How to Create Interactivity, Even Remotely

Q: My students are reluctant to speak in some classes. What's worse is that in other classes, two or three students monopolize the entire conversation. How can I increase interaction in class while making the best use of class time?

Asking students to complete reading assignments outside of class or to watch videos on their own time can immediately net you precious minutes in the classroom. But how can we increase the likelihood that this outside work gets done?

One possible solution is Verso. Verso allows you to create a collaborative yet closed social media space in which students anonymously respond to a video, site, or reading. Students then craft a response, comment upon the responses of others, and upvote the responses they found to be most helpful. The video below illustrates this process.

 In the classroom, Verso can be used to

• build understanding of historical context of a novel. In connection with a novel set in the 1960s, for example, students might view videos of the Vietnam anti-war movement, the Civil Rights movement, or the Space Race.
• review a concept or skill covered in class. This video on dramatic irony, for example, could either precede or follow a lesson on the same topic, while Simile School pokes fun at a concept in a way students will enjoy (after watching, students could write creative similes for those comparisons mentioned in the video).
• generate background information for a current events debate or writing. Above the Noise is a public television series that will appeal to middle and high schoolers. See this recent post on Universal Healthcare.
• review the steps of a process. After a lesson on writing hooks, for example, a student might need a refresher.
• integrate SEL and discuss sensitive topics such as bullying. These videos from Pass It One can serve as excellent conversation starters for any age level, whereas this video titled Talent Show is intended for more mature audiences.
• provide alternate interpretations of classic literature. From staged versions of Shakespeare to the Simpsons' take on The Raven to animated texts of classic speeches such as The Gettysburg Address, YouTube is full of possibilities.
• practice inferring skills. This commercial titled The Perfect Daughter requires the viewer to put together the limited information available in order to make sense of the narrative.
• to create an online crowd sourcing site. In response to any one of dozens of issues, students could share and debate opinions. These ideas can later help students who struggle for ideas in their essay writing.

How to Give an IGNITE Talk

Most of us have heard of the inspirational TED Talks.

Slightly less well-known are the Ignite Talks, which allow speakers only five minutes, with accompanying slides that automatically advance every fifteen seconds.

One of my favorite speakers is Matthew Inman, creator of The Oatmeal, speaking about How to Get 5 Million People to View Your Website:



Another favorite comes from Scott Berkun, author of Confessions of a Public Speaker. Why and How to Give an Ignite Talk not only gives a cool insight into the Ignite format, but also provides a pretty compact lesson of effective storytelling:



For your next staff meeting or student presentation, give this format a shot. Perhaps just three minutes instead of five. Sometimes less is more.

(This was originally posted at Teaching that Sticks).

How to Instantly Increase Interaction Using Insert Learning

Q: How can I get my students to interact with their text? So many students seem to read without stopping to reflect or make meaning of the content. 
Many of us are enthusiastic to explore opportunities in flipping, differentiating, and screen casting in an attempt to increase reader interaction with texts.

One simple Chrome extension called Insert Learning allows you (and your students!) to do all three, on nearly any page of the Internet.

Insert Learning creates instant interactivity on nearly any web page by allowing you to add

• highlights,
• annotations and definitions (to accompany those highlights),
• sticky notes (which can contain links, YouTube videos, or screen casts),
• open ended questions,
• multiple choice questions (instantaneously graded), and 
• discussion questions (the responses to which are visible to all students).