An issue that plays a greater role in the lives of teachers now than 10 years ago is technology. Ten years ago, lecture and the chalkboard were the primary teaching tools for many college faculty members. With video projection units in many classrooms and students having their own computers, the options for including technology in teaching increased.
But how can we as teachers use that technology effectively?
- PowerPoint -- Students can spend much of their college life watching PowerPoint presentations often in darkened classrooms. PowerPoint can help organize a class presentation but also can confine the class -- eliminating class discussions and making students focused on getting the PowerPoint slides and often not the bigger picture those slides should highlight.
- Course management systems -- UF's e-Learning system can provide a framework for the course, from class online discussions to posting grades. But the e-Learning system can be slow and tedious for both students and teachers.
- Wireless ability -- UF is wireless in almost all locations. How can that help improve learning, and how can wireless ability perhaps distract students.
- Mobile learning -- Almost every student and teacher has a cell phone. The majority of undergraduates in our college have laptops. How can we take advantage of those mobile technologies?
The issue of technology use is even more important in our college, as most of our undergrads will be trying to get jobs in the media industry, which is using more and more technology applications.
So I decided to set up a team blog for us to use -- gatorcyberslate.blogspot.com
Having our discussion on Blogger gives us a media-related experience beyond what we would have in a group discussion in e-Learning.
We'll work on the guidelines for best practices for using a team blog as we use blogging as a teaching and learning tool this semester. I've had a blog before but not a team blog. I look forward to us sharing readings, ideas and questions through blogging together.
I'd be interested in your comments about:
- Your blogging experience. Do you regularly read blogs? Do you have a personal blog? Have you blogged as part of a job?
- Effective technology use in an educational setting. What have you found to be helpful uses of technology in classes you've taken or taught?
20 comments:
I have some limited experience blogging. I kept a blog for approximately a year, but I haven't posted to it in months.
As a TA for MMC2100, I use the video projection unit in every single class meeting. I like having the ability to immediately show information to the entire class without having to prepare transparencies in advance. As a class, we're able to look at examples, check out Web sites, or watch video clips.
One of the reasons I'm excited about taking this seminar is to learn more about how to use technology in the classroom.
Last semester as a senior at the University of Maryland, I had the opportunity to develop and oversee a blog for the ESOL program on campus.
Working with a team of undergraduates , I wrote blog entries for the ESOL students about various aspects of American culture so that they could better assimilate.
Not only did I use words, but I also posted videos and pictures. ESOL students commented on the blogs, which always offered questions to them. The students working with me would respond back to the them, creating a running dialogue.
The experience was rather amazing as I saw the potential of blogging as students with little knowledge of American culture were able to gain valuable insight from their American peers.
I plan to write my thesis on the effects of implementing American culture blogs into ESOL programs for students at universities across the country.
I have had classes in the past where we had to keep a blog, or run a website. Both engaging and interesting forms of technology that kept most people in the class involved.
I have no blogging experience although I considered starting a blog to chronicle the adventure of returning to the university full time as a middle age doctoral student. In a technology course for my masters degree, I studied the free speech issues of blogs sponsored by multi-national corporations, such as Microsoft and Google. It's an interesting issue as it involves employee rights--some high tech companies encourage their employees to blog--as well as the parameters of free speech overseas.
My masters program relied heavily on PowerPoint for classroom presentations although we did access websites during class.
I am definitely interested in learning more about incorporating technology in engaging ways into teaching. As more and more media writing includes web components, I'm interested in learning how this will be part of MMC2100 and how we can effectively teach web writing to students.
In my experience, integrating technology into the classroom can be successful when it supplements rather than supplants traditional teaching methods and interaction.
Take PowerPoint, for example. I liked using it in my Law of Mass Comm class because there was so much information to cover that I wanted the students to be able to listen and think about the lecture rather than furiously writing down notes. That said, I made it clear that the slide materials were not the sole source of information and it was important to supplement them with what was discussed in class. Previous sections of the class I have had experience with have complained that a test answer "wasn't on the slides." So it is always important from the outset to let students know how particular technology will be used in the classroom and what purpose it will serve.
