Ditching the Final Exam for Emerging Technology

Last semester I gave my Buffalo State College students the option of a fun project instead of a final exam. About half of my fifty students chose the project which was to create an animated video. I was never thrilled with giving a final but it was expected when I first started teaching online. Now that perceptions of online teaching have evolved, I feel comfortable offering students something more relevant to them. Last semester, they did a great job and I can't wait to see what students do this semester, here is one of many:


This semester, I have ditched the final exam and students will work in teams to create a final project using emerging technology tools such as text-to-animation from xtranormal, PPT presentating using google docs presentation application and pbwiki. I gave them this example of a google presentation which they can use to model their final project:



Students have already done web and library database research on a computer/Internet topic such as how to buy their own computer or Internet safety, and submitted an annotated bibliography on the topic. They will be put in teams according to topic chosen so that they can share research and create one project for submission. They will teach us a bit about their topic by sharing their presentation with the class via the peer review option in ANGEL.