Think-Pair-Share is a popular Active Learning strategy used in classrooms across Indiana University. But in bringing Digital Literacy and Active Learning together, I've created the Think-Pair-Make-Share activity: a modification that adds "making" (and reflection/explanation) as a key component. This allows us to use what participant or students make as a means to guide and/or facilitate engagement.
30-second Overview:
- Spend a minute or two thinking of responses to a few key prompts.
- Pair up and spend a few minutes discussing the prompts / responses.
- Generate key take-aways from that discussion (typically written in sentence form).
- Make an image creation (combining image and text) that represents or conveys one "take-away".
- Share the image creation with the larger group and explain what was created / how it relates to/responds to the prompt.
Step 1 | Think
In 1-2 minutes, jot down some ideas / responses to either (or both) of the following questions:
- What is digital literacy? What does it meant to be digitally literate?
- What issues do you face in bringing digital literacy, digital creativity, or even digital learning into the classroom?
Be sure to write down or type out your responses. While sentences are preferred, these can be in note form at this juncture.
Step 2 | Pair
Step 2.1 - Partner up & Discuss
Locate a peer (or two) to partner with. Take 3-4 minutes to discuss your responses.
Step 2.2 - Write down a take-away
As a pair/group, identify a key take-away (or two) from your conversations. Be sure to write them down.
Step 3 | Make
Working in pairs, use Adobe Express to create an image (social media style, meme creation, etc.) that represents/expresses one of the key takeaways.
Be sure to follow the specific image creation guides (i.e., the Obstructions)
- Image Creations cannot include more than 7 words of alphabetic text.
- Images must be "shared" (exported) as either a URL or as a .png
PROVIDE FACULTY OR STUDENTS WITH A PLACE TO SHARE THEIR WORK
- I usually use Google Slides for students or pfaculty outside of my own institutions and TEAMS for faculty from my institution.
Step 4 | Share
4.1 (For Larger Class Sizes) Share with Group & then Class
Participants should take 1-2 minutes to share their image creations with their neighbors (i.e., others at their table/in their area) and talk about what was created.
Each group should select one champion image to share with the full class;
- Instructors/facilitators pull up the selected champion images and creators are asked to share insights on the content, design, intent, and creation experience of your image(s).
4.2 (For Smaller Class Sizes) Prepare to Share with Class
Participant should prepare to share insights on the content, design, intent, and creation experience of their image(s).
- Instructors/facilitators ask for volunteers or randomly select submitted artifacts and invite creators to share insights on the content, design, intent, and creation experience of your image(s).
Guide for Step 3
3.1 Sign-in to Adobe Express
Go to express.adobe.com
NOTE: the process below is the Enterprise Login process for IU. Your own login approach may have a slight variation.
3.2 Create (and build) New Project
Click the "+" button to create a new project. Select "Custom size" to create a custom sized image. Set the width & height and click "Create new project"
This launches the basic interface, with a quick guide for menu options
- Left menu is used for adding elements to your canvas
- Add an Image by clicking "Media," searching for Photos using keyword search (e.g., "Digital"), and clicking desired image to add to the canvas.
Set image as page background
Add & Edit Text
.
- Use the editing menu options to Edit/adjust the design, size, font, and effects as you desire.
3.3 Download Image
Once you are done editing the image and text, download the image by clicking the “Download” button at the top of the window. In the submenu, choose your file format (e.g., PNG) and click “Download.”
In addition to downloading the image as a PNG, JPG, or PDF, users can also share the image creation via a designated URL. To generate a URL for the image creation, click the "Share" button next to the "Download" button.