Technologies Used for Collaborative Learning
Examples of Active Learning with Technology
Last updated: 6/27/14
Contents
Introduction
The goal of this document is to present technologies that may be of interest to online instructors who strive to create active learning opportunities for their students.
Note the links to examples highlighted in blue below.
The document organizes instructional technologies according to whether students use them independently for self-paced learning or collaboratively for interaction with instructors and other students.
Training and Caveats
Call 245-2319 to schedule training in our faculty lab in Alkek 109. Or sign up for a workshop at http://www.its.txstate.edu/training/workshops.html
or a tutorial at http://www.its.txstate.edu/training/tutorials.html
As with any learning activity, technology needs to be integrated into a coherent instructional approach.
This document does not attempt to address the hundreds of new web-based technologies that arrive on the scene daily (including Diigo, Creately, Prezi, Glogster, Pinterest, to name just a few). Rather we have focused on technologies that provide the most instructional bang for the buck and that are freely available to Texas State instructors.
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Examples of Active Learning with Technology
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Technologies Used for Self-Paced Learning
The following technologies can be used to create online lectures, tutorials, and interactive activities that students can use independently at their own pace.
Captivate
Captivate can be used to capture mouse and other activity on the screen accompanied by an audio explanation.
In this example, interactivity has been incorporated. At selected locations, the program waits for the user to click the appropriate selection. Track Changes in Word https://tracs.txstate.edu:443/access/content/user/aj14/HIM3_Demo/him3_demo.htm
(Drag the progress bar at the bottom of the page to jump ahead to screens 17 and 29, for example.)
Here is a Captivate tutorial with interactive questions: Decision Trees http://id.its.txstate.edu/captivate/GIT/Tiankai_GIT/Tiankai_GIT.htm
(Drag the progress bar at the bottom of the page to jump ahead to the questions starting on screen 23.)
Captivate is part of the suite of Adobe software products that Texas State licensed for use by faculty, staff, and students. You can download it for free from the Technology Resources site at http://www.tr.txstate.edu/software/adobe-fac-staff.html
.
Note that Captivate’s learning curve can be a bit daunting; check training opportunities at http://www.tr.txstate.edu/training/class-schedule.html
. You can also watch the instructional videos for free from Lynda.com or Total Training. (Go to https://answers.txstate.edu
and login using your NetID and password. Click Go to Lynda.com or Go to Total Training.)
Camtasia Relay
Camtasia Relay is another technology that can be used to record audio and activity on the computer screen. Camtasia Relay is licensed for use by Texas State faculty and staff. You can request an account (no fee) and get help here: http://www.its.txstate.edu/departments/etc/camtasiarelay.html
(Note that students can also use Camtasia Relay for projects in your courses.)
Here is a Camtasia Relay example from Dr. Christine Norton of a mini lecture: http://camrelaystream.its.txstate.edu/users/cn19/SOWK_5339at_Reinventing_the_Wheel_-
_Flash_%28Large%29_-_20130516_02.17.23PM.html
.
Dr. Eric Paulson used Camtasia Relay to create this module overview: http://camrelaystream.its.txstate.edu/users/ep27/IRW_Module-2_baseline-definitions_-
_20140505_173946_6.html
In this full-screen Camtasia Relay video, Dr. Karen Love staged and recorded a counseling
session roleplay for her students to critique using a free mobile app called Fuse for
Camtasia Relay: http://camrelay-stream.its.txstate.edu/users/kel41/Abuse_-
_Flash_(Large)_-_20131031_10.54.05AM.html
. The app can be used on both iOS and
Android devices.
We strongly recommend that you keep recorded lectures relatively brief (i.e. less than 15-
20 min.) and emphasize interactive strategies that improve learning outcomes.
Jing and Screencast-O-Matic
Jing and Screencast-O-Matic can also be used to capture an audio explanation accompanied by screen activity.
Some faculty use Jing to record feedback for their students (they open the student’s assignment, start recording using Jing, and talk through their feedback). Save
Jing and Screencast O-Matic are Web 2.0 technologies available on the web for free (Jing: www.techsmith.com/jing.html
, Screencast O-Matic: www.ScreencastOMatic.com
).
