Extending Learning with Ed-Tech in Higher Ed

Are we going to play that game again? You know, the one with that music.

Kahoot? Yes, what student of any age doesn’t love showing off their skills during a Kahoot review session. My college students ages 18-45ish have enjoyed using this tech tool to help review for the midterm exam and now the final exam. Students who most recently matriculated their way through high school are more familiar with the electronic this formative assessment tool than their wiser and more life-experienced peers. No matter the level of experience with the tool, my students enjoy using this tool in spite of their collegiate status. They were eager to play Kahoot again, as they recognized the helpful information they gleaned from the first experience and the positive impact it had on their midterm scores.

When teaching at the community college, I have hesitated to utilize ed-tech in ways that I have not in my high school classroom. At my high school, students have Chromebooks, use Google docs, and are familiar with several tech tools that are used throughout their courses. I feel confident in expecting students to have access to devices and versed in a wide variety of tools. College students do not always bring devices, although almost all have phones. Even if they bring a laptop or other device beyond their phones, they may not have used tools beyond word processing or office products. The backgrounds and experiences students have are vast, making planning lessons that are reliant on tech complicated.

Still, the benefits that come from utilizing technology into a higher education classroom are numerous. Differentiated instruction, enrichment activities, and review can all occur as often as necessary with the use of specific tools such as Kahoot, EdPuzzle, and Pear Deck to name of few. Teachers can create resources for students to be accessed during class or asynchronously. Through professional development workshops and meetings with colleagues at the college level, it seems that teachers are not as familiar with the variety of tech tools available to them. Instructors are familiar and use (to varying degrees) the online learning management system, but even the course design on that platform shows a great need for growth. Since many professors are adjuncts, working on dissertations, or researching, their focus seems to be more content-specific.

To support this cohort of colleagues and help in furthering the use of ed-tech in the college classroom, I have submitted and been asked to prepare a higher education tech tools presentation. What tools might instructors use to inspire the masses - especially the newer Gen Z student who expects supplemental resources and functions more independently than students of the past?

My first tech tool to tap into is a cell phone. Even at the college level, students attempt to sneak them on their desks or use them at every second of downtime in the classroom. Why not show them how to use their cell phones to review and research for academic purposes?

My favorite low-tech tech tools that can be used with minimal devices include:

1. Plickers (Students don’t even need a phone!)
2. Kahoot
3. Quizlet
4. Pear Deck

These tools sync nicely to any phone, which is not true of some apps and devices. Depending upon the students’ phone brand and model, connecting to the wireless internet at school can be slower, or the aesthetics on the phone itself make working with the material more challenging.

How might these tools improve engagement?

• Plickers is fantastic for classroom who do not have access to devices or the internet. Plickers requires QR codes, the instructor’s phone or device, and a specific code is assigned to each student. To complete a Plickers assessment or survey, the instructor creates multiple choice questions and then asks the class to submit answers by raising their QR codes with one side facing up. The instructor then scans the room using his or her device to collect the student responses, which are immediately submitted on the board. This formative assessment tool is excellent for student surveys and short formative assessments. While students are not able to provide free response answers, this tool takes the pressure of people who might not have devices on them or have phones with low battery. Equally the playing field, students can fully engage and participate in the learning, and they are experiencing a kinesthetic activity through manipulating their QR codes as they respond.
• Kahoot is a high school favorite AND a college favorite. The music is fun, the competition gets the room talking, and everyone learning from the results. Kahoot makes lectures more interactive and increases retention. I tend to play Kahoot on manual mode so that I can stop and discuss questions with students, especially if many of them get the answer incorrect. Even though I do not use this tool often, students enjoy the change of pace and are happy to participate in this gamified review.
• Quizlet has a similar effect to Kahoot, but I like to use it more at the beginning of the semester as Quizlet Live challenges students to form randomized groups and requires that they communicate with one another to answer questions. This tool fosters discussion and builds community. While not everyone is thrilled to get out of their seats at 9 PM, they do enjoy talking with one another, learning names, and participating in a unique formative assessment experience.
• Pear Deck is another tool that helps transform lectures into active discussions. Students at the college level expect sit-and-get classes where they can hide in the background and passively complete their coursework. Pear Deck changes the narrative of what to expect by asking students to log into a PD experience, share responses, take polls, draw, etc.! Pear Deck can also be placed on student-mode, which can then be completed outside of class. This tool has so many and empowers teachers to make significant changes to their lessons or add one quick question that can transform a whole lesson by getting students involved. The pre-made slides are great for instructors who are tech-hesitant, too. Slides are already designed and take seconds to insert. There is no need to reinvent any wheels or throw out already great lessons. Pear Deck allows instructors to adapt and enhance what they already have!

What other tools could be used outside of class to extend classroom learning?

• EdPuzzle, Padlet, FlipGrid, Insert Learning, and many more tools are also helpful and can be incorporated into lessons and resources through the learning management system. EdPuzzle is especially helpful for creating flipped lessons and resources for students to review essential content. I continue to build my EdPuzzle library as I progress through the semesters. Identifying areas of need has allowed me to anticipate when my students will need more direct instruction (especially with citing sources and research) and when an interactive video could help further their skills.
• Padlet can also be used to hold discussions, share resources, and get students involved in between classes, which in my case are always a week apart. InsertLearning is an excellent tool for readings and holding students accountable for completing their work. Padlet has a chat feature that can occur at a designated time (such as live in a classroom) or can be asynchronous. The shelf feature allows instructors to present questions and wait for student responses, and the traditional Padlet can be used to gather images, share videos, post hyperlinks, etc.
• FlipGrid is a tool I have only recently included in my college classroom. Because I only convene with students once a week, it can take time to build rapport and cultivate classroom relationships. FlipGrid allows me to foster recognition and community by posing questions and challenging students to respond. With students at any age, speaking in front of a class can be nerve-inducing, but being in the comfort of one’s home and providing a video response can encourage people to talk who might not have shared in person. If nothing else, they all jokingly ban against me for making them create videos of themselves. My response - in speech class you’ll be watching videos of your speeches, anyway! Now you’ve at least had a chance to practice looking good for the camera. :)
• Instead of passively reading, InsertLearning challenges students to be active participants as they respond and test their knowledge through multiple-choice, free response, and even discussion board questions. InsertLearning is a great tool to increase reading comprehension and check for understanding. This tool is one of my favorites that has not been as widely publicized as some of the other tools previously listed.

Technology will continue to advance, and our students will evolve. As such, being aware of the possibilities empowers instructors to make small and subtle changes to their courses and classrooms that increase student engagement, improve retention, and bring learning to life.