Actively Engage Students Using Blackboard’s Building Blocks and LTIs (SoftChalk, VoiceThread and PlayPosit)

Presenter:

Denis Bejar, IT Academic Applications Director, Office of Educational Technology; Aradhna Persaud, IT Academic Applications Coordinator; Mark Carpenay, IT Academic Applications Coordinator; Kevin Kolack, Lecturer, Chemistry; Umberto D’Arista, Lecturer, Foreign Language and Literatures; Janice Molloy, Assistant Professor, Nursing, Queensborough Community College

Abstract:

Students’ expectations are ever evolving as the world and learning opportunities change rapidly.  Therefore, to better engage the 21st century student, educators need to adapt to use different instructional technologies.  The presenter will demonstrate three instructional technologies currently used by Queensborough faculty:  The power of Softchalk’s built-in interactive exercises makes it easy for our instructors to be creative and innovative in the classroom.  VoiceThread, an interactive multimedia slide show, has been designed to promote the collaborative development of knowledge by allowing students to create and share dynamic conversations.  Playposit, an interactive video platform, provides immediate feedback and an easy way to monitor students’ activities through embedded assessment items that are strategically placed in lessons.  All these applications are integrated seamlessly within CUNY’s learning management system (Blackboard Learn) through Building Blocks and LTIs.  Building Blocks and Learning Tools Interoperability (LTIs) are key components of Blackboard Learn’s Open Architecture that allow users to add features/functionalities not contained in the core Blackboard product.