Educational Technology

Cool Tools Archive (EdTech Digest) – EdTech Digest is an online publication specializing in tools, interviews & trends in Education Technology. Cool Tools is a regularly updated column featuring the latest in education-related technology. 

Collaboration Tools (by Ashley Deal, Carnegie Mellon University) – For instructors interested in project-based learning, this article provides an overview of technologies to support collaboration. 

Hypothes.is – This is a collaborative text annotation tool that is integrated with Canvas. Contact Lisa Scranton (lscranton@newhaven.edu) for training & guidance.  

Integrating Instructional Technology Into the Classroom (University of New Haven) – A curated list of strategies for teaching with technology, and integrating tech into your courses.

Kaizena – This is a tool for leaving embedded voice comments on students’ papers. (Note: this is not integrated in Canvas. May be best for reviewing drafts or collaborating on documents.) 

Kahoot – Use this platform to create online learning games (quizzes, polls, short answer, puzzles, use images as answers, and more). Great for exam reviews. 

Perusall – Social e-reader/annotation tool similar to hypothes.is, but you can integrate digital textbooks. (Cannot annotate the internet. Only materials uploaded or activated by instructor. ) 

Poll Everywhere – A free service to ask a question and collect live responses in class. 

Powerpoint Alternatives (by Ryan Dornfield, blog.glisser) – This post offers 10 presentation programs to use when you’re having PowerPoint fatigue.

Faculty Tech Spotlight

This CTE faculty tutorial was created by Maria Tcherni-Buzzeo. She likes this app because it allows her to share links to live polls in class or to ask students a question and get everybody to respond by typing & sending in their answers. She reports that the only downside (which can sometimes be an upside) is that it is not anonymous–each student is identified by their name. She finds it very similar to a Zoom-like chat option during a standard on-campus class.
 
This program offers versions of the app to be used via smartphone or computer.
 
Thank you to Maria for sharing this resource!
 

Struggling to engage students in your remote, hybrid, or flex class? Or just want to try something new? Try out Mentimeter, an interactive presentation/polling software program.

Our first CTE faculty tutorial comes to you thanks to Matt Wranovix, honors program director and senior lecturer in the History Department. In the short tutorial below, Matt shares how he uses Mentimeter to check in with students about course content knowledge or just to get a quick emotional pulse check.

There is a free version of Mentimeter, as well as a paid version. In the tutorial, Matt explains the differences between the two. With Mentimeter, faculty can create live polls, quizzes, word clouds, Q&As, and more–getting real-time input on the screen in return.

Take less than five minutes to learn something new with us!

 

Looking for a customizable discussion board? Or a way to get feedback from your students? Or perhaps looking to increase asynchronous participation? Try out the virtual bulletin board, Padlet.

This CTE faculty tutorial was created by Laura Silva, director of the speech-language pathology program and lecturer in the Allied Health department. In the video below, Laura shows us how she uses Padlet to build discussion & increase collaboration with students, as well as how it can help students react to course materials and activities. 

There are both free and paid versions of Padlet. Laura explains the differences, and highlights how the archive option allows users to extend the usability of the free version. Padlet can also be used to create timelines, track pros & cons, and more!

Many thanks to Laura for sharing!

 
If you need to quickly find the word count for a student’s discussion forum post or writing assignment, Word Counter Plus is a Chrome plug-in that will do just that for you. No more copying and pasting assignments into Word just to check the word count!
 
In the brief video below, CTE Assistant Director Devon Moore shares how she uses the Word Counter Plus plug-in to quickly find the word count of a student’s discussion forum post or other assignment.
 
You’ll be glad you spent two minutes watching this tech tip.