Presentation

The wait is over! Visit Bryn Mawr College's repository to view recordings of presentations and slides from presenters. Click here to go to the page. Read the post below for a recap of the conference.

The fourth annual Blended Learning in the Liberal Arts Conference, hosted at Bryn Mawr College from May 20 to May 21, included a keynote address, panel discussions and various workshops.

It brought together more than 165 professionals from 65 different colleges, universities and institutions to focus on topics of interest related to blended learning in the liberal arts. Bryn Mawr College, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, FIPSE First in the World Program, and the Association of American Colleges & Universities TIDES Initiative supported the conference.

Swivl is a robotic platform which can be used for recording presentations or class lectures. Users can connect a smartphone or tablet, or a DSLR camera, and use the free Swivl app to record video of the presentation.

Swivl is a service with 3 important components: the robotic base, the free Swivl Capture app for smartphone or tablet, and Swivl Cloud.

The Swivl robotic base can follow the "marker," either held or worn on a lanyard, allowing the instructor or presenter to move around freely and have the camera follow them. The marker conveniently doubles as a wireless microphone and as a remote control for the slides in the Swivl Capture app. Powerpoint slides can be imported to the Swivl app on the smartphone or tablet, which can be used to present while recording video, and facilitate the creation of a video with time-synchronized slides and presenter video. The Swivl Capture app can be used with Swivl Cloud without the Swivl robot, or with the Swivl robot.

VoiceThread is a user-friendly way to share power point presentations, videos, photos, and other media. Students and professors can record video or audio responses, draw on the media to highlight certain points, and comment in text form. This site is useful for discussion outside of the classroom, allowing students to focus on the topic at hand and reflect in a collaborative way.

Want to Learn More?
Read how VoiceThread describes its capabilities.

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Capabilities

Through VoiceThread...

Professors can:

• Upload power points
• Upload question slides for comment
• Comment on students’ writing in video, text, and visual formats

Students can:

Once the great menace of the classroom, cellphones and other mobile devices are gaining functionality as an educational tool, both in and out of the classroom. Though many educators may be skeptical about introducing or encouraging the use of these devices, creators of OERs and other educational materials are increasingly working to harness their potential for interesting and diverse uses. While there isn't necessarily cohesion to the pool of uses, the diversity is part of the appeal. It's worth experimenting with the different possibilities to see if and where they can be useful to you.

Resources covered:
Top Hat
Twitter
Flowboard

Learning isn't only about receiving material, but also about being able represent that material in new and interesting ways. Sites like Prezi and Spicynodes offer presentation methods that are web-friendly, open to collaboration, and "read" in more interactive ways than traditional presentation methods.

Resources covered:
Prezi
Spicynodes

Prezi's presentation method is based on the idea of "zooming," which allows user to brainstorm in a more natural, fluid fashion and then easily convert their thoughts into a presentation. Prezi suggests a variety of classroom uses, including more engaging teacher lectures and class collaboration.

Spicynodes also provides a more visually dynamic way of presenting information. In particular, Spicynodes is a great tool for concept mapping in the sciences, and for students to create their own maps of ideas for more effective studying. While the Spicynodes interface can be overwhelming at times, its capability to keep multiple "nodes" on screen simultaneously is useful for mapping complex ideas. Spicynodes also suggests classroom applications, including some sample lesson plans for teaching using Spicynodes.