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Examples of Active Learning with Technology
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Files created by these products are stored on a cloud-based server.
As of the date of this writing, Jing recordings can be no longer than 5 min. (you can purchase Screencast from the same publisher for longer recordings) and Screencast-O-Matic recordings can be no longer than 15 min. Neither product supports questions or simulationlike features as in the Captivate examples above.
On the upside, these products may be easier to learn and use than Captivate, and they are available for free for use by students and faculty from any Internet-enabled computer.
Drag Drop Activity Builder
The Drag Drop Activity Builder allows faculty to enter their own content into an easy-to-use authoring tool to create interactive practice activities that can be posted to TRACS. This tool was developed by ITS programmers and is available for free to Texas State faculty and staff.
Click this link and log into TRACS to view the examples listed below: https://tracs.txstate.edu/portal/site/9ee72fdd-4ad4-40a5-95e6-
4cf12efef547/page/8194286e-9b45-4a6e-b936-3dc21f5923b5 . After you view an example, click Next to move to the next one. Note that the same content is provided in two different formats, one mouse driven and the other optimized for use by screen readers.
Sorting Statements
Historical Timeline
Matching
Sorting Images
Concentration/Memory Game
To get access to and training on the Drag Drop Activity Builder, e-mail etcrdt@txstate.edu
.
Technologies Used for Collaborative Learning
This section of the document describes technologies that students can use to communicate and collaborate on assignments and other instructional projects. Collaborative technologies are either asynchronous (interaction does not occur within the same timeframe) or synchronous (interaction occurs at same time even though participants are separated geographically).
Synchronous Technologies (Used Concurrently)
Online Meetings
Online meetings allow classes to communicate via video and/or audio or chat and share a workspace in a real-time online environment. Online meetings hosted at Texas State can be accessed from any location using any computer. Sessions can be recorded for viewing at a later time. Popular uses of online meeting tools include class presentations and sessions, student collaborative projects and virtual office hours.
TRACS Meetings
Once Meetings has been added to a TRACS site, students and instructors enrolled in the site can create and attend meetings
Learn how to use Meetings by adding this tool to a TRACS site, following the screen instructions to set up a meeting, and viewing the videos available upon entry into the meeting space.
Adobe Connect
Adobe Connect ® is similar to TRACS Meetings. Connect has been on campus for several years. Students cannot set up Connect meeting rooms. However they can access meeting rooms on their own if the instructor has some created them in advance.
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Request a Connect room for academic classes at http://www.its.txstate.edu/departments/etc/connect/requestroom.html
. (Due to increased demand, Connect rooms can only be created for scheduled Texas State academic classes by the instructor of record.) Learn how to get started with Connect at http://www.its.txstate.edu/departments/etc/connect/connectsupport.html
Chat
If you have not experienced this widely used technology, consider adding the Chat tool to a TRACS site and inviting a colleague to join you in a chat conversation.
Virtual Learning Spaces
Second Life is one of several 3D virtual worlds in which visitors create an avatar and visit virtual destinations http://www.secondlife.com
.
Second Life is free for use by students and faculty. As with most virtual worlds, it requires a relatively fast computer with graphics capability. There is a learning curve associated with creating an avatar and learning how to visit various sites in Second Life. Be aware that not all sites are appropriate for students.
ITS offers tutorials on Second Life. Find current listings at http://www.its.txstate.edu/training/tutorials.html
or e-mail Robyn Herry at rh11@txstate.edu
.
ITS has developed a Texas State virtual campus called Bobcat Village: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bobcat%20Village/128/128/20 (requires accessing and setting up an account in Second Life)
The Education Technology Center within ITS has worked on several virtual learning projects described here: http://www.its.txstate.edu/departments/etc/researchanddevelopment/virtuallearningspaces
.html
Creately
Creately ( http://creately.com
) is a collaborative diagramming application with draw tools, drag and drop objects, and clip art.
Creately can be used for free by up to 2 collaborators. The cost is $4.95/mo. for up to 5 collaborators; more plans available.
Google Documents
Google documents are described below. These documents may be used synchronously or asynchronously.
Sync.in
Click http://sync.in/ to create a shared document supported by text chat. Anyone with whom you share the document link can edit using a different highlight color.
