Ocotillo Presentation #15

Let your learners produce!

presenter: Randy Anderson
email: randy.anderson@emcmail.maricopa.edu
department: Center for Teaching and Learning
affiliation: Estrella Mountain Community College

Co-presenters:
Not sure at this point

time and place: Morning Classroom Concurrent Session (10:45 - 11:45 AM) TC 157

description:
SoftChalk is marketed as a tool that allows instructors to easily create interactive web page with a variety of features such as: video, audio, popup dialog boxes, games and quizzes. These web pages are then easily packaged and made to up load to web servers, CD/DVD’s or into Learning Management Systems (LMS) such as: Blackboard, WebCT or MIDAS. Quizzes are SCORM compliant, meaning compatible with grade books in LMS’s that are also SCORM compliant (as of this writing Blackboard and WebCT are but MIDAS is not).

But what happens if we repurpose this technology as a student learning tool? We have taken a class of ESL (English as a Second Language) learners and put them in the role of instructor. First we gave them the grammar concept ‘verb’. Then asked them to pick something that interests them, research that interest and use it as the context to teach the 'verb' concept plus several key derivative concepts. The students produced a lesson using SoftChalk that includes: text, graphic images, popup dialog boxes, games and quizzes. Students were encouraged to work in pairs or small groups as long as each one produces their own lesson. The final step of this exercise is to gather all of the lessons produced and have them evaluated by other students (Note here that peer review is not used in assessment of outcomes, only as tool to develop critical thinking skills). Learner outcome assessment is based on correct presentation of ‘verbs’ and such derivative concepts as tense, number, voice, modality and aspect.

We have as yet to make any determination as the effectiveness of this exercise in reaching the outcome of higher level learning. However we can say the students loved it! They requested extented class hours to work on their lessons.

Students used Macintosh laptops with SoftChalk installed and Internet access. Support was provided by instructor with a technician providing technical support in the beginning of the exercise.

More details and presentation materials are available in the Maricopa Learning eXchange package for this session.
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/mlx/slip.php?item=1538