every month, Educational Technology Support (ETS) hosts Technology in Transit to provide an environment for Teacher Candidates and graduate students to display the technologies that they have been using in their classrooms. This one-hour session offers passers-by the chance to observe and engage with educational technology as they walk through Scarfe Foyer during their lunch break.

Presenter

Our featured student this month is Amanda Schoepp from the Faculty of Education.

Amanda Schoepp
Amanda Schoepp (BA, MA, CELTA) is a teacher candidate in the Personalized Learning and Technology cohort in the Elementary program, who enjoys exploring integrating various aspects of technology into her teaching practice.

 

Tech in Transit – Wikispaces

Session Information


Date: January 27th, 2016
Location: Scarfe Main Foyer
Time: 12:00pm – 1:00pm
Registration: Not required

Event Description

Join us at the Scarfe Foyer during lunchtime on January 27th to see this month’s Technology in Transit showcase, featuring Wikispaces!

Wikispaces is an open-classroom management platform that facilitates student-teacher communication and collaboration. Using Wikispaces, teachers and students can write and edit pages together, create and edit group or individual projects, communicate in a private social network, and participate in real-time formative assessments. Drop by Jolene’s booth on January 27th to learn more about how teachers are using Wikispaces and how you could integrate it into your own classroom!

At Educational Technology Support, one of our key goals is to raise technology awareness and demonstrate the various applications of technology in teaching and learning. On the second Wednesday of every month, Educational Technology Support (ETS) hosts Technology in Transit. Technology in Transit provides a space for Teacher Candidates and graduate students to display the different technologies that they have been actively using in their courses. The one-hour session offers passers-by the chance to observe and engage with educational technology as they walk through Scarfe Foyer during their lunch break.

Presenter

Our featured student this month is Jolene Loveday from the Faculty of Education.

Jolene Loveday
Jolene Loveday (BA, MA, CELTA) is a teacher candidate in the BEd Middle Years (English and IB-MYP) program. She is the student representative for the Faculty of Education in the UBC Vancouver Senate and the Academic Director of the Education Students’ Association. Additionally, Jolene is an experienced adult educator, having taught English as an Additional Language and English literature for the past decade. She is currently a faculty member, on leave, at Vancouver Community College..

 

Winter 2016 Orientation to Learning Technologies

On January 12th and 13th 2016, the ETS team held two “Orientation to Learning Technology” workshops. Arriving from various departments in the Faculty of Education, including Curriculum and Pedagogy and ECPS, instructors and faculty members came to learn more about the multiple technologies available at UBC and how they can be integrated in their classrooms to enrich their student’s educational experiences.

During the workshops, Natasha Boskic and Sharon Hu showcased the delivery models of online and hybrid classroom environments, demonstrated technologies such as Collaborate and showed instructors the available support at ETS. Ian Linkletter and Bill Pickard described the tools available in Connect, including communication tools, UBC Blogs and Library Online Course Reserves. Andrea Gonzalez went over the additional learning technologies at instructors’ disposal and students, such as WordPress, edX, iClickers, Camtasia, and CLAS, as well as other image-editing software such as Snagit and Camtasia. Instructors had the chance to think about on how they might incorporate these new technologies in their classrooms, ask any questions they had, and share ideas about the technologies.

As the information was presented in the sessions, instructors, teacher candidates and TA’s remained curious and excited to find out how they might apply the relevant technologies into their respective classroom settings. Participants posed some excellent questions during the Q&A segment and were able to leave with more confidence in their abilities to make use of technology in their teaching.

Emoji Pedagogy – Engaging Digital Learners with Emojis

By Andrea Gonzalez — Posted on: Nov 23, 2015

Since the early 1990s, emojis have gained rapid popularity among the digital sphere, peppered everywhere from text messages to web pages all over the world. Similarly to keyboard symbols, these emoticons have become such an integral part of our daily lives that they are now being used almost as a universal language, from educational campaigns to classrooms.