Asynchronous Technologies (Not Used Concurrently)
TRACS Wiki
A wiki is a collaborative authoring tool. Perhaps the wiki most familiar to you is www.wikipedia.com
.
Dr. Scott Bowman in the Texas State Criminal Justice department developed a series of
TRACS wiki assignments designed to help students discover real-world applications of content presented in Bowman's juvenile justice course. Dr. Bowman demonstrates how he used the TRACS wiki in this video: http://camrelaystream.its.txstate.edu/users/jrico/Dr._Bowman_-_Flash_%28Large%29_-
_20110401_12.14.50PM.html
(Dr. Bowman begins his presentation at about 1:00 min., describes his assignments at about 4:30 min., and shows the wiki at about 5:30 min. into the video.)
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Several courses in the Curriculum & Instruction department use a more robust wiki available at http://www.pbworks.com
. Students and faculty can sign up for a free account to the pbworks wiki.
TRACS Forums
The TRACS Forums tool has the potential to increase the depth of class discussions and also often encourages shy students to contribute to discussions.
We strongly encourage you to take Patrick Smith’s workshop Using Online Discussions
Effectively. Sign up here: http://www.its.txstate.edu/training/workshops.html
Forums can be used to support collaboration within groups of students. A useful model involves dividing students into discussion groups of 3-5 and assigning each group a problem to solve. A facilitator summarizes his or her group’s solution based on the discussion that took place in the forum. Each student reviews and responds to the solution developed by each other team. This approach exposes students to many different solutions and points of view.
Blogs
TRACS Blogs
TRACS has a blog tool that only participants enrolled in your course can see and use.
Students can leave comments on other students’ entries and comments.
Some faculty use Forums for threaded (organized by subject) discussions and Blogs for discussions organized around student work, for example essays or drafts.
WP Personal Websites
A blog external to your course can be created for free using WP Personal Websites: http://www.its.txstate.edu/departments/etc/wp.html
.
WP Personal Websites is a WordPress implementation hosted on a university server available only to Texas State faculty, staff, and students. Here are some sample WP
Personal Websites:
http://katherinebell.wp.txstate.edu/ Ph.D. student page http://jimott.wp.txstate.edu/current-projects/ Sample instructor site http://sacnasstudentchapter.wp.txstate.edu/ Texas State chapter of Society for
Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science
External blogs are good for assignments that involve people outside the university who may not have access to your TRACS site (for example internship sponsors or real-world projects involving external clients). Asking students to publish their work for real audiences can be a powerful motivator.
Blogger
Blogger is another free blog tool that allows you to create a blog: http://www.blogspot.com
.
View an example of Blogger sites for a gender studies course at http://genderandpopculture.googlepages.com/maymestersummer2008
Google Documents
Google has developed a set of free applications that can be used collaboratively to create the following types of documents: spreadsheet, word processor (commonly referred to as simply documents), presentation, drawing, and form.
Google Docs are stored in Google Drive, which offers a sync’ing feature that you can learn about here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8QYo8MFCsgc
This 9:30 min. video describes how to create, edit and share Google documents and
spreadsheets. The last segment of the video describes how to set up a form that collects data in a spreadsheet: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FYgnM6ZeTk
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Twitter, a free tool at http://www.twitter.com
, allows users to send and aggregate by topic
140-character messages (often referred to as tweets or microblogs).
This 4: 15 min. video describes how to use Twitter hashtags to communicate on
specific topics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYPgZJa2uS8&feature=related
This video shows how one instructor used Twitter in a 90-student classroom to
increase engagement: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_one_teacher_uses_twitter_in_the_classroom.
php . Read more at http://www.utdallas.edu/~mar046000/usweb/twitterconclusions.htm
VoiceThread
VoiceThread ( http://www.voicethread.com
) allows group conversations around images and documents that can be shared and added to by people who visit the thread.
Kathryn Lee created a VoiceThread assignment to give students an opportunity to share
audio and written essays in her C&I course https://voicethread.com/#u312307.b607726.i3237886
Here is a more elaborate example: Kenya report http://voicethread.com/#q.b45226.i236801
Doodle
Doodle ( http://doodle.com
) is a free easy-to-use online scheduling tool that is great for coordinating busy schedules by student teams.
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