How Content and Learning Changes When Students Become the Online Teachers

Your Name and Title:

Michelle Pacansky-Brock

Community College Educator, Author of Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies

School, Library, or Organization Name:

Mt. San Jacinto College, The @One Project

Co-Presenter Name(s):

Area of the World from Which You Will Present: North America/USA/California

Language in Which You Will Present:  English

Target Audience(s):  Higher Education

Short Session Description (one line):  How Content and Learning Changes When Students Become the Online Teachers

Full Session Description (as long as you would like):
How does learning change when students are given the reigns to curate and facilitate an entire learning unit?  I will share an overview of a new learning activity I've designed for my online History of Photography class that meets course objectives and also fosters "mindful use of digital media" (Rheingold, 2012).

In contrast to typical instructional settings that inform students what material they will learn about, this 2-week activity puts students at the helm of making choices about content selection, curation, arrangement, and presentation.  In week one, their objective is to collaboratively create a learning module about the work of mid 20th century photographers.  In week two, the students re-engaged with the module, learning from what each other has contributed and responding to the critical discussion prompts they planted throughout the VoiceThread presentation, which functions like a wiki in week one.   

What did students learn from this activity?  How did this personalized approach to curating content present new challenges and new opportunities for relevant and personalized learning?  Were there unexpected challenges that presented new opportunities?  And what were my reflections, as the instructor, on the side line watching all of this play out? Will I do it again? Join me for an hour of candid sharing and discussing!

Websites / URLs Associated with Your Session:  http://www.teachingwithoutwalls.com