Ed Tech in HE Reflections

Flipgrid is a fun and exciting, free tool that promotes student interaction through video. Flipgrid can be used in online and face-to-face courses. It is an excellent way to further conversations by assigning questions to students and having them respond to the question and each other through video. Not only is Flipgrid incorporating technology in the classroom, it is also encouraging students to communicate with each other. Flipgrid can also be used as an opportunity to post tutorials, book reviews, narrated presentations, etc. It is accessible on all types of devices, giving students access everywhere they go. It is designed like a grid and has an unlimited amount of storage which allows teachers and students to post as many videos as they would like. Flipgrid is a great tool to use in the classroom and I recommend it to everyone.

Are you tired of having to go through email to book appointments with your students? Moodle now has a plugin that allows for you to do scheduling directly in your Moodle course. The Scheduler allows for teachers to setup time slots for appointments, presentation times, etc. Once created, the students log into their course and choose a time that works best for them. In return, teachers can record the outcome and a grade if needed. Please see the Scheduler Activities Instructions Guide on how to add this plugin to your course and how to use it.

      Moodle has so many exciting tools and features that can enhance your online course. Most people use the basics or what is effective for their course and teaching style. Below is a list of favorite Moodle tools that are most popular and easiest to use.  Forum The forum tool is a great way to incorporate interactivity into your online course. Forums are an excellent way to communicate, ask questions, and post discussion topics for students to respond to.  Quickmail Block The quickmail block allows instructors and students to send emails to course members from Moodle. This tool is a convenient way to send emails to the entire class rather than having to set up a class email list. However, emails can be sent from Moodle, but cannot be received in Moodle. The email is sent to the students campus email.  Grade Me Block The grade me block is an additional tool to help instructors quickly locate items that need to be graded in their Moodle course. It displays stud

     Using a template to create your online course can help you stay organized and save time. Course templates are designed to help you reduce as much time as possible duplicating information each semester. Templates will provide you with the general information that is used in every course each semester. General information typically includes campus information that includes online learning support and student support services. Templates provide faculty with a basic design that allows them to just drop their content into the sections that are already built.      Aside from benefiting the faculty, templates benefit the students as well. They provide consistency across all online courses and improved usability for students. Templates provide online courses with the same basic set up and design, making it easier for students to navigate through all of their courses. Course templates provide improved online course quality, provides consistency, and is a best practice in online c

     College life is a difficult transition for any student.  Adjusting from the life of a high school senior to becoming an independent adult can sometimes feel like a daunting task.  The same can be said about life as a non-traditional student.  As a full-time employee of Coastal Carolina University Department of Public Safety and a parent of two young children, I knew furthering my education was going to be a difficult task.  The only way that I could make it work would be to find an online program that fit my educational goals.  Luckily Coastal Carolina University developed a Master’s Degree in Education with a concentration in Instructional Technology.  This program had many pieces that could help me broaden my skills in the world of law enforcement training. Entering the program was the first step, but now I had to figure out how I would get through the program.  Working full-time, being a husband, and father of two proved to make studying a difficult task.  Most of my time

     Want to be able to connect quickly with students? Remind is an easy, free app that helps teachers reach their students wherever and whenever. It works anonymously so that you are not using your own cell number to push out the messages. Remind allows you to send text messages to students to remind them about important dates, upcoming tests/quizzes, class schedule changes, and other pertinent information. Remind can also be used to extend encouraging messages before exams or tests.      Remind is available for both Android and Apple devices. There is a 140 character limit, however, you can get around this limit by attaching a document or attaching a link to longer messages. You can customize it to receive messages back from students or can turn that function off so they cannot respond. You can schedule a text to go out on a certain date and time from either the web or your mobile device.  Author: Jessica Hall

     Monday, November 6th kicks off National Distance Learning Week 2017 (NDLW). NDLW is a time to celebrate online learning; a week to recognize the best practices and tools that are relevant to online learning. The Coastal Office of Online Learning (COOL) will be joining the Distance Learning Association in celebrating NDLW. COOL will be blogging and posting on social media each day about great tips and tools that can enhance students online learning experience. COOL will also be hosting an Exemplary Course Showcase to recognize faculty who have designed online courses that exceed the standards set forth by the CCU Quality Assurance Inventory tool. This event will be held Tuesday, November 7th from 4-6 and is open to all CCU faculty to attend. Be sure to follow us on social media to read more about NDLW 2017.