ITSpotlight is designed to keep the campus up to date on ITS activities and services.
Taking it Further: Extend Mobile Presence in Your Teaching Activities
Posted November 21, 2017
By: Laura Million
In the past, learning technologists have thought of mobile devices as consumption oriented, not production oriented. We tend to use mobile devices to view materials, rather than to produce or create materials. As an example, you would not expect your student to write a final paper on a smartphone (although some dare to try this feat each semester), but you might expect them to check in on a discussion board or course announcement. More and more, however, mobile devices are being stretched beyond consumption and are being used to create exceptional content, such as short films, annotated graphics, and podcasts. Since most students carry smartphones and many are already using them to access course materials, why not take mobile learning a step further to enhance what you're doing in the classroom?
For example, consider ways for students to incorporate images or audio/video in course assignments rather than asking students to produce text alone. Smartphones today take high-quality photo and video; these affordances could be incorporated into an assignment as a way to increase student understanding. Faculty who use Blackboard's Wikis or Discussion Board forums, for instance, can ask students to produce photo/video artifacts to support various learning objectives and help others in the class make their own connections to the material.
Another way to extend the use of mobile in the classroom is to allow texting (or messaging) as an alternative for exam review. Students can text you their questions and you can respond via text or gather responses to share with the class on the Discussion Board. Similarly, you might use Zoom, SIUE’s synchronous video communication tool, to conduct a live exam review, or simply to record your responses to questions received via text or email. Zoom also has a mobile app that allows for this and other learning activities, such as group meetings, office hours, and live or recorded demonstrations.
You might also consider incorporating mobile apps for online study aids, such as using flashcards from sites like Quizlet or Brainscape, or live polling programs like Poll Everywhere for in-class quizzing and quick classroom assessment (SIUE faculty have free access to the paid features of Poll Everywhere, if you want to get acquainted).
Whatever you choose, find a way to enhance what you are already doing - and make it more likely for students to engage deeply with the material - rather than adding a new technology for technology's sake. Not sure where to start? Instructional designers in ITS are excited to help you develop new mobile activities and assessments for your classes (and non-mobile ones, too!). Contact us at idlt_center@siue.edu or 618-650-5500 to learn more or schedule a consultation.