In my teaching, I have used Talkwall in various assignments to connect the practical experiences students gain through their work to the literature.
Preparation using video and Talkwall
Prior to the course, video interviews were created with researchers and authors of some of the articles on the syllabus. In the videos, the researchers explain their design-based projects. Students watched these researcher interviews and read the associated articles before the class, then wrote short contributions in Talkwall about what is highlighted as important in design-based research projects. For the second task, they were to write which tips they would highlight as important for working on their own case.
The contributions were displayed on the board during the teaching session as students entered the seminar. This served as a starting point for discussions in groups and plenary. Students gained insight into each other’s interpretations of the articles and video interviews, and through discussions, they made connections to their own casework. The short written contributions in Talkwall provided a good foundation for discussions both within the groups and across them. By reading each other’s contributions in Talkwall, students gained greater insight into each other’s thoughts and ideas. It also made it easier for me as the instructor to initiate plenary discussions based on the students’ own ideas and more participated in the plenary sessions.
In my teaching, I have also used several resources for oral proficiency in addition to Talkwall and other digital tools like Mentimeter and Canvas.