Mary Berkery - Excelsior College
Amber O'Neil - Excelsior College

In two, asynchronous, introductory US history survey courses, a free curation tool, Wakelet, is used as a tool for artifact storage and content creation for a major course-long project as an alternative to a traditional research paper. Students compile primary and secondary sources and images related to their research topic and then create lessons and presentations to post to their Wakelet for others. The process of locating information, organizing and evaluating it, and creating new content allows students to apply historical thinking, contextualize the past, and learn through the process of teaching. 

The capstone for the bachelors in liberal arts uses Wakelet as a creative tool for a collection of professional reflection journals and a final electronic portfolio. Using Wakelet as the tool for completing these allows students the flexibility to be more creative in how they demonstrate professional presence, and gives them a chance to showcase different strengths and even experiment with something besides text-based reflections. 

This presentation will address the benefits and challenges of using Wakelet and address key takeaways for audience members hoping to employ the tool in their own courses. 

Conference Strand: eLearning

Target Audience: Post-Secondary