Videos
Example #1: Annotating a Poem for an Online Literature Class
In my "Producing Instructional Materials" class, we all created examples of instructional videos with iMovie. Although an amateur attempt, the design goal was to create a feeling of teacher presence, model poem annotation, and provide a mini-lesson on Symbolism. So, I filmed myself in front of a white posterboard and used the available space to my right to insert text that would signal key concepts and definitions to the students. Then, I added an element of Dual Coding by inserting still pictures and movie footage to help reinforce the lecture narrative with visual examples. Next, I took a copy of the poem and enlarged it on an 11x14 sheet of paper so that students could watch me annotate a poem.
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Example #2: Part 1 of a Lecture on Hero Journey in The Graduate
To provide my online literature students some variety, I do a series on Hero Journey in the film, The Graduate. Because my students are pursuing nursing and social work degrees, I use Hero Journey Theory because I thought it would relate to their future careers and how to look at people's journeys. Whether or not they see the connection to their profession, this ends up being the unit my students talk most enthusiastically about and one that several of them have been able to connect to their own lives.
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ePublication
One of my research interests is digital text, eBooks, and ePublications. Being a literature teacher, digital text combine my love of texts with my love of instructional technology and design. So, I am fascinated by the potential of what digital texts can do.
When I went about designing my first ePub, I was very excited about the idea of using iBook Author. The features and capabilities available for a ePub designer are incredible: 3D illustrations, quizzes, video, accessing all of your notes and highlights at once, and more. However, when it came to designing the ePub, I felt a tweak of conscience. I planned on creating an ePub version of Ovid’s Daedalus and Icarus to use with my online literature class. The ePub would have a podcast on three painters interpretations of the story, signaling and reading cues to direct the reader’s attention or to encourage reflection, information on the backstory, and a couple of other ideas. Although creating the text in iBook Author would have given more options in regards to design, the text would only be accessible to students who had Apple technology. Although I could offer both a PDF version and the slicker iBook Author version, I did not want students who did not have access to the slicker version feel like they were getting cheated in their experiences. This exercise made me very mindful of the issue of equal access in designing instructional materials. |
Self-Guided LectureThis is a Popplet I created to help orient my students to types of research tools, the difference between Primary and Secondary sources, and videos on responsibly including sources. It creates an self-guided and interactive way of engaging with materials.
Feel free to explore the one to right or open it in a new window by clicking this link: http://popplet.com/app/#/843852 |
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Course Design
Here are two examples of syllabi from when I taught.
The first is in an online class on the learner-centered classroom, which I used to teach for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education department.
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The second is in an literature class I taught for the Adult Degree class at Nebraska Wesleyan University. This class was predominantly taken by learners in the nursing and social work programs.
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