Have you been thinking about 3D printing something for your classroom, lab, or just for fun but don’t know how to get started? There are a plethora of easy to use and inexpensive online services to help with that! Here are some we have found to help send you on your way to 3D printing bliss.
Google Forms have so many great uses, both inside of the classroom and as a productive administration tool. The power of Google Forms comes in the collection of responses into a Google Sheet which has similar basic evaluation capabilities as Microsoft Excel.
Many of us use video in our classes, but sometimes we forget that video is a media format that is not as equally accessible to all viewers. Viewers who are hearing impaired will not be able to hear the voices, music, or background audio we include in our video. It is our responsibility to take steps to ensure that we make video content accessible for as many of our viewers as possible.
Learning environments where students are active creators can help foster engagement and a sense of accomplishment. If your students are involved in data analysis and presentation, using these exciting and interactive tools could help them get hooked on working with data. These online interfaces are extremely easy to use and accept data in a variety of formats.
I write a great deal about freeware because this is such a great era for free tools, with many powerful options out there for all types of projects. That is not to say you should never pay for the tools you use, however. In some cases, premium programs pay back with functionality what you put in them with cash.
Last week’s Teaching Tip addressed why you might consider using an open platform, such as WordPress, for class materials and student interaction. This week, we’ll look at what you need to know to get started designing —your WordPress website on the Community server.
Whether you teach face-to-face or online, consider using a WordPress site for all or most of your course content. UAF CTL supports a multisite WordPress installation at community.uaf.edu.
Having students sign up for individual appointments has become easier with the Create Appointment option in Google Calendar. Creating a group of available time slots can be very useful for your students, graduate assistants, staff, and colleagues.
Infographics are not just for the visual learner. Use one to engage your student where there is slightly dry material or to explain a particularly tricky concept.
Prezi separates itself from conventional presentation platforms by breaking free of the linear nature of slides. That being said, how do we effectively take advantage of its unique capabilities? One of Prezi’s greatest features is the way in which it presents multimedia content. It enables presenters to guide viewers through images, text, video, and audio media in a way that highlights the relationships between the information and ideas presented.
Get ready for next semester now. This teaching tip helps you think about how to make the needed changes while enjoying the process. Whether face-to-face or online, all classes need routine care.
HTML is the code behind what we see on web sites. Whether you realize it or not, every time you create online (make a Blackboard entry, publish to a website, post on Facebook, comment on a blog, etc.) you are using HTML. Web design has come a long way from the beginning when you had to hand code everything; usually we just have to fill out a form and our content magically appears. However, knowing some basic HTML can be really handy when you are trying to troubleshoot something that looks strange, for appearance, or for custom sites.
