Two-minute Tech Tips – Technology Tips for Teachers

Tip #14: Use Intelligent Agents in D2L Brightspace

Intelligent agents are a quick way to automate some types of emails to students. Some emails need to be personally written and sent to students, but not all of them. If you are looking for a way to remind students about missing assignments or discussion posts, congratulate them for doing well on a quiz, or ask them to look at the feedback you left them on D2L, intelligent agents might be for you. Intelligent agents use a customized email template and {strings} to personalize it for each student. D2L checks for specific criteria that you set (similar to release conditions)…

March 13, 2023D2L, Efficiency, organization, StudentsAutomation, Intelligent Agents, Work smarter not harder

D2L Microsoft Outlook Photo

Tip #13: Use a profile picture

First impressions are made in the first seven seconds. Using an updated profile photo is an easy way to connect and build rapport with students you don't see regularly. Students in your online and hybrid classes may not get to meet you in person, so having a professional photo will help humanize you in the virtual environment. In the video below, I quickly cover the steps needed to get your photo uploaded to D2L and to Microsoft Office 365. Below are eight tips to help you get the best shot possible. Watch Tip #13

February 9, 2023D2L, Microsoft Outlook, PhotoProfile photo, Selfie

Apps Audio Students

Tip #12: Use Google Voice to text and call your students

No need to give your cell phone number to students. Giving your students your cell phone number can be risky. Once they have it, they have it forever. I get it; you want a quick and convenient way for your students to contact you and to get a hold of them. I generally use email to get a hold of students, but some students don't check their email regularly. They do, however, always have their phones on them. Google Voice is a free service that allows you to register a new phone number that you can use to contact your students, work…

February 6, 2023Apps, Audio, StudentsCommunication, Google Voice, Texting

Students Video YouTube

Tip #11: Increase the size of your closed captioning

It's hard to see closed captioning (CC) from the back of the room. A simple way to ensure that all students get the same message from YouTube videos you're showing them in class is to turn on closed captioning and use the (+) key to make it large enough for everyone to see. Consider moving the CC around on the screen by clicking and dragging it. Sometimes, the default location at the bottom of the screen could be better depending on the video you're showing. Watch Tip #11

January 27, 2023Students, Video, YouTubeClassroom, Closed Captioning

H5P Microsoft Excel organization Students

Tip #10: Create a timeline of class projects for your students

Gantt charts can be helpful for students. Businesses often use Gantt charts for project management, but I also use them in my classroom. A Gantt chart gives the students a higher-level view of the semester for your course. It shows the start and end dates and the overlap of projects. I used H5P to create my chart for my course. I've embedded the chart in my welcome page and content pages throughout the semester. I aim to continually communicate with students about past, current, and future projects. If dates need to be changed, I can quickly change them on the…

January 20, 2023H5P, Microsoft Excel, organization, StudentsGantt Charts, Semester Timeline

Audio Dictation Efficiency

Tip #9: Dictate text instead of typing

Dictating text is up to 7x faster than typing. The average person types around 40 words per minute. I'm slower than average. I enjoy giving students written feedback on projects and responding to each student individually on their introductions. The problem is that it's time-consuming, even if you're fast at typing. The average person talks at a rate of about 120-150 words per minute. I tend to be a fast talker, so I tried dictating all my responses to students instead of typing them on a keyboard. It was way quicker and saved me a couple of hours of typing.…

January 16, 2023Audio, Dictation, EfficiencyDictate, Microphone, Texting, Typing

Apps Microsoft Outlook Students

Tip #8: Use Polls in Outlook

Microsoft Polls allows students to answer questions without ever leaving their email. The survey tool inside D2L works fine to collect answers from students in a single course. Microsoft Polls provides similar functionality but doesn't require you to use D2L. Polls stores each response in Microsoft Forms. You can access the answers using Sharepoint. To start using Polls, create a new email in Outlook, choose Insert, and select Polls from the top menu. Next, you'll see the default question and a couple of options. In my example, I asked the students where they would return their equipment at the end…

January 9, 2023Apps, Microsoft Outlook, StudentsE-mail, Outlook, Polls, Quick Polls

Microsoft Excel organization

Tip #7: Use a spreadsheet to prepare and plan for the new semester

Keep track of the preparation progress for each of your courses. Teaching multiple courses or multiple sections can seem overwhelming. In the past, I found myself preparing for my classes by doing small chunks and then not remembering what pieces I did for which courses. I spent more time figuring out where I left off than working on the course. A couple of years ago, I created a simple spreadsheet that I could use to keep track of what I had completed and what I still needed to do for each course. The document has evolved into a more elaborate…

January 2, 2023Microsoft Excel, organizationorganization, preparing

Students Video

Tip #6: Show your students how to use Kaltura MediaSpace

Instructors and students both have "creator" accounts on Kaltura MediaSpace. If you are looking for a way to have students record themselves doing an assignment, whether it's a remote presentation, a screen recording, a speech, or a hands-on activity, and then submit the video, have your students use MediaSpace. You can set up an assignment folder on D2L that accepts text submissions or have them post the link on a discussion board. Either way, they won't have to try and email you a giant file that likely will fail. The first time I asked students to create introduction videos and post…

December 27, 2022Students, VideoKaltura, MediaSpace, Video

D2L H5P Tech Websites

Tip #5: Make your online classes interactive with H5P

Supercharge your D2L course by adding interactive elements to your pages I use a lot of videos in my online classes. I like to think that students watch them all from the beginning to the end, but I know better. H5P has numerous interactive elements that can easily be used inside your D2L course at Ridgewater College. One of the elements is an interactive video. H5P has created a way for students to interact with your YouTube or MediaSpace videos (whether you are the owner or not). Instructors can prompt viewers to ask questions about the video to proceed. It's a simple…

December 20, 2022D2L, H5P, Tech WebsitesD2L, H5P, Interactive Learning