This article focuses on the use, potential benefits, and best practices of interactive visual media in online education and remote learning. We will discuss:
What are the main arguments for interactive visual media in online learning?
What are some examples and best practices for creating visual learning materials for students?
How can students use interactive visual media for documenting and sharing their learning?
Interactive images, videos, and virtual tours can support online learning by providing an alternative to text-based communication. Here are three arguments for why this is the case.
Agreed. I think we must keep in mind the Internet goes beyond text and video. If we use online tools just as we used books and VCRs in the bast, we are wasting the potential of the Internet.
Humans remember pictures better than words (the “picture superiority effect”)
Pictures, sounds, and words together with a contextual experience of a place can create memorable learning experiences more efficiently than plain images or written words alone that are not associated with anything real
Seeing a new word written under a picture and hearing how it is pronounced, helps us understand and remember what we are looking at.
Virtual tours expand our fields of perception from physical to digital.
We can remember and learn on a virtual field trip the same way as we learn on a physical field trip.
Interactive videos, audio posters, narrated screenshots, and virtual tours can be effective tools for online education that help educators and learners work together using not only text-based communication, but also voice, video, and images.
A great way for giving assignments or sharing projects is adding voice instructions to various areas of a photo, poster or a screenshot.
Equipment: The good news is, you only need your phone or laptop, so there is no need to invest in additional hardware unless you want to
Setup: A video lesson can be very similar to your lesson in the classroom.
Recording: Find a place with natural light where you feel comfortable, and start recording. The audience is your students so picture them in front of you, and address them as you would in the class. You may even mention some of them by name to keep their attention!
Duration: Our recommendation is you look at the lesson as a whole and divide it into parts, max 10-15 minutes and ideally 6 minutes each.
Examples and best practices for creating remote learning materials for students
1. Explain visuals with text labels
2. Explain abstract concepts with detailed descriptions
3. Explain assignments using your voice
4. Art history: Introduce a masterpiece
5. Literature: Interpret a masterpiece
6. Read to your students
7. Learn vocabulary in new places
8. Narrate your own virtual lesson
9. Create a virtual field trip with assignment
10. Ask students to narrate a virtual audio tour
Supporting student-centered learning with interactive visual media
Project-based learning, inquiry-based learning, and problem-based learning are constructivist approaches to education that develop the learners skills for research, problem-solving and collaboration. The process is based on authentic questions and problems identified by students, and finding information and explanation models to research and solve them.
An important aspect of student-centered learning is documenting the various phases and aspects of the learning process.
The following examples will show how students can use mixed media for completing various kinds of creative assignments and sharing them with their teacher and fellow students.
In the following, we summarize 10 easy project ideas for remote learning that encourage students to 1) make handwritten, visual and pictorial notes, collages and artwork, and 2) enhance and explain their work using digital audio/text notes, photos and video. Each of the examples provide a mix of learning opportunities combining traditional student work in the classroom with digital storytelling at home. The projects can be shared to a learning management system or collaboration platform such as Canvas, Schoology, Google Education or Microsoft Teams.
1. Make an interactive greeting card
2. Create an interactive book report
3. Make a vocabulary poster in a foreign language
4. Introduce yourself
5. Create an interactive herbarium
6. Make your own comic strips
7. Create an interactive timeline
8. Explain details of a painting
9. Create an interactive map
10. Build a diorama
Hotspots, what are they and how do they work?
The purpose of the clickable hotspots is to give the viewer further information and resources on the topic they are learning about. Teachers and students can add various types of content in the hotspots, such as text, additional closeup images, video, sound, links and embedded web content such as maps or forms. These resources can serve any of the following functions:
Building perspective by linking to related materials
Improving comprehension of the topic by highlighting key concepts and vocabulary
Zooming into details in a scene
Creating a feedback loop by including a call to action
10 creative ideas for students to use ThingLink while remote learning and in traditional classroom. I could see doing #3 (vocabulary poster) and #4 (introduce yourself) during first quarter.
An article written by the founder and CEO of ThingLink in which she discusses the main arguments for interactive visual media in online learning, examples and best practices for creating visual learning materials for students, and ways students can use interactive visual media (ThingLink) to document and share their learning. She shares numerous ways teachers and students could use ThingLink with examples.
I have been thinking of what makes Thinglink different from the Microsoft Power Point? PPT also enables you to add recording on a slide. Later, I realized that Thinglink enables multiple layers to one picture/screen. Users can opt to access to other media or information when necessary. It would be useful to provide scaffolding only when it is necessary (e.g., students click links to get hint only when they cannot complete the task by themselves). Thinglink also condense information within one page/slide/screen without having to scroll down. However, we may be economical when we decide how many links we want to put on one screen.