Many of us at UBC can vividly remember the floorgraphs and posters around campus that sought to raise awareness about consent and sexual assault.  According to the UBC consent campaign website, research suggests that people react to emoji the same way they would a real human face. In addition to grabbing people’s attentions, it has been found that some emoji can affect cognition, helping people remember a message more easily.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons

It is no wonder, then, that emojis have exploded as a new source of innovation in classrooms. In recognition of the educational potential of emojis, some instructors are currently testing the use of emojis as part of new assignments. One example is Providence Arts Educator Tyler Horan, who recently developed an innovative “emoji pedagogy” for his one-week digital arts intensive class. In order to teach his Photoshop fundamentals class, covering tool bars and layers, he encouraged students to use website Emoji.ink to gain inspiration for their artwork, from which they were able to make connections to other artist’s work in the course.

“I am always attentive to what my students are interested in. If my students are interested in emoji, I’ll teach emoji. It’s a new visual language imbued with so much meaning, but it also can be a tool for abstraction” reveals Horan.

Another striking example of the emoji move into education is the GE Emoji Science website, complete with an Emoji Table of Content, Youtube videos and lesson plans. In the videos, science educator Bill Nye explains scientific concepts and theories ranging from climate change to evolution with the use of emojis. Nye adds emoticons from ‘meh’ to ‘shocking’ and ‘angry’ to his graph of carbon dioxide concentration versus time to illustrate how drastically carbon dioxide concentrations have risen in the past 260 years to over 400 parts/million.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPqd20tdncg[/youtube]
Condensed into 2-minute long videos, and complete with a fun background tune, it could be argued that these videos are too simplistic to do justice to a topic as complex and nuanced as climate change. Nevertheless, the familiar icons pique our attention. Even if just as a starting point, Nye’s videos and the GE Emoji Science website give insight into the potential direction of classroom activities for a new generation of digital students, particularly in elementary and middle school classrooms.

At the Faculty of Education, various instructors employ visual language tools as the central focus of their classes. Language and Literacy Education Professor Dr. Kathie Shoemaker teaches a number of course with illustrated materials, from Introduction to Teaching Children’s Literature to Using Canadian Children’s Literature in the Classroom, among others. While the pictures in these illustrated books are evidently different to emojis, both in their printed nature and more intricate format, they are bounded by their ability to communicate a dizzying array of human emotions. As students’ interest in emojis inspires new innovative pedagogical techniques, we might start seeing small doses of class content transformed into this cheeky, but effective, visual language.

 

Resources

 

 

Organize pages in your UBC Blog using Menus

Finished creating your main content pages? Using Menus, you can customize the look of your blog by creating headers and drop-down menus! Simply follow the instructions below.

Video Tutorial


(View Full Screen for best results)

Instructions

  1. Log into your UBC Blog http://blogs.ubc.ca/ using your CWL username and password.
  2. In the Dashboard screen of your UBC Blog, select Appearance > Menus.
  3. Create your Menu. First name and create your menu e.g. Main Menu.
  4. Locate the Pages. Under Menus, you should be able to see a section titled Pages. These will only show the pages that you previously created and published on your site. If you have saved any pages as drafts, they will not be able to be added to your menus until published.  For more information how to create Pages, click here.
  5. Add pages into the navigation menu. Choose the pages you would like to add to the blog by checking the box next to them, and click Add to Menu. These pages will automatically be added to the bottom of the menu structure.
  6. Organize the pages. You can change the order of the pages by dragging the pages up and down the menu with your cursor.
  7. Add sub-navigation or drop down menus. You can also change the menu structure and create drop-down menus by sliding some pages to the right.
  8. Save the Menu. Click Save Menu at the bottom of the page.

There you go!

Contact Us

If you would like to learn more about how to change the look and feel of your UBC Blog or how to add content, stop by our Learning Technology Drop-In sessions on Tuesdays from 12pm-1pm in Scarfe 1008! We’re also available by phone at 604-822-6333 and by email at ets.educ@ubc.

Check out our other ETS Tips!

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