There is no one size fits all when it comes to learning styles. Therefore, difficult subjects must be taught through a variety of methods to reach as many learning styles as possible. Please see how I use technology in a variety of ways to reach this goal! I have successfully used Google jamboards in lecture, tutorial and lab settings.
Closed captioning provides improved accessibility and usability for viewers who are:
- deaf or hard of hearing as they may not be able to pick up on the auditory cues that are important to the video’s story.
- English as a Second Language (ESL) viewers
- slow note takers
- in noisy or sound-sensitive environments
Example 1. Using subtitles during powerpoint lectures (Cell Biology; Developmental Biology)
I’ve had positive feedback from hearing imparied, ESL and slow note taker students on my routine use of powerpoint subtitles during face-to-face lectures. It helps with comprehension and retention of lecture content for all students. However, it is not perfect nor editable.
Example 2. Closed-captioned kaltura lecture video (BIOL 2130 Cell Biology TRU 2021)
Example 3: Closed captioned basic concept YouTube videos
Many students use a visual learning style to understand and retain information better by associating ideas, words and concepts with images. I use jamboards to marry creativity with critical thinking and to promote communication and collaboration during activities that are either face-to-face or remote. This applies to lecture/tutorial/lab settings. My hope is that active student engagement helps students remember and understand biological concepts.
Image sorting for laboratory group learning using Google jamboards.
In our first-year photosynthetic pigment solubility lab, students separate out four pigments from spinach by paper chromatography. Their learning objective in this exercise is to understand how the relative polarity of pigment molecules will influence their separation in a nonpolar solvent prior to analyzing their resultant chromatograms. I divided students into five groups of approximately four to cover four photosynthetic pigments as well as total pigment.
Therefore, I designed five jamboard pages for each group to rank the four pigments from least polar to most polar. After completing their chromatograms, students were asked to consult their Jam board answers to determine whether they match their predicted rankings.
The results are shown below in the PDF file. The Jam board entries are followed up by a class discussion to clear up any misconceptions prior to completion of the experiment. In addition, students can download the final results for their records.
Next year, I would like to have students make an eportfolio summary of their exercises throughout the lab semester. They can customize and personalize their eportfolios.
Photosynthesis-Biol-1110-Lab-11Purpose: Drawing in small groups to internalize and reinforce basic concepts in developmental biology.
In this activity, I asked student groups to relate the initial establishment of dorsal-ventral polarity in an amphibian embryo to an important intracellular consequence, such as nuclear localization. I monitored each group’s progress and understanding to provide timely feedback both face-to-face and remotely. This activity provides a safe space and opportunity for shy students to contribute their valuable ideas to their group.
References
Christopher Phillips and Jared S. Colton. A new normal in inclusive, usable online learning experiences. https://oen.pressbooks.pub/resilientpedagogy/chapter/chapter-9-a-new-normal-in-inclusive-usable-online-learning-experiences/
https://edu.google.com/intl/ALL_ca/teacher-center/products/jamboard/?modal_active=none