So what do YOU remember from your Introductory Psychology Class?

The semester is now 11 days old and I've made my best efforts to establish my credibility, build a stimulating and supportive learning environment, and learn with and from my students. I'm pleasantly caught in the flow of teaching.

I'm trying to build in some down time every teaching day to reflect, to evaluate, and where warranted to implement new learning tools into the classroom. However, I want to avoid chasing after flashy tools which in fact add no value to the teaching or learning experience. Nor am I particularly interested in being at the cutting edge of the latest educational fads or embracing purported best digital learning practices or essential 21rst century learning skills.

Still, a Luddite I am not. Here is a classroom use of technology that I now have woven into several of my classes. Drawing upon the research that repeated testing enhances learning, I have begun regularly building into my classes collaborative within class computer-assisted testing.

Here is a practice Introductory Psychology "unquiz." My 25 students collaboratively got 90% correct the first time (despite the fact that I had not lectured over the material)—and 100% the second time. Much to my surprise my 300 level students (most soon to be graduate-school bound) collaboratively got 100%.

Let's see how YOU do. You don't have to type in your true name or email address.

Here again is the "unquiz."

I would welcome your feedback.

 

 

 

 

 

Retooling (Part 1)

Time to retool. Just had installed a new IMac in my lab with a new color laser printer. How things have changed from my TRS80 Radio Shack computer and "dumb" terminal days!

Almost ready to take the plunge and to migrate my personal Mac Laptop Pro to the MAC Lion operating system. So much to learn…

I am blessed this year with an unusually talented group of bright, young, fun, eager-to-learn, student assistants. Just had my office dual operating system Mac Laptop (OS10.6 and Windows7) recloned with Carroll software. Have been playing with an Ipad and an Kindle. Gearing up for teaching the Research Seminar next semester (hope I get a few students!), and most importantly, just sharpened a new box of pencils and added to them extended erasers! Some needed school supplies never change!

Time to revisit. I see that Jane Hart is about to announce the final polling results of her Top-Tools-for-Learning  List. Always worth revisiting, so I examined each of the 100 tools listed and will be directing my research assistants to a subset of them before I "cast my vote." For me the critical questions are:

  1. Will mastering this tool increase the likelihood of my becoming a more effective teacher?
  2. Which of these tools will enhance my research and my research communication capabilities?
  3. Which of these tools do I want all my students to know how to use? (Which are best for freshmen versus seniors?)
  4. Which of these tools will be around in the next four years?
  5. Which of these tools serve me best when I am engaged in my nonacademic role as partner of Schneider Consulting?
  6. Among subsets of tool types, which best serve my needs?
  7. How much learning time do I or my students need to invest to use these tools?
  8. Are these tools portable across the browsers I most frequently use?
  9. Are these tools portable across the hardware I most frequently use and am about to explore?
  10. How much of the attractiveness of these tools to me is simply due to their "wow factor" and the fun they engender?

    Stay tuned.