You may notice a new addition to Blackboard un-der your Bishop Lynch tab. There is a module called Qwickly, which enables you to accomplish tasks “quickly” from within that module without having to go to the specific courses.

For example:

You can make all your courses available or unavailable in one spot without having to go in to each individual course.

You can post announcements or send e-mails to all your courses at once.

You can post assignments to multiple courses simultaneously.

You can post content and links to multiple courses.

You can easily post content from the cloud.

Qwickly solves the problem of having to make multiple clicks to accom-plish simple tasks. Give it a try and let me know if you have questions. For further information, click here.

Apr. 19, 2016 Volume 4, Issue 25

Webinars: Engaging Digi-tal Citizenship - (April 28th) at 3 PM. Register here. Teachers Using Instagram in Class (April 26th) at 4 PM. Register here.

Blackboard Training Op-portunities (at BL). Click here to register and refer to Kay’s email for specifics.

BL’s Web-based Work-shops and Software Train-ing (ongoing) for BL em-ployees on Staffulty Info Course.

For the next few issues I’m going to share some Google Tools you can try. (Taken from: TCEA Newsletter: Four Lesser-

Known Google Tools You Should Try Today Diana Benner | Mar. 11, 2016 | Google Tips and Tricks)

#1 – Google Keep Google Keep is a note-taking application that allows you to create lists, color code notes, set note remind-ers, and share notes with others. You can even create voice recordings which are then automatically transcribed into a note. If you are a fan of to-do lists like I am, Google Keep allows you to convert text notes into checklists. You can ac-cess Google Keep online or by installing the app for iOS and Android. In the classroom –

Students can quickly save what’s on their mind, write down homework, take brief notes, record their ideas, or take pictures of information.

Students can color code homework notes by subject area; for example, all blue notes could indicate math homework.

Students can set up reminders about their notes in order to get instant notifications about homework or projects. Students could listen to voice notes that you create in order to practice pronouncing words or study vocabulary.

What is Active Learning? The many definitions of AL all focus on two things: “doing” and “reflecting.” Bonwell and Eison (1991) define Ac-tive Learning as “Involving students in doing things and thinking about what they are doing.” Over the next few weeks, we will highlight simple AL strategies that you can use in class today!

Think-Pair-Share—This AL strategy is an oldie but a goodie (developed in 1981 by Frank Lyman). The teacher asks a question (requiring analysis) and gives students 30+ seconds to think through or write an answer. Next, the student turns to a classmate to “pair up” and share their responses with one another (immediate feedback!). The final stage has students share within larger groups or the whole class. Think-Pair-Share gets all stu-dents talking, whereas only a few students may get to share their ideas during a lecture or discussion. Plus, they get to talk to their peers! Need more? Click here for a video explanation.

A+ Active Learning Challenge Corner

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