Online Resources for Teaching
Resources for Teaching in the Age of the InternetAlark
Joshi1Course WebsiteCourse Website an extremely helpful
resource!Classesv2 is amazingNot the norm at most schoolsBlackboard
is not as easy to useDevelop and maintain your own course
websiteNot as hard as you thinkOptions to Regularly back up
websiteComplete control of the content2Course websitePBWorks An
online wiki-based resource to easily design and manage a
courseWidely used in a large number of high schools and
universities Hosts 300,000 educational workspacesWiki-based
designEnsures Backup and audit trailGiving students write access
can enrich the overall experience as they may contribute Control
the access level of your students for the entire workspace Reader,
Writer, Editor, Administrator (TAs can have rights that students
dont)3Wiki-based Course WebsiteWiki-based course webpage allows
students to comment on required readingExample course at UC
Berkeley:
http://vis.berkeley.edu/courses/cs294-10-sp10/wiki/index.php/Discussion_of_Good_and_Bad_Visualizations
4Course WebsiteDemo PBWorks.com
http://coep-cg09.pbworks.comPlugins to add multimedia content such
as images, videos, photo slideshows, and more!
5Posting Slides onlineStudents can refer to slides after
classSlideshare http://slideshare.net Students do not need to
download the slides We dont have to worry about others editing your
filesPBWorks allows linking in Powerpoint slideshows on
Slideshare
6Newsgroups for classChannel for communication amongst students,
TAs and instructors Very useful for big coursesYahoo GroupsGoogle
Groups
7AlternativesGoogle Sites: http://sites.google.com/Lacks
robustness of PBworks for educational purposes
Weebly: http://www.weebly.comEasy to setupFine-tuned for
personal/commercial website developmentLacks educational focus
8Student FeedbackIf you are anything like me, you want feedback
from your studentsIdeally after every class Anonymous feedback
allows students to communicate what works/doesnt workFeedback about
which group activities were found to be effectiveInstructors
teaching style/accent/preparation
9Online SurveysSurveyMonkeySet up an online survey within
minutesFree version allows only 10 questionsQualtricsAn excellent
online source to setup a survey of any kindFree for Yale
students/facultyUnlimited questions and configurable answers
10Scheduling Optional SessionsScheduling optional sessions can be a
painLarge number of emails going back and forth
Doodle http://www.doodle.comWhen Is Good -
www.whenisgood.net11Screenshot for Doodle poll
12Laptops in the ClassroomElectronic Devices can be a major
distractionLaptops can be used constructivelyClass Website can be
updated before class to include links to case studies, papers,
processed data for analysisDirect students in class to links and
design group activities around it Data analysisResearch and present
results to the class
13In-Class ActivitiesDiscipline-Specific SitesChemistry,
History, Physics and so onData Analysis TasksIBM Many Eyes Upload
data and analyze ithttp://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/Demo
Examples
http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/visualizations/obama-state-of-the-union-2010http://manyeyes.alphaworks.ibm.com/manyeyes/visualizations/geographically-visualizing-the-aid
14Collaborative EditingFor collaboratively editing
documentsSyllabus with a co-Instructor, Teaching AssistantsCreating
Handouts, Quizzes or ExamsResearch Papers
Etherpad http://www.etherpad.comGoogle Docs -
http://docs.google.com
15Blogs to Engage StudentsHave students create their own
blogStudents post their weekly reading response to their own
blogStudents in the Data Visualization class designed their own
blog and regularly post to their blogAllows other students to keep
up with the field and read each others point of viewLearn from each
other and enrich material
16Online Quiz/TestsClassMarker - http://www.classmarker.com/Easy
to use quiz maker that marks your tests and quizzes for
you.ProProfs http://www.proprofs.comEasy to setup Polls, Flash
Cards, Forums etc.
17Academic Social NetworkCreate your own customized social
network for the classNing http://www.ning.comCourse blogDiscussion
boardEvents Exams, Quiz, Invited Speaker talkInstant messaging
(Chat)Post Photos/VideosDemo of a sample social network for this
classhttp://futuresciencefaculty.ning.com/Classroom 2.0 -
http://www.classroom20.com18SummaryPlethora of resources for the
modern teacherGreat ways to get feedbackkeep the students involved
in the class material help students with assignmentsInnovative uses
of technology can turn it into a boon for your course!
Text-messaging still a curse though!! 19
