Ed Tech Resources
Below, we'll review some strategies and resources for creating active, engaging classrooms using specialized software.
Virtual Campus Resources
Virtual Campus Resources
The Next Normal in Teaching - If you missed the wonderful orientation for online instructors by Margeaux Temeltas, please check out her slides.
Remote Instructor Orientation Slides from 1/11/22
ENG 101 Class Biography Sample Template
Instructional Strategies for Remote Teaching
Online Teaching Resources
If you are teaching online in any capacity, the Online Faculty Playbook will be a helpful resource.
NLU Core Technology
NLU utilizes Zoom and D2L for communication and Learning Management respectively. Use the buttons below for additional support on those systems.
In addition, the Tech:30 series is an opportunity to get plugged-in to helpful tech tips for your classroom. LITS will recommend ways to use tech in their classroom. See the drop-downs below for Tech:30 recordings related to D2L and Zoom support.
I Didn't Know You Could Do That in Groups! Hosted by: Renee Judd
D2L's "Intelligent Agents." Hosted by: Renee Judd
Getting the Most Out of Zoom Whiteboards. Hosted by: Daniel August
Using Zoom Breakout Rooms to Enhance Engagement. Hosted by: Daniel August
Getting the Most Out of Zoom Whiteboards. Hosted by: Daniel August
Learning Tool Guides
There are many online tools that you can use to engage students and fuel their learning, even if the activity is asynchronous (not real-time). It is important, however, to think about how the tool supports student learning related to learning outcomes.
Expand the items below to explore tools that enhance our teaching and support student learning.
Grammar Support with Grammarly
Anyone with a nl.edu account (faculty, staff, and students) can get a free premium Grammarly account. Please remind students about Grammarly - an online grammar-checking tool.
Learn how to sign-up for Grammarly using this Grammarly PDF or this Grammarly Video Walkthrough. You can also learn how to use Grammarly like a pro with this Grammarly features tutorial.
Students also have access to drop-off essay review from learning support.
Learning Games
Kahoot!
https://kahoot.com
Kahoot! is a game-based learning platform that makes it easy to create, share and play learning games or trivia quizzes in minutes. When creating your account, choose the “Teacher” profile and then “School” option to create a free account with up to 50 participants; choosing "Higher Ed" will only allow you to have 10 participants.
Sporcle
https://www.sporcle.com/
Bring trivia and gamification to your learning content with Sporcle.
Tools for Collaboration
Google Workspace
National Louis University has contracted with Google, Inc. to provide Google Workspace to all NLU faculty and staff. The use of this service is governed by University policies as well as the terms and conditions of the contract with Google. To request access to a Google Workspace, please visit the LITs Learning Technology Resources page.
Google's Jamboard
Jamboard is Google's online bulletin board tool that can be used in many different ways. Users can anonymously post text and images from a mobile device or a desktop as online post-it notes. You can use the tool as a place for students to ask questions or post difficulties they are experiencing without self-identifying.
Flipgrid
https://flipgrid.com
Flipgrid is a social learning platform that allows educators to ask a question, then students respond in a video.
Hypothes.is
https://web.hypothes.is
Hypothes.is enables you to collect comments about statements made in any web-accessible content, and filter and rank those comments to assess each statement's credibility.
Miro
http://miro.com
Miro is the online collaborative whiteboarding platform that enables distributed teams to work effectively together, from brainstorming with digital sticky notes to planning and managing agile workflows.
Padlet
https://padlet.com
Padlet is an online virtual "bulletin" board, where students and instructors can collaborate, reflect, share links and pictures, in a secure location. NLU offers a free Pro account for faculty and staff. Request access for a Pro Account.
Piazza
https://piazza.com
Piazza is an online Q&A platform that facilitates interaction among students and instructors in an efficient and intuitive manner. Piazza helps students who are stuck on homework problems get unstuck with the help of their classmates and instructors. Save time and help students learn using the power of community.
Voicethread
https://voicethread.com
Voicethread enables you to create, share, and comment on images, Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, videos, audio files, documents, and PDFs, using microphone, webcam, text, phone, and audio-file upload.
Tools for Polling and Surveying
Google Forms
https://www.google.com/forms/about
Google Forms, part of G Suite, enables you to create online surveys to college and organize information. Responses to your surveys are neatly and automatically collected in Forms, with real time response info and charts.
Poll Everywhere
https://www.polleverywhere.com
Poll Everywhere is a dynamic online polling platform that allows students to vote on custom teacher-generated polls through text messaging (SMS), smartphone, or computer by visiting this website.
Slido
https://www.sli.do
Slido is an easy-to-use Q&A and polling platform for live or remote meetings, events, classes, and webinars.
Tools for Accessibility
- Think about making your PowerPoints more accessible using Microsoft's online guide.
Closed Captioning
- For adding Closed Captions to YouTube videos, please check-out this brief video guide.
D2L has a number of analytical tools to help faculty monitor student success (other than the gradebook). This session will get you up-to-speed on those tools so you can help individualize support for students. Hosted by: Renee Judd
D2L's "Intelligent Agents" are scripts in D2L that you can setup to automate certain processes. Renee Judd will demonstrate how to setup Intelligent Agents and explain how they may help you support your students.
Recording videos and deploying them in D2L or other avenues to your students is a great way to humanize your course - especially in an online only class. This session will help you learn a little bit about editing videos in Panopto to get them ready for viewing.
An important aspect of every course is accessibility. Zoom captions and the subsequent transcripts of your session they create can help you ensure that your classes and sessions are more accessible. Daniel August joins the CTLE to demonstrate how to use this feature within Zoom.
There are a few tech platforms that NLU faculty and staff don't access that often or sometimes forget some of the functionality of those systems. This session will introduce you to a few of those systems:
- How to edit documents directly in SharePoint (no downloading and re-uploading!)
- Did you know NLU Faculty and Staff have an Adobe Cloud License? Yes, this includes Photoshop!
- Resetting your password.
Zoom has apps integrated into it that can make your class more engaging. These simple apps range from gamification to simple countdown apps. Daniel August will join the CTLE to discuss a couple of these apps: Kahoot! and Timer.
Looking for DTEN Support?
If you're seeking resources for the DTEN Bimodal Technology, the link below will take you there.
If you're needing urgent, day-of support for DTEN, please visit the Urgent Tech Needs page.
