Faculty Innovators Project:
Using Technology to Facilitate
Discussion and Communication
Kathleen N. Kannass
Department of Psychology
Goal of larger project
To learn how technologies and mobile
applications such as iPads might support
faculty asynchronous classroom discussions
The lapse of time during
“conversations” on discussion
boards in Blackboard can be
problematic
My own goals
1. Enhance my electronic communication with
students and make exchanges closer in real
time
2. Enhance lecture presentations and
incorporate new technology into my
classroom
3. Strengthen student learning of material and
increase student-to-student learning
4. Foster student-to-student electronic
communication and intellectual climate
Carrying out these goals
Portability of iPad allows access to Blackboard
more easily, especially during non-traditional
business hours when students may be more
likely to post
Carrying out these goals
Explored technology and apps for using the iPad
to expand on information in class and use iPad
as a “whiteboard”
Apps like Airsketch & Whiteboard AD allowed
me to write on the iPad as a whiteboard
(using a “pen” to write)
VGA connector cable connected the iPad to the
classroom Crestron unit for projection in
the classroom
Carrying out these goals
Electronic student assignments and exercises
Undergraduate course
Students selected terms from assignment sheets
and posted answers on Blackboard
All students had access to each other’s work,
and the information in the assignments was
connected to the information on the study
guides
Carrying out these goals
Electronic student assignments and exercises
Graduate course
Students had on-line conversations about their
research
They gave a general description of their work
and described problems and challenges
The other students and I provided solutions and
feedback
Results
Goal: Enhance my electronic communication with
students and make exchanges closer in real time
Did it work?
Yes, portability of iPad was very useful and
convenient…graded terms and responded to
postings more quickly, especially at night and
on weekends
Conversations were closer in real time
Results
Goal: Enhance lecture presentations and incorporate
new technology into my classroom using iPad as a
whiteboard via Airsketch app
Did it work?
Airsketch was easy & useful in making notes
Easy to connect iPad to projector with VGA
But writing was awkward….GIANT “first
grader-like”
Had to go back & forth between ppt &
Airsketch
Results
Goal: Strengthen student learning of material and
foster student-to-student learning
Did it work?
Yes, undergraduate student survey responses…
assignments were …
helpful for studying & increased
understanding of material
Test scores were 5 percentage points higher
Results
Goal: Foster student-to-student electronic
communication and intellectual climate
Did it work?
Yes, undergraduate student survey responses…
-84% went back to view information posted
by other students
Results
Yes, graduate student responses…
-generated new ideas for their research projects
-felt as though their contributions to peers were
productive and helpful
-on-line research conversations exercised their
critical thinking skills, helped them recognize the
importance of feedback, stimulated their interest
in research, and that their comments on other
projects made them think more critically
about their own projects
-
Summary
iPad was useful in enhancing
electronic communication with students and
making exchanges closer in real time
strengthening student learning of material and
increased student-to-student learning
fostering student-to-student electronic
communication and intellectual climate
lecture presentations and incorporating new
technology into my classroom
Other ways to use iPads?
Read pdfs
Take notes—wireless keyboard helpful
Learn about other apps
iAnnotate
Create a dropbox and put selected readings in there for
the class; have class read and annotate pdf; then
discuss in class and compare/contrast noted,
highlighted versus sections without notes, etc.
Important for the uses to be goal oriented, geared
towards what you want students to learn