Swaying Away in Humanities

This is the second month that my Humanities students have been using Sway.  Primarily, it has been used to facilitate group consensus statements. 

First, I should probably define a consensus statement.  In Humanities, we do a great deal of group discussion before we "answer" open-ended or critical thinking questions.  The groups then developed a consensus statement, which is a well-written glimpse at the discussion.  It is almost as if this statement is a window into the discussion.  All group members should agree on the statement and everyone's ideas should be represented. 

I've had students create consensus statements and submit them in a variety of formats: a single paragraph answer that is read to the class, a class Verso discussion, and a Sway.  My favorite, when doing a novel study, is using the Sway.  Students are always amazed at how easy it is to make a well-designed response.  They add to their group's Sway so that by the end of the selection/novel, they have some culminating answers that will help them prepare for the assessment and will capture the most important aspects of the piece.

Pros of using Sway for this activity:

• Simplistic
• Easy to share
• Many authors can manipulate the content, but it appears cohesive due to the layouts

Cons of using Sway:

• Difficult to change groups
• Limited in the types of responses at this time (voice recording would be AMAZING)