I am an Experimenter!
Which three experimenter activities did you choose to complete and why? Include the links to your Activity Bank responses.
H5P Studio – I really like the variety of ‘objects’ that can be created, the platform is fairly easy to navigate and learn to use with really good tutorials embedded to guide the developer. I like that the objects can be embedded or linked and also reused to make it easy to rework and create new items after putting in the work to create the first one. Also love the open resource catalogue feature to save time and reuse or remake from existing objects.
https://bank.ecampusontario.ca/response/h5p-interactive-video/
Animated GIFs – GIPHY- Make a GIF Tool – I chose this tech tool because I really like the idea of
injecting a little fun into the classroom. Used appropriately they can also help anchor an
important concept with the visual effect of the animation. Easier to remember.
https://bank.ecampusontario.ca/response/my-first-gif/
Padlet – I chose Padlet because I have used it before as a student and find it really easy to use
and like the interactive feature that allows the students to collaborate and create a unique
source of their own. It is super easy to use to create a basic template or assignment. The only
drawback of this tool is that the free version limits how many Padlets an individual can create.
https://bank.ecampusontario.ca/response/padlet-assignment/
Identify and explain three overall lessons learned from experimenting with these three activities. How might you use these activities going forward in your teaching practice?
Three overall lessons learned from experimenting include: (1) Most of the tech tools are fairly user friendly with the majority of the workload being in developing the concept and acquiring the images or materials needed; (2) One really needs to consider the student’s perspective, fun can be good, but it’s important to make sure it is a “value added” activity and worth their time (and yours) – will it enhance learning or just take up more time than the activity is worth? (3) Creating the object or activity is only half of the equation. Test out the user experience before adopting anything new. Make sure it can be used on a mobile device and that the experience is a good one and the screens are“fluid” – fit the device/any device so the user doesn’t feel they are working through something that is clunky or may crash.
I plan to use all of three activities in my teaching practice (H5P, GIPHY, and Padlet). I
think it’s important not to have too many different tech tools in one class. There is
something to be said for consistency and familiarity. I think too many different tools may cause students to feel anxious rather than creating a sense of, “yes, I know this tool, it works well and I enjoy it”. I will use more than three tech tools but I expect I’ll find the ones that I like best for my courses.
You were asked to complete at least one experimenter activity on a tablet or a smartphone.
- Identify the activity completed and on what type of mobile device?
- Identify and explain the advantages and challenges of using this technology tool on a mobile device.
- Comment on how you might plan for an upcoming assignment to be completed on a tablet or a smartphone.
- Explain the steps you might take in making access to these devices available to all students.I created a survey on my smartphone using Poll Everywhere and Mentimeter. I am not a fan of creating or working from my smartphone just because I prefer a larger screen and a keyboard. Both of these tools work nicely though from the student perspective completing a survey/poll. I think my students could easily complete surveys/polls as study quizzes or for feedback to determine what areas need a little more attention or review before moving on to the next topic. All of my students have a smartphone or tablet because it is a requirement of their enrollment. When setting up surveys, there is usually an option to set the number of responses per link/device so if a student didn’t have a device or their device was not functioning at the time, they could borrow one from a classmate to participate.
Using a mobile device, camera, or screencasting software highlighted in the Online lecture toolkit to create a short 2-3 minute video of yourself illustrating how, when designing learning experiences in the future, you will use the technologies, ideas, formats, and/or approaches that you experimented with in this module.
I apologize for my video exceeding the expected duration of 2-3 minutes – I just seemed to have a lot to share!
TweetExample for "I am an Experimenter!":
https://youtu.be/OMVMjg_aVeE