ENGAGING STUDENTS ON THE ELECTRONIC PLATFORM

What does it take to be captivated by the teaching of another? Maybe it’s following along with the voice of a good storyteller; on the edge of our seats, waiting for the “rest of the story.” The best verbal teachers help us connect our own experiences and feelings to the content being presented. As students, we take one of two approaches either scribbling furiously or intently listening, hoping to record, and process the information. Similar student responses are common with slideshows, sets of images that visually carry us through the content. Taking it ten steps further, we approach the level of a documentary film: A choreographed combination of visual and audio platforms. Education has progressed from a stage platform, to a visual platform, and now a fully interactive electronic platform. However sophisticated, it’s still a platform. It’s up to us, as the geoscience educators, to know our strengths and engage our students. I’m not a storyteller. Therefore, a podcast or a blog or having students follow my Twitter account, are simply not the electronic platforms that will reach them. However, I am a journeyer. Come with me on an adventure! We will see geology that will change how you think, change how you respond, and impact what you remember. Sounds like teaching in the field…which is best, but also expensive and time consuming. So, I maximize the electronic platform to simulate field experiences. We start with a song, as if we’re driving to the field location together. I select a song that can be connected to the content and have a lyric video running. Once the song is done, I have the students’ attention, much like when you first get out at a field site. Mapping out the setting, briefly, and then moving forward. I use a tablet as my electronic platform. With a visual stimulation, I ask questions, we write notes, and make observations together. Then we move to another location or piece of the puzzle. When I’m on my A-game, this culminates with an assignment. Fieldtrips can be as a series of show-and-tell but having students connect the locations over time and space for a project, has a greater impact. In any case, the students are engaged when they are involved. So, whether it culminates as a group project presentation, a mapping assignment using USGS electronic maps, or a brainstorming discussion on social media; let's embrace the platform.