I like the analogy of a buffet, a table full of a variety of items, since we all have different favourites. Like on a buffet table, you have the option of choosing what suits your preferences, wants and needs, as well as your overall aims of effective professional development.

Developing your skills and confidence in the appropriate and constructive use of digital technology can support and enhance your lectures and assessments.

Depending on your skill level and focus, you may just want some guidance, on how to utilize a specific software or tool, or to learn and try something completely new. You may also want to discuss how to engage your students in an interactive way, by using digital tools for your in-person, hybrid or online lectures. Equally, you may be interested to find out how to provide your students with additional multimedia based resources, without wasting hours of production time. Assessments, both formative and summative, may be another area, I can assist you with, for example by informing you about the latest options regarding digital tools, or to optimize the use of the software you currently use. 

Apart from what type of software to use, you may be interested in finding out more about the following;

• A virtual classroom
• Gamification
• Mobile Learning
• Social Learning (social and collaborative learning)
• Adaptive learning and personalized learning approaches
• Tools to enable accessibly, including the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

Utilizing a mix of digital options can open up experiences and opportunities for your students. Providing your students with quality assessments, personalised feedback and data to inform subsequent learning and teaching, can deliver high quality learning in a digital context.

Using digital tools and services, which better align with students’ experience of today’s digital world can help you to provide learners with access to a range of digital resources which allow ‘anytime/ anywhere learning’ and build a level of digital skills which will be vital in today’s digital world.

Over time you will be able to reduce your workload by using appropriate digital tools, which frees up time for personalised feedback and time for focusing on next steps.

Furthermore, we can discuss how you may be able to strategically and productively collaborate and network with colleagues, by building a digital pool of multimedia based resources, to save time overall.

I hope that the buffet approach enables you to make informed decisions about digital technology selection and use in lecturing. 

Please reach out to start a conversation!

All the Best,

Naomi Mc Laughlan

P.S.: Here is a list of the ‘Digitalization Buffet’ content you may be interested in;

1. Record audio clips
2. Create visually engaging content
3. Create blogs
4. Create wikis to create participatory spaces for students
5. Use Social bookmarking websites curate and share resources with your cohort
6. Create Engaging presentations
7. Create digital portfolios
8. Create non-traditional quizzes
9. Edit imagery
10. Take photographs and build an image library
11. Create info graphics and posters
12. Edit audio clips
13. Create interactive PDFs
14. Produce virtual tours
15. Record virtual labs
16. Plan, create and conduct virtual field trips
17. Live stream
18. Edit and enhance live stream content
19. Create content for flipped learning sessions formative assessments
20. Use interactive presentation software for
21. Plan, create and conduct E-assessments
22. Web editing
23. Utilize software for summative assessments
24. Secure information processing
25. Data protection
26. Create annotated, interactive, and engaging video content
27. Create guides and brochures