I don´t know if I should be ashamed or not, but I have never had a blog. I usually don´t read blogs, either.
Partially, I have behaved like that because it seems that most of them are not updated frecuently or are not leaded by a person who really knows what he or she is talking about.
Some blogs, on top of that, show many typos, grammar errors and fact errors, so they lose credibility in my eyes.
Maybe, what I need to do is find an effective blog, like this could become, about topics that really interest me. Also, I recognize that some blogs are very interesting because they challenge the view of traditional media: suddenly, the journalist is not the only "voice" about a subject or topic. Many blogs not only give a different point of view, but show that the journalist is simply wrong about the facts.
In my case, I use the projector in the labs to show examples that I take directly from Word documents that I printed previously.
I had been in many classes where the professor uses PowerPoint presentations. At first, I was very interested in this tool. Now, I guess I got used to it so I don´t find it so interesting anymore. The Power Point should point out the main issues but not replace what the professor should teach to the class.
First and foremost, I haven't ever gotten into blogs. I started one once for silly and imature reasons and only wrote one entry. I occasionally consult blogs now for literature for my speech and debate team.
But my experience with technology in the classroom is much more extensive. Essentially, I've faced mixed results.
As background on my understanding of the uses of media and technology in learning it is useful to note I took some classes in Media Literacy studies during my Education days that substantially broadened my ideas about how media could be used in the classroom. Around the same time I began teaching undergraduates classes like Introduction to Public Speaking. In these classes the students expected PowerPoint slides for many of the reasons that Mark indicated. Namely, they wanted the test questions readily available at all times. ;-)
In the public speaking class, the book had a companion website that the publishing company requested all teachers use. This would be somewhat similar to WebCT. The website was useful in that there were many resources for the students but most never utilized them. It was, therefore, my job to make sure that the students did use the companion website. But it didn't take long to realize that the website was clumsily made and difficult for all of the class to access. This lead me to give up on the website for student use, and I only used it during classtime.
However, I am absolutely an advocate of using technology and media in the classroom. But it is our responsibility to use these tools appropriately. One of the problems that can come about is that the teacher may use media or technology as a stand in or, (like the criticism of many parents these days) a baby sitter. This can be a problem. As teachers we can't assume that our students gain the same understanding of the technology and media that we use in the class. Media needs to be justified within the curriculum. In other words, we can't just show a film in a class because we like it if we can't connect that film to a larger concept.
The closest I come to doing anything with blogs is on MySpace and that is rare. I update mine every few months and almost never read others. I've never really thought of it as a teaching tool. I've always tought of it as a personal online diary or journal, such as a weB LOG. I think the use of video, internet conectivity (for certain uses), and different software can be excellent teaching tools.
We've all heard about blogging for a while now. I've always seemed to have equated it with citizen journalism. But my experience in reading some blogs has shown me otherwise... for instance, in this class, we are using this weblog as a "new teaching and learning strategy." It certainly is for me.
I've have yet to set up my own blog or been part a blog before, but I also have never really been opposed to the idea. In fact, I have often recently thought about setting up my own blog, as a way of posting news stories about issues that I thought were important, or as using it for purposes of "historical documentation"/ a journal of events and circumstances that occur from day to day.
In news reporting, I have learned to be critical of the information that is presented in blogs, whether on their own or associated with newspapers. In fact, we often don't use material from a blog, even if the article presents relevant information.It seems that the level of credibility associated with those who blog vs. (for example) write for a newspaper is still at variance. Is this due to the a lack of fact-checking? Due to it being a "newer technology"/ communication method? Maybe both.
Nevertheless, I am excited for the opportunity to integrate a new practice into my skill set; there seem to be many of those this semester.
