SoftChalkFrank Futyma, Andrea Long, Carolyn Williams
Overview: Create (New Version)
Enables educators to create, customize, and personalize content by mixing and modifying materials with media, interactive exercises, quizzes and customized text. The combination of rich personalized content, embedded assessment, interactivity, and immediate student feedback increases student engagement and improves learning outcomes.
Overview: Manage (New Version)
Host content in SoftChalk Cloud where you are able to link content items to multiple courses in multiple learning management systems. When content changes are necessary, make change once and all courses are simultaneously updated. Track student score results directly into your Blackboard gradebook or into the SoftChalk ScoreCenter.
Overview: Share (New Version)
The repository and work group features of SoftChalk Cloud support community sharing, team-based development, and content management. This results in better quality course content, reduced time and effort, and reduced cost of learning materials for students.
Use The Application To
Insert quizzes throughout lectures materials in formats such as:
• Multiple choice• Multiple answer• Matching
Use The Application To
Insert pop-up annotations to: • Define terminology• Enhance the
interactivity of content
Use The Application To
Create you own interactive electronic textbook that links to other sites that:• Provides related
content• Illustrates topics• Demonstrates
concepts
Pros and Cons
Pros• Lessons easy to
create• Has a professional
look• Lessons easy to
navigate• Multisensory with
audio and video• On-line training
demo’s available
Cons• Developer unable to
see lesson until viewed in a browser
• Difficulty distinguishing files due to programs file naming system
• Expensive
Best Practices
• Keep lessons short- no more than 15 minutes long.
• Use the right technology, for example stream videos versus uploading them.
• Use multimedia such as pictures, animations, text in graphic forms.
• Launch each SoftChalk lesson in a new window.
More Best Practices
• Inform students that the Crossword Activity can only be used in Internet Explorer.
• For mobile device users-– Use the Automatic Mobile Formatting
feature in SoftChalk 7. Avoid using flash based content-not supported by many Apple devices, iPhones and iPads
References
• http://softchalk.com/casestudy/orangelive-2013• http://www.softchalk.canisiuscampus.net/• http://albertahomelearning.ca/2011/10/softchalk
-is-changing-the-centre-for-learning-home/• http://softchalk.com/softchalk-create-desktop• http://www.freepatentsonline.com/article/VAHPE
RD-Journal/286254345.html• http://
softchalk.com/2012/06/best-practices-in-online-learning