Forming Teams and Breaking Ice: Ways to Increase Student Interaction and Engagement in the College Classroom

Faculty/Trainers,


Are you looking for some GREAT team building activities for the beginning of the semester? Try this link - http://adulted.about.com/od/icebreakers/tp/topten2009.htm.

This website features MANY activities and ideas including the following team builders:

1. Human Bingo (College students LOVE this one!)

2. Marooned (I've never tried this one.)

3. 2 Minute Mixer (i.e. - SPEED DATING in CLASS...)

4. The Power of Story

5. Table Topics (i.e. - Informative Speeches OR Conversation Starters)

6. Would You Rather...

7. If You Had a Magic Wand (I cannot WAIT to try this one!)

8. Where in the World?

9. Photo Scavenger Hunt

10. The Name Game

Let me know what you think? Please post some other great team builders by replying to this message. :)

Thanks!

Millennial Professor 


Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

I Admit It, I am a Binge Grader..

Millennial Professor Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

Readers,

This summer, I am teaching the second half of my online course and I am a few days behind in grading. Okay, maybe I assigned a little too much in my online course, but I did not want to make this online course any less rigorous than my face-to-face course.

Binge Grading Explained
As a result, I have a lot of assignments to grade. Between the Google Doc assignments and the blackboard assignments, my days are consumed with grading. Not only do I grade one assignment, but I tend to grade SEVERAL assignments at one time (BINGE GRADING). I do not like grading assignments at office when the door is open. Here are my favorite spots for grading student assignments AND writing scholarly papers:

Five of My Favorite Binge Grading Spots!
1. Starbucks or Hastings
2. Riding in the Car
3. Marriott Hotels (free breakfast and free coffee/tea at anytime)
4. My Backyard
5. The Home Office I share with my husband.

My favorite time to grade papers is REALLY early in the morning (6 am to 9 am) at my desk in my home office or in a Marriott hotel room from 9 pm to 2 am.

Grading Papers with a SIZEABLE Amount of Feedback...
When I grade my students' assignments, I strive to give them a wealth of feedback.
If they spent time writing a paper, I am going to read the paper and contribute at least 20 to 30 comments per paper.

Ironically, yesterday I discovered an article titled "Students Mostly Satisfied, But Welcome Faculty Feedback on Papers". This article focuses on my undergraduate experiences, where I received letter or numerical grades on my paper but I did not know how I earned the grade. There were red marks on the front page, but I am not sure if the professor read past the first couple of pages. Not surprisingly, I am one of those people who strives to read EVERY SINGLE page that a student submits. This is a very time consuming task, but I really want to READ what the students write in their papers!

Google Documents Spoils Me...The Feedback Monster!
I adopt new technologies like Google Docs to provide instant feedback on their process (even before the paper is due). I configure the document to send me updates via e-mail whenever the document is modified. Several students contributed comments on an informal survey on Google Docs that I dispersed in the spring.

Are YOU a BINGE GRADER? If so, contribute your FAVORITE grading spots!

Dr. Jennifer T. Edwards
Millennial Professor

Twitter in the Classroom - 200+ News Articles

One of my favorite resources for classroom technology ideas is the Centre for Learning And Performance Technologies

Recently, this organization released a list of 200 Twitter-related news articles. Great resource!

How to use Twitter for Social Learning
200+ articles and resources about Twitter for Learning
http://c4lpt.co.uk/socialmedia/twitterrl.html

Millennial Professor
Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.

iPod Touch: Classroom Response System

Millennial Professor Jennifer T. Edwards, Ed.D.


This YouTube video describes the process for creating an assessment on Google Docs and having students answer assessment questions on an iPod Touch. Student responses can be displayed using a projector or interactive whiteboard.