We just started our semester this week. My second day of classes begins tomorrow. It has been fun getting to know our students a bit and experiencing all the energy and chaos that a new academic year can bring.
Here is what I've got “packed” in my bag for the start to school:
Grit-It Organizer
I discovered the Grid-It organizer a couple of years ago and have found it extremely helpful in not leaving things behind in the classroom. One of my colleagues will tell you that as recently as yesterday, I left my adapter behind in the classroom. But, it sure doesn't happen nearly anywhere near as often as it used to… And I make sure and label everything I might potentially leave behind, to lessen the likelihood of losing items forever.
Poll Everywhere
This polling service has been my go-to tool for helping the students discover the power of retrieval practice. I get by with the free version, which allows for up to 40 anonymous respondents at one time. While I do have times in the classroom when we are device-free, there's something about starting a semester by encouraging the students to take out their phones and to engage in that manner that surprises them.
Wireless Presenter
My preference is to move about the classroom, without being stuck behind a laptop to advance my slides. While I know there are now options to advance slides on one's Apple Watch or mobile phone, I still have a preference for a wireless presenter remote. I own two different types of wireless presenters, which I like equally well. As long as they fit easily in my hand and I'm unlikely to accidentally press the button to advance a slide when I didn't intend to, they work great for me.
Apple Pencil
I've been a user of various stylus devices for decades now. Apple Pencil is hands down the best one I've ever used. I use a blended learning approach in most of my classes. I typically don't lecture in the in-person classes, but instead create what I call pencasts (which are videos of me talking about a topic, while drawing like a seven year-old, images that make the main points much more memorable). The Apple Pencil glides across the iPad screen and allows for adding color and varying the pen/pencil thickness easily.
Doceri
The app that I have found most useful for capturing / creating pencasts is Doceri. I first sketch out whatever the drawing is going to be for the pencast. Doceri is recording a video of my ever pencil stroke, for playback when adding in the audio portion. When I record myself narrating the drawing portion, I can pause the playback of my pencil strokes, as well as slow them down. I used to need to draw at the same time as talking, which I found to be incredibly difficult. Doceri and the Apple Pencil are game-changers for those who want to create pencasts.
What's “packed” in your bag for the start of your academic year?
Happy new academic year Bonni and everyone! I’m a long-time listener and many of the tips you share have found their way in my classroom so thank you for that.
I’d like to recommend the “Socrative” app. It’s similar to the “Poll Everywhere” one, but gives you greater flexibility (for free). You can opt for anonymous or eponymous responses, you can create polls with more than one questions and you can also use it to set up “games” between teams (assign students to teams and then have them compete against each other based on how many correct answers they gather collectively). The interface is very easy to use and all the students need is the “room number” which is your class and you can re-use it during the semester and in subsequent semesters as all the quizzes are saved.
I’ve used it for in-class activities, to break the monotony of lecturing, similarly to how MOOCs operate: I introduce a subject and then give them a question that makes them think a bit deeper on the topic or put in practice what they were just taught (and probably think they understand). I have them work in groups and brainstorm in these in-class activities but the polling makes it more fun for them (I’m teaching a web and data mining class).
I hope you and your listeners will find it as useful as I did!
Thank you for sharing about your experiences using Socrative, Magdalini. I have heard of it, but haven’t taken the plunge just yet. I’m intrigued by the option to keep responses anonymous, as it is one of the factors that has kept me away from trying out other tools besides the PollEverywhere free version, which doesn’t give such a choice (everything is anonymous).
The teams feature also sounds intriguing. I find the students get even more energized when there is some element of competition introduced into a class. As someone who took 11 years of ballet growing up and doesn’t enjoy competition all that much (except when playing Catch Phrase), it is great that we could use it to mix things up, but also have them engage in testing their learning without the competitive element.
I appreciate your adding to this list of what we’re “packing” for back-to-school.