Whether we like it or not, it looks like we're going to consider some of this information in the upcoming school year. As I browsed the article, I realize options are almost unlimited but of course it requires time to figure out and prepare materials. Last spring I felt a bit like a Youtuber and I see how that is not actually an easy job!
An article written by the founder and CEO of ThingLink in which she discusses the main arguments for interactive visual media in online learning, examples and best practices for creating visual learning materials for students, and ways students can use interactive visual media (ThingLink) to document and share their learning. She shares numerous ways teachers and students could use ThingLink with examples.
Resources
The following publications, Web sites, and listservs offer additional information
about creating Web-based language learning activities. This Resource Guide
concludes with an annotated bibliography of ERIC documents on this topic.
"Over the past academic year, my students and I have been experimenting with the use of a number of web based applications (often known as Web 2.0 tools). My aim has been to enhance our schemes of work by providing our students with new and exciting learning opportunities.
In my opinion, using technology effectively has clear benefits for both teaching and learning and can help to improve motivation by engaging pupils in activities which, perhaps, step out of their ordinary school experience and which show them that it is possible to teach and learn about a subject using tools similar to those they use daily outside school. In other words, we have tried to use the types of tools with which they are often already familiar.
I have written about each of these individual tools in separate posts, but I thought it would be useful to list the ten most used internet applications on one post. As ever, I aim to provide, not only a list of the web applications we have used, but also examples of practice which you may wish to follow or, indeed, improve upon.
Therefore, each of the entries below has links leading to lesson plans which have incorporated the tools as well as working examples of students' work where appropriate. Without further ado, and in alphabetical order, my ten tried and tested internet tools for teachers are:"
This is an important factor for me when I am thinking about integrating a web-based technology--my students all have very different levels of access, so I want to be as inclusive as possible of their various capacities to engage.
students also know I will look at the “Editing History” to hold them each accountable.
What’s more important is that I can provide feedback without drawing dark red lines across their writing, an experience that can be discouraging to many writers (including myself). Instead, we use Comments, Editing, or Suggesting to provide less invasive feedback; we can also share audio feedback right in the document using Kaizena, a Google Doc add-on. Students can receive immediate feedback multiple times throughout the writing process--and I don’t have worry about dragging stacks of paper home!
I'm curious to look at this Kaizena...in addition to commenting/suggesting, I also use colors to clarify my edits for students (I do this on paper, too)--different colors represent different kinds of errors, for example, purple means there is an error or lack of clarity in vocabulary choice, red means the verb is misconjugated, etc.
Skype in the classroom
Skype in the classroom, launched in March 2011, is a website especially designed for educational purposes. It is a platform where teachers and students can disseminate information about their classes, share educational resources, and find partners to start classroom projects.
Language teachers and learners may find the “Languages” category especially useful because they can search for Skype language lessons that meet their needs (see Figure 4 for some examples of Skype language lessons). These lessons provide opportunities for learning another language or practicing language via language exchanges.
Language teachers and learners can enroll in any language lesson according to their needs and interests
This seems like a great way to expand your PLN and collaborate with other language teachers
advanced features, such as group video calls, require users to pay a fee and upgrade to a premium account to get the service. Calling fees vary depending on the countries the user calls and the amount of time spent on calls. Subscribing to a premium account, which will allow users to use services such as group video chats, currently costs US$59.88 for 12 months. US$4.99 per month is not very expensive.
Limitations
Although Skype and Skype in the classroom provide an intriguing option for language teaching and learning, there are some limitations as well. First, there are minimum download/upload speeds required for using Skype. For example, video calling and screen sharing require 128kbps/128kbps as the minimum download/upload speed; group video calling requires 4Mbps/128kbps as the minimum download/upload speed. Therefore, Skype users need to check whether their Internet connection meets such requirements to avoid video and audio lag during Skype lessons.
It is important to keep these limitations in line for any web based interpersonal activity.
Second, Skype and Skype in the classroom promote authentic learning. According to Lombardi (2007), authentic learning emphasizes “real-world, complex problems and their solutions, using role-playing exercises, problem-based activities, case studies, and participation in a virtual community of practice” (p.2). Thus, authentic learning happens as learners participate in real-world relevant tasks that require their judgment to distinguish information, patience to participate, ability to adapt themselves to unfamiliar contexts, and flexibility to work with people from different cultures. In this view, Skype and Skype in the classroom allow language teachers and learners to participate in a context of authentic learning.
