"Now that students arrive … carrying encyclopedias in their pockets, it is imperative that we stimulate both their minds and their technology and not let them sit passively." (Bowen, 2012)

A few years ago, I was doing an observation in a faculty member's classroom when she referred to an event that was recently in the news. She recalled the circumstances, but not the name of the person involved. In under a minute, three students had their hands in the air, volunteering the name. As the discussion continued, I noticed the attention of the students had sharply increased.

In January 2014, snowstorms closed the New York campuses several Wednesdays in a row. One faculty member planned ahead, setting up a Zoom link for her students, and telling them they would "meet" there at the regular time in the event that the campus was closed. She had invited me to join her class during the break, and I was able to ask the students their opinions. They were delighted! They were able to stay on track and not fall behind, even while they were safe at home, and they were very appreciative of the effort the professor had made to set up such an effective alternative.

NYIT has an increasing number of educational technologies available. If you'd like to explore some of the possibilities in more detail, you can join your colleagues for a 10-day online conversation beginning Tuesday, October 13th, 2015. We will use use some of the technologies, so you will see them in action, and discuss ways to incorporate them to increase student engagement. To register, please complete the form at https://goo.gl/MQJoKt

Blackboard (Bb), a Learning Management System (LMS), can be a powerful tool for organizing your course content and communicating with your students. Start by posting your course syllabus and handouts. Send announcements to students. Keep everything archived on the site so students who miss a class don't fall behind. Create a "virtual office" and use discussion forums to keep students engaged between classes. For more information, visit Blackboard.

Poll Everywhere is a simple web-based polling application that increases student engagement. Polls can be multiple-choice or open-ended. Students can respond via a text message, a web page, or Twitter. Responses can be displayed in real time, on the web, or in a PowerPoint presentation. Ask your students to summarize the most important concepts and see if they identify what's on your list. Try asking students a question and letting their responses drive the presentation of the new material. For more information, visit http://www.nyit.edu/ctl/polleverywhere.

Voicethread is similar to a discussion board, but adds a visual element. This web-based application is available in Blackboard, so all faculty and students have easy access. Upload an image, a video, a document, or a presentation, and use your web cam or microphone to discuss it. Students can pause the narration at any point and can make comments using text, a microphone, or a web cam. Students can use VoiceThread to collaborate on projects. One easy way to get started is to set up a Voicethread assignment. For more information, visit http://www.nyit.edu/ctl/voicethread.

Turnitin can help students improve their writing skills even as they learn how to avoid plagiarism, and makes it easy for you to give your students high quality feedback about their writing. Forget about receiving numerous emails with attachments, using track changes and trying to manage student work. Instead, access their work from anywhere through this web-based application, and add your comments easily without downloading their work. You can even store a library of your often-repeated comments for easy drag-and-drop, and pair those comments with personalized audio feedback. For more information, visit http://www.nyit.edu/ctl/turnitin.

Zoom provides high definition video-conferencing on demand, for up to 25 participants simultaneously. Share a document or a presentation and invite students to annotate it as they ask questions. Record a review session and make it available - audio only, or audio plus video - for the students who were not able to participate live. Schedule a weekly time for students doing internships or clinical rotations to check in with you, and see how they benefit from sharing each others' experiences as well. (Zoom enables HIPAA-compliant encryption.) For more information, visit http://www.nyit.edu/ctl/zoom.

LiveScribe Pens can transform your handwritten notes into an amazing learning tool! Record what you say as you write and share the PDF "pencasts" so your students can review complex material. If you find that you need to draw something in order to explain it to your students, then this might be the perfect tool for you. For more information and to borrow a Livescribe pen from the Center for Teaching and Learning, visit http://www.nyit.edu/ctl/livescribe.

Resources:

• Bowen, J. A. (2012). Teaching Naked: How Moving Technology Out of Your College Classroom Will Improve Student Learning. San Francisco, Calif: Jossey-Bass.
• Conrad, R.-M., & Donaldson, J. A. (2012). Continuing to engage the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction.