In the Winter of 2017 I taught my first hybrid course. Although I had taught this course (Training and Development) before, the transition from in-class to hybrid I found to be both challenging and exciting. I have been fortunate to be able to ask colleagues familiar with the hybrid model for their input and one such colleague introduced me to the educational technology tool PowToon and how she uses it in a learning environment. In Training and Development students are taught that an instructor profile can assist in engaging learners and building credibility. An instructor profile provides the instructor with an opportunity to introduce himself/herself to the learners and deliver information regarding his/her qualifications and interests. My plan for the first week's online portion of class was to have students post their own profile on DC Connect. I start this activity by showcasing the various ways, in addition to a text-based introduction, that they may choose to create a profile. I then invite them to view the instructor introduction that I created using PowToon. Here it is:
Here is the full transcript of the first week’s online activity.
What I have learned by further researching PowToon as part of a teaching methodologies project on educational technology, is how robust the tool actually is. PowToon provides instructors with options and follows the Universal Design for Learning Principles by:
- Providing a unique way to engage students’ interest and motivation (multiple means of engagement)
- Giving students an opportunity to work in a manner that they may be more comfortable with such as having them create a PowToon presentation vs. conducting a live presentation (multiple means of action and expression)
- Providing an additional method to deliver content (multiple means of representation)
Below is a PowToon that my colleagues (the wonderful Jennifer Kellett and Lisa Robinson) and I put together that showcases how PowToon can be used to deliver content. This is followed by a PowToon tip sheet.
And here is that PowToon tip sheet!