Is a picture really worth a thousand words?

The idiom "A picture is worth a thousand words" refers to the notion that a complex idea can be conveyed with just a single still image, or that an image of a subject conveys its meaning/essence more effectively than a description does. (https://goo.gl/Mz63a4) In education pictures can be a useful tool, easily interpreted and understood. But sometimes a student needs more.

Whenever I know I have to be gone from class, I put together my sub notes and try to make sure my students have the knowledge and learning necessary to conduct a productive class hour in my absence. But even the best plans don't go accordingly. 

My go to for leaving detailed instructions (for my students) has been SoundCloud.  There are audio clips there I use in my classes, but even better I can create an audio clip and put the link in my class LMS. Using this I leave my class detailed instructions in a 3-5 minute audio clip, and they are more likely to listen to this then read a lengthy document with the same information.

At this time, I am still about the free stuff, so I am using that version of SoundCloud, but if I were ready to move to a blended or flipped learning environment, I could update to a paid version. So if you are looking for avenues to change the environment of your classroom (whether you're absent or not) I would recommend trying SoundCloud. 

How about this challenge: Create your free account and record 2 or 3 small instructions for an activity in your classroom. Divide the class in half, provide one half with the audio clips, the other with the same instructions in a written format, and let them work and compare the two. Could you see significant differences in the finished work? Which group had more questions throughout the process? Did one group finish quicker than the other? Which group appeared more engaged? 

I'm not advocating for students to NEVER have to read and interpret instructions, but if you know you'll be gone, and want to have things go in a particular direction, this might be the way to do it!

Happy Recording!

Google Tone w/ Mr. Segar

For those of you that have seen or used Google Tone, you already know how great this is! But if you haven't check out these videos. I introduced this to Todd Segar, one of the science teachers in my building, and all around test dummie for any new technology I can find. (Seriously, I find something, throw it at him, and he tries it out, he's the best!)

So he set up a sharing opportunity in his course and invited me to come in and take some videos.  In the first clip, Todd, is giving a short explanation of the lesson and sending the Tone to the students to get the document. If you catch it, he says he needs to make sure he has his speakers on because Tone is based on sound.

 

As long as the class is all logged in when Todd sends the tone out, they get information instantly. As he works to get the lesson started, he encourages students to share with each other using Tone, another collaborative use of the extension. In the clip below, if you look closely at the student's screen, in the bottom right is a message to let them know the shared item is being received through Tone and they can click on it to open.

The lesson begins and all students have the same information. Students worked for about half the class period following Todd's instructions, and then they need some feedback. Are they on the right track, answering questions correctly, etc. So what next? Use Tone again to share the correct data.

This procedure allowed for practice, collaboration, assessment, & feedback.