Computational thinking is a framework that students can utilize to solve complex problems and apply across disciplines and in many types of settings, even ones far removed from computer science. The BMCC Technology Learning Community is offering a paid summer/fall professional development opportunity to help faculty implement computational thinking in their classrooms.
If I have five minutes to talk about one element of my teaching at BMCC, then digital storytelling works both in terms of format and as the subject matter. My goal is ultimately for students to use first-person narrative to support research, and hopefully to create work that they can use for applications and other academic and professional endeavors beyond our classroom.
In celebration of Open Teaching Week, this week's blog post consists of a series of video tours of BMCC classes taught on Blackboard and the Openlab. Learn how your colleagues are engaging students and creating community online in both in-person and asychronous classes.
Looking back now on five years of using SI leaders, I know I will never go back. Why? Grades are up, and so is retention, but I would really never go back to being that solo teacher in the front of the classroom. I prefer the noisy, happy, imperfect collaboration of working with SI Leaders who are closer in age and experience, and digital footprint to my students.
Discord is a community-based platform that can be used to encourage organic interactions amongst students in a virtual environment. This post discusses how Discord can foster an online community, whether you’re teaching online or in-person.
The overlapping crises of public health and police brutality prompted me to think about trauma-informed pedagogy as a way to both grieve the losses and celebrate resilience. The collaborative project, “From Pandemic to Protest: We Remember,” was designed to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on the events of 2020-2021, using digital tools to commemorate the experiences of their communities during the Covid-19 pandemic and the racial-justice protests.
During this time of so much stress and change, it’s great to have a quick game to get your students laughing and energized. I’m going to recommend two of my favorite quick, no-cost games: Powerpoint Jeopardy and Mad Libs.
Ultimately, I want students to walk away from my class having had a positive experience in which they have learned things that stick with them on some level. My experimentation with ungrading is helping me and the students I teach shift our thinking away from grading toward learning.
In our early childhood curriculum classes, pre-service teachers engage in collaborative hands-on learning experiences with dance, music, theater, and the visual arts. Our classroom is stocked with materials to inspire creativity and exploration. How to translate that to a remote learning environment?