Technologies

There are a multitude of technologies available to use when creating your online classroom.  So where do you begin...below are a list of where to start.

You want to...
1) record your lecture from your traditional classroom (audio only or via a camcorder).  This is the easiest and cheapest technology.  It is a good start and easy for students to download to a mobile device.

2) record a lecture on your computer (audio and visual).  This would be done in your office with software and a microphone.  If you use PowerPoint, there is a software product called Camtasia that will allow you to record right inside of PowerPoint. Another suggestion is to purchase a professional microphone like the Snowball for better sound quality.

3) conduct a live class online (webinars). At the University of Arizona we have a campus license for Elluminate, an interactive online classroom.  This is a great way to hold class or meet with groups of students.  Students can even create their own Elliminate sessions for group projects.

4) create interactive lessons (audio, visual, interactive).  This takes more time, but is a very powerful tool for the online classroom.  There is software made to create learning objects or interactive programs to engage students with the content.  Captivate is one of these software programs. 

5) use Web 2.0 tools (FREE Internet programs). These tools are free and usually easy to use.  Students may even be familiar with many of them.  Click here to explore some popular Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning.

If you want these ideas and how to do them, download this PDF! The PDF has been written for University of Arizona faculty and staff with specific contacts on campus.