Video clips, audio segments, images and simulations can deepen students’ understanding of concepts presented during lectures.
Strategies
Poll students electronically
You can use student response systems to poll students on a series of questions in order to gauge their comprehension of presented material. Some systems include the ability to get feedback from students while the lecture is in progress, which allows you to quickly identify topics that need more explanation.
Use multimedia examples
Still images, demonstrations, simulations or audio and video clips can be easily integrated into lectures with presentation programs and/or DVD players. For example, online video clips can be played, without being cued, from within a presentation by embedding a Web link.
In classrooms with a computer for each student in some cases you can display one student’s solution to a problem on all the students’ computers.
Document cameras, which some classrooms have, allow you to display small objects – lab equipment, a rock sample, fossil, map, coin, or postcard – to large classes.
Present and preserve lectures digitally
Using presentation software, such as PowerPoint or Keynote, you can create a class presentation with an organized outline. The outline can serve as a touchstone for class discussion and allows students to spend less time taking notes and more time responding to the lecture. Some instructors make presentations available to students before class; this allows students to print out a copy, or download a copy onto a laptop, for note taking during the lecture. Some technologies also allow you to record audio of your class lectures that can be synchronized with your lecture notes.
TabletPCs or drawing tablets used in conjunction with a traditional computer allow the lecturer to draw handwritten notes over pre-existing images. A SmartBoard lets you save digitally, then printout, notes and diagrams drawing on a special electronic whiteboard. Most of these types of presentations can be shared with students after class by uploading a file to Woodle or your course Web site.
Examples
Using Technology to Enhance the Effectiveness of Chemistry Courses
An article from The Technology Source.
Resources at Wooster
Computer classrooms
For facilitating group work on computers during a class session.
Document cameras
Displays objects and texts through an LCD projector
Student response systems
Tools to administer in-class questionnaires and surveys, and then analyze and display the results
PowerPoint
The MS Office standard presentation package, which includes outlining mode for easy organization of lecture content.
Sympodium
Sympodium Pen Displays are a tablet-style display that are attached to computers to provide a more interactive and versatile workspace for instructional use. Users may write or draw on the screen using a stylus tool to annotate or make notes on any application or window.
You may be interested in reading the ELI 7 things you should know about Digital Storytelling.
The content on this page was derived from webpages maintained by the Duke University Center for Instructional Technology