Tool Tip: Using Google Docs to Encourage Collaborative Learning Outside of Class

How many times have we, as teachers, waded through a stack of grading, working to provide valuable feedback on homework assignments, only to have students give our comments a cursory glance before stuffing it into their already crammed backpacks? I have seen this time and again in my own classes, always thinking that there has to be a better, more effective way to encourage students to become more reflective about their work. I began to reflect on the assignments I was giving, and the lines of communication between teacher and student that develop through the homework. In the traditional method of pen-on-paper assignments, teachers create the activity as a way to elicit specific practice of a particular skill, opening the dialogue. Then each student completes the work and submits the assignment, thus responding to the initial questions from the teacher. The final step in this communication cycle comes with the teacher providing feedback on the student’s work, thus ending the dialogue. In this structure, the student is responding only to the teacher, attempting to give the teacher the correct answer to the question

Using Weebly to Create E-Portfolios

In an effort to engage in Computer Assisted Language Learning in the classroom, Katie McClintic and Summer Peixoto were inspired to use digital portfolios, or ePortfolios, while taking classes for TESOL certification in online teaching from TESOL, Inc. Katie went through the ePortfolio creation process for the online course and is now using the same principles with her KAUST class this semester as a culminating project for their college prep year experience at KU. Similarly, last year Summer created a blended learning online hybrid course centered on portfolio building for Kansai students to illustrate their learning experiences over the course of 2013. Throughout this six-week course, Melissa Stamer-Peterson’s role was to assist in the classroom and give feedback on student portfolios. As members of the LEO team, Summer, Melissa, and Katie are attempting to lead by example by incorporating technology into their courses and pursuing professional development opportunities that include the use of CALL in daily instruction and special programs

Tool Tip: Using Google Docs to Encourage Collaborative Learning Outside of Class

How many times have we, as teachers, waded through a stack of grading, working to provide valuable feedback on homework assignments, only to have students give our comments a cursory glance before stuffing it into their already crammed backpacks? I have seen this time and again in my own classes, always thinking that there has to be a better, more effective way to encourage students to become more reflective about their work. I began to reflect on the assignments I was giving, and the lines of communication between teacher and student that develop through the homework. In the traditional method of pen-on-paper assignments, teachers create the activity as a way to elicit specific practice of a particular skill, opening the dialogue. Then each student completes the work and submits the assignment, thus responding to the initial questions from the teacher. The final step in this communication cycle comes with the teacher providing feedback on the student’s work, thus ending the dialogue. In this structure, the student is responding only to the teacher, attempting to give the teacher the correct answer to the question

Using Weebly to Create E-Portfolios

In an effort to engage in Computer Assisted Language Learning in the classroom, Katie McClintic and Summer Peixoto were inspired to use digital portfolios, or ePortfolios, while taking classes for TESOL certification in online teaching from TESOL, Inc. Katie went through the ePortfolio creation process for the online course and is now using the same principles with her KAUST class this semester as a culminating project for their college prep year experience at KU. Similarly, last year Summer created a blended learning online hybrid course centered on portfolio building for Kansai students to illustrate their learning experiences over the course of 2013. Throughout this six-week course, Melissa Stamer-Peterson’s role was to assist in the classroom and give feedback on student portfolios. As members of the LEO team, Summer, Melissa, and Katie are attempting to lead by example by incorporating technology into their courses and pursuing professional development opportunities that include the use of CALL in daily instruction and special programs

Additional file 1 of Determinants of food preparation and hygiene practices among caregivers of children under two in Western Kenya: a formative research study

Additional file 1