As we saw in our synchronous class session Skype just like Adobe Connect can be used to deal with problem-based activities. Through creating contexts in which certain language is required we can simulate an immersion environment for students online.
The ACTIONS model, proposed by Bates (1995), is a practical guide for educators and policymakers to select and evaluate the use of technologies for teaching and learning. The ACTIONS model involves the following criteria:
Access: How accessible is a particular technology for learners?
Costs: What is the cost structure of a particular technology?
Teaching and learning: How does a particular technology support teaching and learning?
Interactivity and user-friendliness: How does a particular technology facilitate interaction among learners? How easy is a particular technology to use?
Organizational issues: Are any class organizational changes needed?
Novelty: How new is this particular technology?
Speed: How quickly can courses be taught and learned via this particular technology?
Sign-up for the 30-day, but a year - free!
Here's info I got in an email notification:
We are glad to announce a free WizIQ individual membership for K-12 and College teachers. To be eligible for this offer, teachers need email addresses associated with their educational institutes (e.g., aprofessor@college.edu or ateacher@adistrict.k12.ma.us.)
If you are a teacher from K12 or a College, apply and claim your free membership by following the steps below:
Steps to get free WizIQ membership:
1.Sign up for a 30-day trial by clicking on the 'Apply now' button below
2. Verify your email address from your email inbox
3. You'll receive a confirmation email from us once your free membership is approved
Apply now
WizIQ's free teacher accounts give educators at accredited institutions access to a range of teaching tools. To many educators, the virtual classroom for which WizIQ is best known only means live classes, which they might not need considering they see their students in person every day.
But with the WizIQ Virtual Classroom teachers can also:
Offer online courses for their school
Run virtual office hours and homework help
Run summer school online to address transportation and facilities issues
Give AP students a jumpstart with virtual summer class sessions
Let athletes or homebound students work with their classes, live, even if they can't be there
Easily set up classes - without IT help
Bring subject matter experts into their classrooms virtually
Support group and project-based learning
Engage hard-to-reach parents with:
Virtual parents' nights
Virtual conferences
Adult education and community outreach
Virtual math and literacy nights
Broadcast live school committee meetings on the web
Record lectures or flip their classrooms
Conduct virtual field trips
Run professional development when and where staff are available
Share teaching resources among schools
Teachers can take full advantage of every WizIQ feature, including screen-sharing, polling, video-confe
"CourseSites is an online platform that enables faculty members in K-12 and higher education to set up Web-based class sites where they can post course materials, communicate with students, encourage collaboration, monitor performance, and manage grades."
"Whether digital media sparks fear or intrigue, it is a fundamental part of students' lives and can enrich teaching and learning in and out of the classroom. This course will examine how the creation and consumption of digital media can enhance education by engaging and empowering teachers and students. Throughout this project-based course, you will learn how to use free web 2.0 tools to create, implement, and assess digital media."
hey collaboratively wrote a summary using Google Docs and text-chat (Task 1) and Google Docs and voice-chat (Task 2)
ack were the primary mediating factors on the qualities of collaboration. The findings may help explain why collaborative performance varies and may provide insights into how web-based collaborative writing activities can be designed and facilitated in L2 classes.
The use of the Web2 can provide opportunities for collaboration, authentic communication in a discourse community and provide what Warschauer and Kern (2000) termedas networked-based language teaching. Some ofthe general benefits of using technology in ESP are the use of authentic tasks, tools, and context (Bremner, 2010; Evans, 2012).It provides interaction and communication among learners, uses collaborative learning, focuses on socio-
do not provide motivation, enthusiasm or personalization
earning management systems (LMSs)
ave generally been used as static sources of content with no social appeal like social networks, such as Facebook or YouTube
while also impeding general pedagogical support with their default settings and familiar features
social networking platforms have been acclaimed to provide learners social communication, autonomy,fluid online discussions, and identity management
ease interaction, e-discussions by focusing on the use of technology to support education
informal and relaxing atmosphere and make learning effective (Dalton, 2009). Social networking allows students and teachers to build a rapport and overcome inhibitions
Integrating social software with LMS aims at active participation, interaction and collaborationbetween the members of an academic community
Web 2.0 tools consist of blogs, microblogs, wikis, podcasts, virtual worlds and social networks
he benefits of using Web 2.0 in education are the new interaction styles between students and teachers, immediacy of information, access to authentic learning environments, content sharing, collaboration and enhancement of learning experience
a service offering language learning quizzes via Twitter hasbeen established (TwitterLearn, 2008)
I couldn't locate this service in a search; I suppose it went defunct?
