Digital Collaging

NAME

Digital Collaging

WHO

Best for online participants only. Perfect for small class sizes up to 15, but can be adapted for larger groups (sharing in breakout rooms). The learner is asked (see prompts below) to create a collage reflecting their personal interest. This creative activity can engage and motivate learners. Findings ways to ask what students think and feel helps promote a sense of belonging and reduces tension. 

DURATION

Depending on size of course, 10 - 30  minutes.

DIRECTIONS

1. Enable your students to “screen share” in your Zoom settings. Best to do this before the meeting.
2. Give a disclaimer:  “What you make matters. There is no right or wrong way to be creative.”
   1. Creating can be stressful; consider giving some examples of what you expect.
3. Give students direction in the chat; displaying prompts, Canva.com instructions, and examples.
   1. Feel free to visit this example.
4. Students create or log in to Canva.com or Google Drawing using their NYU email; note, that Canva offers a robust assets library or students can google images and backgrounds to use.
5. Students create a “whiteboard” as their Canvas.
6. They will have 5 minutes:
   1. 1 minute to select a prompt, log in to Canva, and think.
   2. 4 minutes to create.
7. Let students know to mute and cameras can stay on.
8. Play relaxing music for your students while all in Zoom.
9. You’ll give a 1-minute warning and ask for everyone to screen share.
10. When they return, ask them to take turns sharing their screens and “In a few words, explain your collage meaning”. If the class is too large, ask for 2 or 3 students to share.

ADAPTATIONS/TIPS

For larger courses or just for time constraints in general, when students share consider either:

• Breakout rooms for students to share with each other.
• Have some students volunteer to share with the whole group.
• Ask students to share the collage in a collaborative discussion board.
• Prompts can be changed to reflect the content areas of the course.  

• For example, a biology student (or group) is given a topic to research to then present to the class in visual form.
  
  

PROMPTS

• Consider an open-ended prompt to increase multiple perspectives. 
• You can give a number of prompts for students to choose from.
• Examples:
  • What changes would you like to see in your community and world?
  • Who are you?
  • How do you like to spend the weekend?
  • Where do you see yourself in 20 years?
  • What does your future look like?

TECHNOLOGY/MATERIALS

• Zoom with student screen sharing enabled
• Canva.com or a similar platform like Google Drawing or Google Slides
• Music on YouTube or other player.
  • We recommend lo-fi due to no vocals.
  • To share your music via Zoom: on the Share Screen window, go to the Advanced tab and choose Music or Computer Sound only. Click share, and then go to your music player app and start the song. You’ll still be on camera in the meeting.