{"id":8906,"date":"2021-11-16T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=8906"},"modified":"2021-11-12T15:42:32","modified_gmt":"2021-11-12T15:42:32","slug":"making-learning-technology-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Making learning technology work"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/11\/unnamed.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"500\" height=\"369\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/11\/unnamed.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8908\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/11\/unnamed.png 500w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/11\/unnamed-300x221.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/11\/unnamed-100x74.png 100w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/11\/unnamed-150x111.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/11\/unnamed-200x148.png 200w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2021\/11\/unnamed-450x332.png 450w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Sitting in the audience, I watch as the presenter prepares us for an activity using the online tool Padlet. They share a link and ask us all to post our responses to the web page. I\u2019m just opening the Padlet when the Wifi in the room drops out&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A common fear when using a new tool in teaching is that something won\u2019t work as you expect. Learning technologies bring with them many benefits such as new opportunities for and improvements in collaboration, feedback, efficiency and accessibility. Situations like that described above are thankfully not common, however this fear of the unexpected can still provide a barrier to their use. In this post I\u2019m going to look at some simple things you can do to ensure that learning technologies work and give some ideas of how to adapt if any problems do crop-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Plan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When planning your session here are some things to consider:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Keep it simple. Use only one or two different technologies in a session. We list a lot of tools you might use for teaching in our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/learningtechnologies\/apps\">A-Z of apps<\/a> but wouldn\u2019t recommend you use them all in one session. If you are not sure of the appropriate tool for an activity, contact <a href=\"mailto:tel@sussex.ac.uk\">tel@sussex.ac.uk<\/a> and we can advise you.<\/li><li>Variation and spacing. If possible, plan gaps between the points at which the students will be engaging with the tool. Follow an activity using one tool with something low-tech like a discussion activity.<\/li><li>Prepare examples. Examples are important because they can help to clarify what you expect the students to produce in a tool, they provide a guide for students as to what is expected. If students aren\u2019t able to post their own ideas for discussion, there is still something for them to discuss.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Check your room. If you\u2019ve not been there before, the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/studentsystems\/roomfac.php\">ITS room facilities page<\/a> provides a listing of what equipment is available in general teaching space rooms.<\/li><li>Think about timing. Can you run the activity over a longer period of time? For example, share a PollEverywhere activity before a live session starts so that people can engage early. This way you get advance warning if you\u2019ve forgotten to activate the poll.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Once your activity is planned it&#8217;s always a good idea to quickly test it. If you are working in Canvas the <a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/t5\/Instructor-Guide\/How-do-I-view-a-course-as-a-test-student-using-Student-View\/ta-p\/1122\">Student View<\/a> will give you an approximation of how things will appear for students. This is particularly useful for identifying where resources are unpublished or inaccessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Outside of Canvas, one of the most useful things is <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/chrome\/answer\/95464?hl=en-GB&amp;co=GENIE.Platform%3DAndroid\">incognito mode<\/a> on your browser. This helps to check if it is possible to access or interact with a tool when not logged-in as you. I routinely use this when I\u2019m setting up to check students will be able to post to a Padlet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Communicate&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before you start students on an activity, show them how to do it. This might be through a quick demonstration in class or by recording a quick <a href=\"https:\/\/canvas.sussex.ac.uk\/courses\/14993\/pages\/panopto-how-to-make-pre-recorded-content\">Panopto screen capture<\/a>. Also, importantly, tell them how to inform you if there is an issue. This is particularly important when using online breakout rooms and for asynchronous exercises. Often people will happily sit and chat or get on with other tasks rather than inform you something hasn\u2019t worked. In Zoom breakout rooms there is an \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/support.zoom.us\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/206476313-Managing-Breakout-Rooms\">Ask for help<\/a>\u2019 button.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a good idea to check-in with students throughout a session too. I often add prompts to my slides to remind me to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img src=\"https:\/\/lh6.googleusercontent.com\/TnzQtY_eo4TSMDTVj1jwcHfyMrsC-KavCAxkEn45i5mWkaoQFUHCeIwHfili9nbSGu85pXzcQdNwGVH4LztFlj0DsCc0MCGvWGRIyd2amPuku2lPNa-Nw30N5Y1LzKP70jqjGYDW\" alt=\"A prompt slide for online webinars to check students are understanding.\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Adapt<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With any teaching, whether or not you are using a new technology, unexpected things can happen. For this reason it\u2019s good to have in mind some ways that you can deal with possible scenarios.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>If one student can\u2019t access an activity resource, can you group students together?&nbsp;<\/li><li>If a large proportion of the class can\u2019t access the activity it may be possible to take comments verbally and summarise\/enter them yourself.&nbsp;<\/li><li>If you can\u2019t access the tool but the students can, nominate a student or students to act as you.<\/li><li>If no one is able to access the activity, run it asynchronously after the session instead.<\/li><li>Things won\u2019t always work as planned but these tips should help to keep things on track.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Guidance from TEL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are trying a new tool do speak to the Technology Enhanced Learning team who can give you ideas on how to make the activities work as well as possible. Hopefully this gives you some confidence in going forwards with innovations in your teaching. For ideas, do see our <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/learningtechnologies\/casestudies\/\">Case Studies<\/a> page and if you\u2019d like to share your own example of innovative teaching at University of Sussex please do get in touch via <a href=\"mailto:tel@sussex.ac.uk\">tel@sussex.ac.