Twitter, Edmodo, and Ning
On the whole, the reasons language instructors may opt to choose Edmodo in class are that teachers and students connect, assignments, back channeling, a paperless learning environment, its backpack feature,the library feature, Apps, homework, badges, learning continues outside the classroom, assessments, interface, sharing, and its private and safe learning environment
the use of Twitter facilitated collaboration, communication and data exchange among students in real time.The role of the instructor is underscored as she/he acts as a mediator, supporting the content, organizing the activities, and clarifying the use of the educational tool
Facebook
Twitter has been studied in context with other social media and has proven to have a significant influence on academic activity
microblogging and inferred that it enhanced students’ achievement, motivation and participation in class.
Check this out--appears to be a comprehensive site about the use of technology for educators and students.
Different platforms suit different sorts of interactions and appeal tostudents and educators in a diverse manner
From the Edmodo platform, two main features are utilized. First, the Edmodo forum is used for both teacher-to-student communication and student-to -student communication. The communication topics include subjects such as assignments, questions, announcements, etc. Second, the Edmodo Assignment Center is used for testing the students on each learning topic and easily collecting their answers
Although we have an in-house LMS at Northwest, I created an Edmodo platform for my Intermediate Russian I course for the fall to see how it will work. I'll use it in conjunction with the in-house LMS, which may prove to be cumbersome. We'll see.
As far as the assessment of students’ performance goes, the conventional assessment through graded assignments is backed up by students’ social learning activities. Network buildingand self-regulated learning canbe indicative of students’ progress throughout the course.Ongoing assessment or formative assessmentstrategies(integration of performance and feedback and reflection) can facilitate learning and review students’ performance
The empirical evaluation of the research highlights the dominanceof intrinsic motivation(students’ intentionsto use Twitter/perceived enjoyment)over extrinsic motivation in explaining the adoption of social media in the class
n order to provide assessment, instructors could evaluate students’ learning progress by reviewing their reflections. Communication (teacher-student/student-student)throughout the learning processcan also providefeedback information that may aid assessment
nstructors could evaluate students’ learning progress by reviewing theirreflections on what they have gained through networked learning
Web 2.0 as “a second generation, or more personalised, communicative form of the World Wide Web that emphasises active participation, connectivity, collaboration and sharing of knowledge and ideas among users
there is a longer time lag between sending and receiving text messages or audio files via the chat facility, although both parties are online at the same time. We thus coined a new phrase to capture the speed of such interaction, semi-synchronous, which is under investigation in this research.
'semi-synchronous' engagement for language learning seems highly useful, to allow students time to formulate responses and even research vocabulary or grammar structures that they need to use before production in TL.
there is a tendency to not reach the stage of resolution in online asynchronous text-based discussion
It was hypothesised that, in comparison to synchronous conversations, more accurate output would be generated in semi-synchronous dialogues, as this would allow students with a little more time to organise their output while waiting for their partner’s responses. Furthermore, we hoped that semi-synchronous interaction would function as scaffolding for synchronous conversation, as most of the participants had not yet achieved an advanced level of speaking proficiency in their target languages.
facilitated the development of their speaking proficiency.
more feedback and more accurate output emerged,
check their WeChat messages at least once a day and reply as soon as possible; • learn to be a helpful tutor and provide as much feedback as possible; • ask their language partner to repeat and/or explain anything they did not understand; • ask their language partner to express the same thing in different words, if failing to understand; • not be afraid of making mistakes; • correct each other’s mistakes; and • speak clearly at a normal speed.
suggested that tasks “start from specific questions to more open-ended discussion” as students became more familiar with each other and with the learning environment.
the majority of students preferred the recorded speech and the writing task in comparison to the semi-synchronous conversation
Abstract from publisher - The difficulty for teachers is in understanding how to integrate, use and maintain course blogs so that they are a strong and positive educational force in the classroom. At the core of using blogs is the development of blog management strategies. Based on the authors' use of blogs in undergraduate courses, the current paper outlines an approach to blog management.
Thanks Jesse! I'm always looking for different ways to do portfolio-based writing, so these seem super helpful. I use Evernote already and hadn't thought to use it for portfolios. Thanks again.
An Invitation to
CALL is a website providing a short introduction to the field of
Computer-Assisted Language Learning, designed originally as a supplement to
in-class instruction.