1. Online Tools to
Engage Your
Students
Jennifer Kauffman
Fall 2012
Students will be able to name
engaging tools that they can
effectively use in their online course.

2. What type of learner are you?
 Choose from the following:
1.visual learner
2.auditory learner
3.read and write learner
4.kinesthetics learner Type in the chat box to
tell us which of these four
choices describes you.
Infographic from Online College.org
http://edudemic.com/2012/07/types-of-learning/

3. Online Tools to Engage Your Students
1. Discussion Boards
2. Blogs
3. Video Clips
4. If you build it can they find it and use it?
 Go Animate
 Prezi
 IM
 Others
5. Resources

4. “The use of unorthodox
teaching methods encourages
Discussion Boards
student involvement and
helped students become
personally engaged in the
course material”-Webb
 Teacher sets guidelines by helping students to understand their
role in the discussion forum.
 Model good communication
 Discussion must have purpose, share how it relates to the
learning objectives
 Create open ended questions allowing students to explore and
apply what they are learning- targets the higher-order thinking
skills
 Why do you think that? What is your reasoning? Is there an
alternative strategy? Ask clarifying questions that encourage
students to think about what they know and don't know.
 Provide incentives for student participation
How many discussions should a 16 week course
include? Why?
(Type your response in the chat window.)

5. “…online environment
can be richer than face-
to-face situations…”-Dai
Blogs
 Blogs present content in reverse chronological
order
 If possible, host within the course management
system
 Provide a rubric to help students know what is
expected of them
 Instructors can add current content to their class
 Don’t duplicate content from the main part of the
course content
 Great place to put news and announcements
where the students can ask clarifying questions
What clarifying question would you ask about blogs?
(Type your response in the chat window.)

6. Video Clips
 Can stimulate discussion if video is
relevant to the course
 Brief, 5 minutes
 After viewing students participate in a
discussion based on the video. Again be
sure to give guidelines as to the length of
their response to the video and also the
number of responses to their peers
Where do you think we could post our discussions
about the video?
a. Discussion board
b. Blog

7. Go Animate
 http://goanimate.com/videos/0q_vujgXm
9l0?utm_source=emailshare&refuser=0tdk
8RHKuXKw
View the Go! Animate video and then tell us if you
have tried this program.

8. “The quality of your
contribution is more
important than the length of
each component.”
Prezi -University of Oregon
 Very similar to power point to create
 Enables instructor to present information in a fun
techie manner
 Accepts files, you tube, web links, screen shots,
videos, pictures, etc.
http://prezi.com/plttmx-9gu8b/online-teaching/

9. “…IM is best suited for
brainstorming,
IM investigating, or exploring
issues.”-Kelly
 Setting up for each participant
 Chats can be set up in groups-different days of the
week, and times to meet the needs of all learners
 Students have to give their undivided attention, no
multitasking
 Form study groups
 Students can IM you, and you IM them
 Policies and expectations have to be clear from the
beginning
 Keep a chat log-some students may prefer to
participate in smaller group over a whole class chat
 Don’t micromanage-let them keep it informal
Tells us, other than your phone
texting, where do you currently use IM?

10. Others to check out
 Web Field Trips “Educators should
 Google Reader engage students early
and often, using
 Twitter different learning
 Wiki strategies customized
to the class content
 Slide Rocket and the students’ pre-
existing knowledge.
 Creative Commons -
Angelino, Williams, Na
tvig

11. Quizlet
 http://quizlet.com/8353069/learning-
online-flash-cards/
In groups of 4, where could we create and discuss our
Quizlet flash cards?

12. Diigo
 Use it as your personal library
 A place to store all of your online sources
 A place where the entire class can add
resources

13. Works Cited
1. Online Classroom Magna Publication December 2007
Mingsheng Dai, PhD “10 Ways to engage Students in an Online
Course”
2. Online Classroom Magna Publication ed. Rob Kelly
“Synchronous and Asynchronous Learning Tools: 15 Strategies for
Engaging online Students Using Real-time Chat, Threaded Discussions
and Blogs”
3. EduCause Review Online December 2009 by Ed Webb
“Engaging Students with Engaging Tools”
4. The Journal of Educators Online, Vol. 4, #2, July 2007.
“Strategies to Engage Online Students and Reduce Attrition Rates” by
Angelino, Williams, and Natvig.
5. University of Oregon, a division of the University Teaching and
Learning Center. Teaching Effectiveness Program Blackboard
Discussion Board “Generating and Facilitating Engaging and Effective
Online Discussions”