Marc Watkins - Resilient Teaching

Resilient Teaching

During the pandemic, I used my online teaching experience to help serve the needs of my department. I became a member the DWR’s Remote Teaching Taskforce and used my prior teaching experience with online and hybrid courses to help my fellow faculty members. Being a member of this task force entailed:

sharing my Blackboard course so other faculty could copy its online features
being on call to help faculty members
webinar to discuss retention strategies for first-year students
webinar to discuss new IT security training
Hosting an online workshop about making the online classroom a welcoming space

Course Modifications with New Technology

An important aspect of resilient teaching involved integrating new technology into the classroom. Below are some digital tools that I used in the past that were helpful in the rapid transition to online learning that occurred with the onset of the pandemic. These tools are simple to use and are either free or low-cost solutions.

Digital Annotations with Scrible

Scrible is a free extension that integrates into Google Chrome and allows students to annotate any webpage. The digital annotations are then organized in a private research folder that students access to create meaningful connections between evidence in their sources and notes

Digital Annotation Student Examples

Scrible Student Example #1: Journalism from The New York Times
Scrible Student Example #2: Poem from Poetry Foundation
Scrible Student Example #3: Creative Nonfiction from Oxford American
Scrible Student Example #4: Podcast of Serial
Scrible Student Example #5: Short Fiction from Story Glossia

Peergrade (now Eduflow)

This app allowed my students to conduct peer review anonymously at their own pace and served as a great way for them to practice giving and receiving feedback on their writing

Peergrade Walkthrough

This brief video walkthrough demonstrates how students access Peergrade through the LMS, submit an assignment, complete peer reviews, and react to feedback.

Peer Review with Peergrade

PeerGrade is a platform in which students interact with one another’s rough drafts anonymously, using a customizable rubric and responding to questions, and are then offered an opportunity to reflect on the quality of feedback that has been left for them. This platform allows the instructor to create specific peer review rubrics for small or major assignments and embed or link within those rubrics helpful tips, videos, and interactive activities from our OER textbook to guide students as they leave feedback for each other. What’s more, the platform has a number of powerful analytics that track student progress as they give feedback on up to three different student drafts. These analytics track the amount of time students spend giving feedback, the amount of written feedback left, and provides the instructor an average score for thee combined reviews left for each student. Student are able to comment on feedback received, reflect, and flag material in a “react” exercise.

Peergrade Submission Instructions

Link to Peergrade.io Assignment Submission: https://app.peergrade.io/join

Overview:

The goal with using Peergrade is to help you understand the type of feedback you need to give in order to draft a successful essay and also be able to view feedback from your fellow students on your own draft and incorporate that feedback into your writing to make your essay better.

Submission Instructions:

You need to go to Peergrade.io’s website by clicking the link in the title of this blackboard post. If you have already signed up, then you should be set--simply log in and follow directions for submitting your assignment. If you have not set up a Peergrade.io account, then you will need to select “Got a code from your teacher? Click the button to join” and enter our class code below.

Class code: Class code goes here

Need Help? Review How to Submit Your Assignment

Step #1 Rough Draft Submission Due:

Submit a copy of the full rough draft of your essay. Make certain that you upload a copy as a Word.doc or PDF. You will not be able to participate in peer review or be awarded points for the process unless you submit a full draft by the deadline.

Rough Draft Due by (Enter Time and Date Here)

Step #2 Peer Reviews Due:

After you submit a copy of your rough draft you will be required to peer review three rough drafts by answering all the questions on the Research Essay Peer Review.

Peer Reviews Due by (Enter Time and Date Here)

Need Help? Review How to See and React to your Feedback

Step #3 React and Comment:

Feedback is only viewable after completing your required reviews and after the review window closes on (Enter Time and Date Here). Once you gain access to your feedback you will then need to react and reflect to your feedback by detailing how helpful the commentary was to your rough draft. Use the Commenting feature in the system and ask at least three questions of your peer review partner and be prepared to answer questions from your partner.

Need Help? Review How to Use Commenting and Conversations

Optional:

If you would like my commentary on your rough draft, then please send it to my email address by (Enter Time and Date Here)

Flipgrid

This free asynchronous video discussion app from Microsoft is a great way to host discussions with students and give them time to practice their speaking and presentation skills and is a simple, easy-to-use alternative to Zoom.

Flipgrid Getting Started Resources for Instructors

Link: Flipgrid Getting Started Guide and Video Walkthrough

Contains step-by-step tutorial about setting up your Flipgrid account and creating your first topic.

Link: Flipgrid and Accessibility

Guide detailing how to turn on captioning services in the app, use responsive text, use the new immersive reader, and other best practices for accessibility.

Link: Educator’s Guide to Using Flipgrid

eBook guide of helpful tips about how to use Flipgrid in the classroom.

Link: Simple Filpgrid Rubric Example

Teacher created rubric for responding to student videos

Link: Flipgrid Integration in Higher Education

eBook about how to design assignments for college students.

Link: How to Embed Flipgrid in LMS

Guide to embed grids into Blackboard

Link: Flipgrid Appsmashing Ideas

“Appsmashing” is combining two or more applications. This guide details what other outside apps work with Flipgrid, and gives educators ideas about how students can use the app with Adobe Spark and Book Creator.

Flipgrid Tips and Strategies for Student Recorded Videos

Students often need helpful reminders and criteria for developing a thoughtful presence in an online community. Below are some tips for students and educators to help establish a learning community in an online space.

Understanding Audience:

Have your students understand and analyze who their audience will be in certain videos. A professional audience for academic projects? A personal audience for reflection and class discussion? A general internet audience for projects outside of the classroom?

Use a Script:

Don’t just ask students to wing it; have students develop a written script for them to follow as a guide to keep their response on track.

Be Engaging:

Make eye contact with the camera. Speak audibly. Use thoughtful rhetorical choices to engage your audience.

Consider Your Setting:

Pick a quiet, well-lighted space to record your videos. Not in your car or while you are walking down a hallway. It may be prudent to record at a location related to the content of your video.

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