Michaella A. Thornton
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e-Learning

Picture
Painting by Cranach the Elder
My usage of educational technology took earnest flight when I served as a writing center resource specialist for an exclusively online university from May 2009 to January 2012.

For two years after my Online Writing Lab (OWL) experience, I served as the Assistant Director for Instructional Design at the Paul C. Reinert, S.J. Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning at Saint Louis University, where I had the good fortune of colla
borating with faculty and staff to think intentionally and creatively about course design in the contemporary college learning environment.

As an award-winning educator who has also taught full-time in higher education, I love using technology to help students tell compelling, researched stories about their lives, communities, and the world. 

Some of my favorite learning technologies include: 
  • PechaKucha isn't a learning technology, yet this image-based format helps students focus on presenting their viewpoints in concise and creative ways
  • Jing and Camtasia Studio, Screencasting, I love thee! Let me count the ways... Oh, wait. I can simply show you. 
  • Adobe Captivate, easy-to-use software that also makes tutorials interactive while also checking for learners' understanding
  • Adobe Connect, Fuze Meeting, and more: synchronous tutoring and virtual office hours' best software friend
  • Audacity, the best, free audio editor and recorder, hands-down 
  • Twitter, especially live chats such as #FYCchat (first-year composition) and #engchat (English-related teaching tips)
  • VoiceThreads, I have used VoiceThreads with my first-year composition students, and I enjoy hearing how students connect, process, and generate ideas and conversations about particular subjects 

Some examples of my work include: 
  • Inclusive Teaching Resources originally developed for Saint Louis University's Reinert Center
  • Adobe Captivate tutorial on Citation 101 for the Kaplan University Writing Center (now Purdue Global University)
  • Writing Center Resource Retrospective for the Kaplan University Writing Center, which is completely online
  • Prezi and Jing Pro presentation edited in Camtasia Studio for the Kaplan University General Education Conference
  • Lo-fi Classroom/MLA How-to Announcement for English 101 students at St. Louis Community College at Meramec

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  • About
  • Teaching Philosophy
  • Writing
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Teaching & Tech
  • Contact