Episode 60: How to Use Digital Powerups to Create Engaging Online Discussions with Dr. Travis Thurston
Description:
In episode 60 of the Lecture Breakers podcast, we're talking about how to make discussion forums more effective and engaging using a strategy called digital powerups.
Dr. Travis Thurston joins us to talk about what digital power ups are and how you can use them to promote higher-order thinking skills, increase engagement, build community, and encourage collaboration.
Travis walks us through an example of how he uses digital powerups in his courses, and he also shares student feedback and some of his research findings. I think this episode will give you a new way to think about online discussions.
You'll Learn:
- What digital powerups are and how they promote higher-order thinking skills.
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How digital powerups address the 3 inadequacies we often see in online discussions.
- How digital powerups increase engagement, build community, encourage collaboration and co-construct knowledge together.
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How digital powerups encourage students to reflect on how they are engaging with the content and demonstrating their own learning.
Show Notes:
- Read more about Travis' work on digital power-ups and see examples: Digital Power Ups: Hashtags to Empower Higher-Order Student Engagement in Online Discussions.
- Read more about the Travis' research and see example discussion forums in this guide: #DigitalPowerUps.
- Read more about Travis' work, analysis of learning outcomes, and the literature in this article: #DigitalPowerups Scaffolds and Hashtags To Empower Higher-Order and Humanized Student Engagement in Online Discussions
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Read the IDEA paper #64 by Riggs and Linder to learn more about the architecture of engagement in online classes.
- Listen to Travis' previous episode (Ep #18) of the Lecture Breakers podcast where we talk about breaking up your lectures with games.
- Learn more about the Office of Empowering Teaching Excellence at Utah State University.
- Connect with Travis on Twitter
- Connect with Travis on his website: instructdev.com
- Join the free Lecture Breakers Facebook group
- Don't miss an episode! Be sure to subscribe to the show!
Transcript:
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