Michelle Ellsworth: Investigating Collaborative Tools in Senior Seminar

I approached my “technology intervention” with grand and ambitious ideas of using rarely heard of software and platforms to unite my students in collaborations with students around the planet. However, a short dip in that river revealed to me that I had some preliminary dipping to do before I expanded my networking to the planet.

I love technology. I love fancy cameras, building websites, video editing, photoshop, live interactivity, and sound editing. As I look at my list of technological interests I am aware that they are all solitary or near solitary endeavors. My problem with technology is near total resistance to using networking technology. I don’t use facebook, google docs, linkedin, twitter, or pinterest. I would even describe myself as an emailaphob. It is not the technology -- it is the networking that kills me.

I have been able to cover my technology-based-networking impotence in my teaching and artistic career with a series of (not that funny) jokes about the mediated world and the inherent problems of human interaction. However, I think at this point I am doing myself, the planet, and my students a disservice.

Now is the time. I’m teaching a larger class in Maymester. The idea of communicating and grading in the old school fashion seems inefficient at best. I think the compressed and intense nature of Maymester truly needs the immediacy of online communication. Without it -- I won’t have the flexibility of adding post lecture thoughts and links. Without it -- I think the class will inevitable waste class time going over assignments and expectations.

Here are my humble ambitions:

• I want my classes to have a shared platform to deposit relevant info.
• I want to be able to grade online.
• I want to post readings, video links, lecture notes, online for students to access.
• Specifically in Senior Seminar, I want to teach my students about the power of online networking and the importance/impact of their web presence.

I plan to employ online networking, online grading, and collaboration tools in my Senior Seminar (THTR 4081) Spring 2013 and in my Maymester Looking at Dance (DNCE 4037).  Senior Seminar has 16 students and Looking at Dance has 32.

For Senior Seminar I will:

1. use google Drive to facilitate student collaboration on a research paper and to create a shared resource list for students’ post graduation reality.
2. hire Sydney Skybetter, a NYC based dance artist, online marketing specialist, and arts entrepreneur, to couch students about how to improve their online presence and and use social networking to gain post graduation employment.

For Looking at Dance I will:

1. use D2L for grading, posting class notes, uploading course reading.
2. use google Drive for students to share info and post outside projects.

I hope these technologies will:

1. allow the classes to be more dynamic
2. encourage more student participation.
3. I hope D2L will reduce the need for me to individual emails explaining expectations and will increase the ease of adding unexpected and relevant content.  I anticipate google Drive will allow even the shyest student to meaningful contribute to class discussion and idea threads.
4. I expect the use, and the conversation about the use, of online tools will help:
   • prepare the student’s for their exams, papers.
   • create class cohesion and community.

To measure the success of my use of technology I will:

1. have in class discussions with my students about the efficiency of the technologies.
2. evaluate the frequency and use of the tools.
3. rely most heavening on my kinesthetic experience both using the technology and how it impacts the non technology centric classroom lectures and discussions.

Both my Senior Seminar and Looking at Dance classes benefited greatly from my new use of technology.

I was slow and hesitant to fully commit to my ideas In Senior Seminar.  The most successful aspects of my plan were the guest lectures by Sydney Skybetter.  He helped my students think carefully how they were representing themselves online.  Specifically he taught them about how linkedin, twitter, and facebook (if the photos with red beer cups are taken down) can help you get a job.  We used google Drive to take notes and collect resources inspired by Sydney’s lectures.

My Looking at Dance class was profoundly enhanced by my new tools.   I used D2L to post notes, study guides, readings, links to video, and post grades.  Everyone had all the same information at the same time.  People saw their grades as soon as I was done grading.  In a class with 9 graded assignments, using D2L saved me a great deal of time keeping track, calculating, and communicating with the students about their grades.  In addition to D2L, I used google Drive to provide a platform for students who felt uncomfortable talking in class to post their ideas and receive credit for class participation.  I gave several assignments that required all students to post creative projects that would have been too unwieldy and time consuming to share in class.  When picking topics for papers, we use google drive to distribute topics and find collaborators.  On google drive we shared ideas, video links, and posted photos.

In both Looking at Dance and Senior Seminar I received very positive feedback about the use of technology.  I will definitely use both google Drive and D2L again.