Each month, a faculty member, nominated by their dean, is recognized for their efforts to integrate innovative technology into their classroom. February’s digital faculty member of the month is Cris Wildermuth, associate professor, School of Education, Department of Leadership and Counseling. Read an interview with Cris:
- What course do you use this technology in? I started using this technology this January term, when I taught a course called Ethics, Leadership, and the Game of Thrones.
- What type of technology (hardware/software) do you use? The site is called https://flippity.net/. It’s a free site that helps you create games and activities using Google Sheets.
- In what context do you use this technology (assessment/lecture/group work/etc.)? So far, I used two interactive activities from Flippity.net: flash cards and the “random name picker.” I used the flash cards in an online board game I created called “Game of Morals” (see the game instructions and links here: https://tinyurl.com/savingned). In that game, students solved various moral dilemmas as they traveled (i.e., moved through the board) from Winterfell (the home of the Starks, main characters in the Game of Thrones series) to the capital. I used the flash cards to house the game questions and the name picker as a “Seven Gods Wheel” to determine game moves (see the wheel at https://tinyurl.com/7godswheel).
- How does this type of technology align with your teaching pedagogy? I love incorporating games and interactive activities in my teaching. I limit lecturing to what I feel is truly necessary, and when possible, “flip the classroom” by creating e-learning modules and recorded lecturettes. The games keep students engaged while still practicing key class concepts or having interesting discussions.
- Where did you get the inspiration to make a change (colleague/seminar/administration/etc.)? During the Pandemic, I joined a couple of Facebook groups for faculty, hoping to find inspiration and support. Someone mentioned Flippity.net in one of the Facebook postings.
- How long did it take for you to implement this technology?net is very easy to use. Once I understood what to do (simple instructions are provided for each template), I simply entered my questions in the Google Spreadsheet template, published the main sheet, and picked the link from the second sheet (more at https://flippity.net/Flashcards.htm). Creating the cards is easy but coming up with more elaborate games such as the “Game of Morals” takes me quite a bit of time. Seeing the students’ enjoyment and participation, however, makes it all worthwhile.
- Since transitioning to remote teaching, how has your use of this technology changed, if at all? Well, I just started using this technology last month. I would say that in general, I have used far more technology since the Pandemic started. For example, cards that I would normally print for face-to-face classes now need to be shared virtually.
- Since transitioning to remote teaching, have you started using any new technology in your teaching? If so, what tools and how are you using them? Other than this one, I have incorporated multiple technologies in my teaching. The simplest one is Google Slides; I use it not only as “slides” but as a source of card games, board games, and group activities. Think of Google Slides as an easy to edit series of boards that can be shared with student groups. See an example here: https://tinyurl.com/capitolassault. I also love the following technologies:
- Miro white board (https://miro.com/) – It accommodates pretty much anything. Professors can request a free educator account.
- Trello (https://trello.com/) – While normally a time or project management tool, I use Trello to accommodate discussions and classification exercises (for example – https://trello.com/b/NKJeGTZT/the-sidekicks).
- Weebly web builder (https://www.weebly.com/) – I use Weebly for student blogs and more elaborate games. One example is the Escape Game I created for the FYS “Hunger Games” class: https://leadershipandthehungergames.weebly.com/the-escape-room.html.
- Overall, what lessons (if any) do you think you have learned while transitioning to remote teaching? Like most of my colleagues, I can’t wait to see my students face-to-face again. However, I have learned that with some creativity we can move online many of the interactive exercises we could previously only conceive in a classroom – and our students will appreciate the effort. For example, my “Hunger Games Bomb” leadership exercise was inspired by a simulation I ran in class using Legos. I did not like the electronic Lego software I found, so I used graphic images on Google Slides instead. Another example was a “telephone” exercise used in a Global Leadership class. When the course was moved online, we created a series of “Miro Boards” where students had to quickly draw their understanding of the previous colleague’s message.
- Both before and during this transition, did Drake ITS assist you in implementing any of these technologies? If so, how? The Drake ITS colleagues are very helpful when I face problems on the Drake-supported technologies such as Blackboard or Panopto (a big thank you to Karly Good and James McNab!). Most of the tools I use, however, are not supported by Drake. The good news is that I’m pretty comfortable with technology and enjoy finding new tools. When I have problems, Google is my best friend since someone out there has probably faced them already.
Are you interested in trying out new technology in your classroom? Want help from ITS? Schedule a technology adoption consultation.
Learn more about learning technology tools supported by Drake ITS at www.drake.edu/fsdo/cte/learntech/
—Jon Hurdelbrink, CPHS, and Carla Herling, ITS
