In this workshop, participants will learn how to utilize technologies available through UF (I.e., VoiceThread and Canvas Groups) to create supportive learning communities, especially for online and large enrollment groups. Specifically, participants will see how creating opportunities for students to personalize the learning environment and to engage with their peers facilitates group bonding and trust-building. This workshop will demonstrate specific techniques for designing pedagogically sound interactive assignments in VoiceThread, leveraging the capabilities of VoiceThread to promote group interaction to humanize the learning environment, and assessing and linking VoiceThread activities into Canvas groups.

Session type: Workshop

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will observe pedagogically sound interactive assignments in Voicethread that facilitate trust-building in asynchronous environments.
• Participants will develop the skills to leverage the capabilities of VoiceThread to promote group interaction to humanize the learning environment.
• Participants will analyze and discuss ways to assessing and link VoiceThread activities into Canvas groups.

Speakers & Panelists

Crystal Marull
Crystal Marull (Ph.D. Rutgers University) is a linguist in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies and the Coordinator for the Online Spanish Program. Her research interests include the intersection of cognition and second language acquisition and online teaching pedagogies.