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-8906\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-8906\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-tumblr\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-tumblr sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=tumblr\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Tumblr\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-print\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-print sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to print\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to print (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pinterest\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-pinterest-8906\" class=\"share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pinterest\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pocket\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-pocket sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=pocket\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pocket\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sitting in the audience, I watch as the presenter prepares us for an activity using the online tool Padlet. They share a link and ask us all to post our responses to the web page. I\u2019m just opening the Padlet<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-8906\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-8906\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-tumblr\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-tumblr sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=tumblr\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Tumblr\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-print\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-print sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to print\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to print (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pinterest\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-pinterest-8906\" class=\"share-pinterest sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=pinterest\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pinterest\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-pocket\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-pocket sd-button share-icon no-text\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2021\/11\/16\/making-learning-technology-work\/?share=pocket\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Pocket\"><span><\/span><span class=\"sharing-screen-reader-text\">Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":293,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[157016],"tags":[98310],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4IWEK-2jE","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":8260,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2020\/04\/21\/padlet-maps-and-timelines\/","url_meta":{"origin":8906,"position":0},"title":"Padlet maps and timelines","date":"21st April 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Thankyou for reading this EE blog post this is representative at the time is was written. Screenshot of the Map and Timeline options when creating a Padlet. Padlet has been a popular tool for staff and students at Sussex for some time, which is why we have a Padlet Backpack\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Learning Technologies&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/03\/image.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9973,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2024\/05\/30\/five-new-padlet-features-for-higher-education-to-try-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":8906,"position":1},"title":"Five New Padlet Features for Higher Education To Try Today","date":"30th May 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Rachael Thomas, Learning Technologist, University of Sussex Since Padlet was launched in 2008, it has become one of the most popular educational tools used here at the University of Sussex. Unlike many online teaching aids, it allows for synchronous and asynchronous teaching opportunities. Padlet continues to evolve as an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;digital skills&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2024\/05\/Padlet1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6834,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2018\/04\/10\/padlet-some-changes-to-a-popular-tool\/","url_meta":{"origin":8906,"position":2},"title":"Padlet - some changes to a popular tool","date":"10th April 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Many staff and students at the University of Sussex are using Padlet, which is a very versatile and flexible digital tool that we have been sharing with colleagues for a few years. At the beginning of April 2018, Padlet changed its pricing model, so if you have been using the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mobile learning&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"Padlet exported as an image (PNG)","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2018\/04\/Picture4-883x1024.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6268,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2017\/08\/01\/padlet-collaborative-learning\/","url_meta":{"origin":8906,"position":3},"title":"Padlet for collaborative learning.","date":"1st August 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Over the last couple of years we have often mentioned Padlet in our blog posts* and workshops but never devoted a whole blog post to this versatile tool. As there have been some useful updates recently this seems like a good time to have a closer look at Padlet and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;App review&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"An example of a Padlet showing some of the content that can be posted.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2017\/07\/2017-07-25_1119-1024x562.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8408,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2020\/07\/28\/4-fantastic-uses-for-padlet-in-online-teaching\/","url_meta":{"origin":8906,"position":4},"title":"4 fantastic uses for Padlet in online teaching","date":"28th July 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Padlet is a great tool that allows for a number of synchronous and asynchronous online teaching opportunities, here are 4 fantastic uses for Padlet as part of online teaching and learning: Backchannel and Q\/A spaceSharing resourcesGroup workIntroductory space \/ Social space\u00a0 Backchannel and Q&A space One use for a Padlet\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blended learning&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"a Padlet wall","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/07\/2020-07-22_15-39-36.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9067,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2022\/03\/15\/canvas-panopto-and-padlet-whats-new\/","url_meta":{"origin":8906,"position":5},"title":"Canvas, Panopto and Padlet: what\u2019s new?","date":"15th March 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The learning technologies that we use at the University of Sussex see a steady stream of updates as they respond to the needs of their users. We thought it would be useful to pull together all of the recent updates across the key learning technologies in use at Sussex in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Canvas&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2022\/03\/update-gf991be65d_1920.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8906"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/293"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8906"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8906\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8912,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8906\/revisions\/8912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}