Connections and Synergies

TED talk - Salman Khan: Let's use video to reinvent education

Check out this TED talk with Salman Khan as he discusses his concept of "flipping" the traditional classroom.  Students watch video lectures at home, and work in the classroom with the teacher available to help.  

(Thanks Dan!)

Active Learning Strategies Workshop

Please note that the Active Learning workshop that was scheduled for Feb. 2nd and was postponed because of the snow day will now take place on Feb. 16th , 2011 from 12:00 - 1:00 in Room H101B (the Cummings Library classroom).  Please confirm your attendance via e-mail to either Lynne Serviss <lynne.serviss@mohawkcollege.ca>  or Eleanor Pierre <eleanor.pierre@mohawkcollege.ca>as we need to set up computers for our session.

 

Session Description
Active learning shifts the focus from the delivery of content to active engagement with the material.  Through Active Learning techniques, students learn how to shed the traditional role as passive receptors and learn and practice how to comprehend the knowledge, skills and attitudes of their coursework in a meaningful way. Come and explore with your colleagues how to facilitate active learning in an interactive context.

Learning Outcomes:  At the end of the session you should be able to:

• construct your definition of Active Learning
• engage with the technology in the Active Learning Classroom
• explore a variety of Active Learning Strategies that you can utilize in your classrooms

 

Active Learning Classrooms

The Learning Exchange is now home to five Active Learning Classrooms.  Active Learning Classrooms are spaces that are designed to support teaching and learning in an atmosphere conducive to engaging students actively in their own learning.  The instructor is no longer the sage on the stage, but rather acts as a guide on the side.  To enable this paradigm shift, the classrooms look much different than our regular classrooms.  They are equipped with one regular data projector - aimed at the N wall.  Two interactive short throw dataprojectors are mounted on the E and W wall.  Three walls (W/N/E) are lined with whiteboards.  The tables are arranged in collaborative round groups of four, but can be moved and reconfigured very easily to meet all learning needs.  Chairs are all on wheels. 
A laptop is required for instructors, and one has been made available in each room on a temporary bar-height table.  But...we need some ideas from folks using these rooms around what type of a "podium" or laptop tray/table will work best.  Ideally this should be on wheels to keep the instructor mobile.  CTL will soon be hosting a series of workshops during Common Hours on using the technology, active learning pedagogy, ideas for changing up your teaching and leveraging the ALCs assets.  I'll keep you posted.

Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate aka collaboration made easy!

The Library is test driving this exciting new collaboration furniture for the new state-of-the-art Collaboratory learning space opening late fall on the 2nd floor of the new Centre for Entrepreneurship, Learning and Innovation.  The Steelecase media:scape unit seats one group of 10 or two groups of 4.  Users hook up their laptops to the digital media board in one easy step.  The testdrive unit has one 42" digital monitor, but most of the Collaboratory units will be equipped with two 32" monitors for enhanced teaching and learning use.  The units will be bookable for groups of students, small classes, training sessions, etc. The Collaboratory is designed as a learning space where faculty, students and staff will collaborate to create digital media content for course content and assignments.  Drop by the Library this week and take the new media:scape unit for a spin.  You'll have to elbow eager students out of your way, however.  Students are so thrilled with the new learning space that they are always willing to demo for you (early adopters!) and let you know why this set up works so well for their group assignment and content creation work.

 

Active Learning and our new Active Learning Classrooms

I would love to get the college engaged in  a discussion around active learning and active learning classrooms and what we might begin to do differently to get started in a new direction.  The catalyst is our new Learning Landscape and the new classrooms we'll be seeing and using in our new building.  Some other Higher Ed institutions are doing some interesting things with active learning classrooms, see:  http://scaleup.ncsu.edu/ 

Click on comments and we can start to chat.