In preparation for the next assignment, please familiarize yourselves with the tutorials available in the “H5P Tools” and “Slide and Video Tools” sections of the website.
We’d like you to do the following:
- On the “Slide and Video Tools” page: skim the page and look at the projects/ watch the video before “Canva Basics.”
- On the “H5P Tools” page: skim the page and under “Tutorials: Using H5P,” watch “Getting Started.”
This will give you a basic overview of the resources the website offers. Remember, you can make a learning object using another resource not listed, but we can only provide support on the listed resources!
By Jan 24, please write and post a proposal for your learning object. This should explain:
- What small, discrete information literacy or research skill you will be teaching the students in your department. Don’t bite off too much!·
- What medium you plan to use (slideshow, video, H5P tool)
- Why you think that tool is best for reaching students on this topic.
This proposal can be short and informal, as long as it hits these three points. The proposal is just a way for us to get an idea of what you’re making to see if we can be of any help. Remember that the tool is meant to be able to “travel,” meaning that eventually, we’d like this to be something that can be used outside of your personal classroom, something you can share with other professors!
We will be scheduling office hours to discuss progress and field questions. We’re also available by email!
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Topic proposal: I am thinking of doing a short tutorial on how to quickly determine credibility of sources during the initial research phase, probably one library source and one internet source. The other idea, since the research component in Composition is not traditional (it can involve a community issue that doesn’t always lend itself to library research), is to do a short tutorial on the types of sources students can look to (primary vs. secondary). This could include something on how to conduct an interview, or how to reach out to people in the community, etc. I’m open to other ideas.
Medium: I think I would utilize all 3 (a slideshow turned into a video, with some of the interactive tools, like the brief quiz or critical thinking questions)
Rationale: The combo of visual- and text-based learning usually leads to better retention. We’re in the ages of YouTube videos, TikToks, etc. That’s how the younger generation learns. The interactivity tools, like the quiz or critical thinking questions asks for more student engagement. It’s a way of checking in, and gives students the option to make sense of what they’re watching/hearing. If they’ve drifted off, they can replay that section.
Understanding the dimensions of research within the Composition course seems crucial to succeeding at the various units’ assignments, so addressing finding and evaluating primary and secondary sources as related and interdependent tasks sounds great. As you point out, a quiz or critical thinking questions help you understand what’s difficult for your students and what is making sense.
Christine, these both seem good. I feel like we could especially use something that defines “non-traditional” research. I feel like students are going to find this fun!
Topic proposal: I would like to have the students do more of a deep dive into credibility of sources like newspapers and popular journals since the library already has great stuff about professional journals. Students really don’t know the difference in credibility between opinion pieces, news reports, features, and letters to the editor. So when they say they get something from the New York Times, they assume it’s automatically credible.
Medium: What I’d like to do is prepare a short Canva presentation to show the differences by using the Washington Post (maybe–I subscribe to it) as an example. Then, using the H5P documentation tool, then link that presentation to the first text box and ask students to do the same kind of analysis on another journal like Times.
Rationale: I like the H5P documentation tool since it allows for directed responses and a downloadable document at the end. I’m also pretty proficient in making Canva presentations, so that should be the easy part. I need to learn H5P, however, but I think it would be worth it, especially if it turns out to be something I can use with other assignments.
Jackie, I think the ability to distinguish between different types of content in the news media is really important. Understanding these differences, and discovering how they differ through reading and analyzing leads to more engagement with current events, in my experience. Sounds like this learning activity would apply in many contexts and be accessible outside of FYW, as well.
If your students need full-text WaPo articles, the Washington Post is available in the library database called Regional Business News (http://cityte.ch/rbn & log in remotely with CUNYFirst credentials). It’s easy to search, but the browsing experience is unsatisfying.
Anyone with a @cuny.edu email address can create a free New York Times account at nytimes.com/passes.
Thanks, Anne. I do try to make my students create their NY Times account (thanks for the reminder), but I didn’t know that WaPo was available. I’ll go take a look.
The information literacy or research skill topic that I am interested in teaching is targeted at helping students determine the credibility and the trustworthiness of a source that they read or come in contact with. Students will learn how to analyze the source of data used in an article, book or media publication, and examine whether the details of the data including whether it is quantitative or qualitative, sample size, date of data collection, the research approach taken, and whether the data can be used to support generalization.
I am undecided on the medium to use but I am learning towards slideshow. I think slideshow will showing students short summaries and graphics while allowing for narration. Students are afforded the opportunity to learn productively in this medium as it presents visual, audio and textual information.
Hon, I think you’re looking very specifically at scientific sources– and I think you could (and probably should) narrow it down more to scientific articles. This will be a manageable amount for them– and very useful!
In the Graphic Design Principles class, students create posters to show what has visually influenced them. They choose a topic independently or from a list of books and websites that I supply. When they present their findings, I often have students present questionable work that they believe was created by a specific designer. When asked, they tend to defend their choice because the designer’s name was on or associated with the image. I explain that although it may contain a name, it’s not necessarily the work of that designer. It may have come from a student project similar to the one we are working on. Then I give multiple reasons to support my doubt.
My learning object will be a document that will help design students qualify their research through a practical exercise. Its use will help them to not only identify an image but to make them aware of their research process.
I will use the H5P Documentation tool to create a series of steps to identify, evaluate, and document the image. Students will include the image, book name, or website, how they found the image, (keywords or links from other sites,) and metadata. Then will then perform a reverse image search and report on their findings.
They will do the same with dates, locations, and other “facts.”
I usually present new projects using slides that I create using InDesign and converted to a pdf. I will attempt to use Canva for the presentation on how to research a project. I will cover:
• Creating a topic mindmap to brainstorm and organize ideas into a research question
• Generating a list of keywords to use when searching for sources
• Conducting an effective search in a database or catalog
• Completing the documentation
Patricia, it sounds like you’ve designed a learning activity that addresses an ongoing issue with students’ understanding of the role of the designer or creator of a visual work. Awareness of metadata and how to learn from it seems like a vital skill in graphic design, especially when there is a need to do a reverse image search and distinguish the real from the fake (or deepfake).
Skill to teach: I’m invested in bringing students’ attention to how they interact with information and how academic study often means doing so in a more structured way that that information can be used to develop a framework of knowledge. I often focus on close reading and annotation at the beginning of my ENG 1101 courses, but don’t yet have any specifically designed assignment or instructional presentation. It is time.
Modality: I purchased a pro license to Canva so I’m going to be using that to design a presentation. It will dovetail nicely with other work I’m doing in Canva right now. I’m doing all in-person this semester, so I’m not sure whether I will do a voice-over or now. I might do it both ways so it is more useful to others. If there is a site license available to me for HP5, I will explore incorporating more interactivity. For example, pop-up examples of annotations. But I’m not going to purchase a subscription to do this work.
Rationale: I use very few slide decks in my teaching, so despite having had a Canva account for years, I was unaware of how powerful it has become and the pro-version is really a useful tool that I’m enjoying exploring. What I want to create is an introduction to annotation — the rationale, the link to knowledge formation, the process, and some relevant examples. In this way, I (or others) could use it as a preface to a few low-stakes annotation assignments.
Apologies for the delayed reply. I think this all sounds excellent, and look forward to seeing what you come up with. Cool that you are learning new Canva skills!