There's a tool for that

I've been at the University of Sheffield for a couple of months now and one of the things I've been doing in that time is learning about tools that are used here and the situations they are used in. It can be overwhelming to have a lot of choices but does mean if there's something you want to do there's probably a tool for that. Use of technology can help to open up possibilities or make things quicker but it's always good to remember just because you can doesn't mean you should. The best use of technology to support learning is when you're happy with the whys and hows of using it.

Mapping things out

I love a good diagram especially when it's colour coded so I started putting my scrappy notes into a mind map. It's done in Draw.io which integrates nicely with Google Drive and has a huge amount of templates so is really easy to use.

.

I try to focus on how they support teaching and learning not just that there's a cool new toy to play with so group tools by function. It's a work in progress, the assessment tools section in particular has a lot to be added in still.

If you want a look around you can zoom in and click through to the links if you open it in Draw.io. Link to the mind map

Bringing old tools in

Working in a college was very much about using free tools for digital learning as budgets were tight and getting tighter every year. I used quick response tools pretty much every day and I think they can be a really good quick win for increasing student engagement and two way feedback. On the mind map I've linked to a comparison sheet with some of the most common tools on. I also included a useful tools section with things that don't quite fit in elsewhere but can be incredibly useful. Things like online timers for when you need a group activity or presentation to run to time and a clicker app for your phone so you aren't tied to the computer.Before I did maths I did a psychology degree so have always had an interest in accessibility. There are some brilliant accessibility tools that can and should be used to support all students.

Learning about new tools

It's been a few years since I last used Blackboard so it's nice to see the updates. I'm loving the mashups to bring in so many other tools. I'd not really used quizzes much before so one of the first things I did was make a quiz using as many of the options as I possibly could. The calculated answer and hotspot questions were my favourite.

Kaltura is ace, I've worked with a few academics who are sharing videos with their students and the process is so straightforward which is always nice. Being about to make, edit and share videos with minimal technical knowledge is great for making content to share with students and I know from my experience with 6th form students they really valued videos. There's even the ability to host 360 degree videos but that's something for another blog post.