Kara, I agree about practicing a new skill set--certainly many new ones for me this semester. With technology at the top of the list, Linda
I am a big fan of blogs and blogging. I keep a personal blog and used to publish a blog for a magazine before I had to give it up because I had no time for it. I read/scan blogs frequently, and I am very interested in them a a research topic.
I taught a class on New Technologies and Society in the DR and had students build blogs as part of their assignment. Honestly it worked better with some students than others, because some really could not get into it, while others keep their blog to this date.
I have a blog, www.areyoutalking.blogspot.com, which I started after I graduated Appalachian State University in 2002. I wanted to be able to keep my friends up north up-to-date on my life. It's very casual, though I often like to get on soap boxes about the world of journalism, etc.
I don't read blogs unless I know the author. As a newspaper person, I will probably always get my news from newspaper Web sites or print editions. I don't find political/social blogs to be very reliable. There is no accountability.
I have also had to contribute to blogs set up for my classes. Honestly, my classmates and I did not get much out of them. The blogs became something additional to worry about, and they did not add to our conversations in class.
One piece of technology that has been helpful in my classes is YouTube. It is a great resource for getting free videos related to the topic being taught. The videos are a great way to break up the monotony of lecture.
I've never had to blog as part of a job, but I read blogs as part of my research. The fallout from The Washingtonienne blog is the focus of some of my privacy research.
I'm not a regular reader of any blogs, but I do participate on internet forums.
One thing that always strikes me about blogs - or posting on the internet, period - is that comments can stay around forever and be sent to millions. There's no concept of a fleeting comment - you have to have supreme confidence in what you're posting because it can always be associated with you.
Yet, I think blogs are a fantastic form of communication. The fact that we're all on here commenting on this post is evidence of that. It enables us all to construct and share our thoughts on this topic.
I think the best use of technology in education is, like Mark said, when the technology actually makes a presentation better. When you can have visual and aural presentations come together, it enhances the entire lesson. Too often, PowerPoint is used as a crutch.
I have had one fairly successful blog. I blogged about sports in Philadelphia for a few months prior to moving to Gainesville.
Now, with little free time, the blog is in hibernation. However, prior to my blogging sabatical, I was on pace for over 100,000 page views in a year.
I think blogging and other new technology are great resources for higher education teaching.
Patrick and everyone, Do you think there is way we could involve our lab students early in the semester in blogging? I asked my labs what areas they wanted every help with--after I gave them some extra comma help. Things they think would be helpful for them to know/learn/try?
Linda
It just occurred to me that I've been avoiding this part of the assignment like the plague; I've been lurking on the blog but finding excuses not to post every day. It finally just dawned on me (when Dr. Dodd called some of us out for not having posted yet!) that I've been avoiding it for a reason--I really hate blogs. I'm not at all sure why! I'm not a technological "laggard" by any stretch of the imiganation, and my research area of chcoice even includes libel online, which makes for blogger-heavy research. So why my reluctance? I think it has the potential to be a great discussion tool for class. After giving it a little more thought I think my reluctance to take part in a blog has to do with citizen journalism. I'm a snooty, old-fashioned journalist who likes reporters to be reporters. That's embarrassing to admit, and I'm not even sure that's exactly how I feel about the whole thing, so please don't give me too much guff! I'm admitting this just to inspire some discussion, because I'm ready to have my mind changed! (And to learn how to do this blog thing!)
I've enjoyed reading all your comments this week. Your individual comments help me know some of the issues we should discuss tomorrow in class when we "debrief" from this activity and consider how to incorporate our class blog into the course and how to make the best use of technology in our teaching.
Thanks to all who have posted comments.
We have a small class by university standards -- only 14 students. But in class we wouldn't have had the opportunity to have each of you share this much of a comment. So we've each had the chance to express a view and had the opportunity to see what others think.
I don’t have my personal blog and it makes me feel like I am an ape :-)
But one of my research interests includes using new technologies in communications especially in crisis situations. When I taught PR and AD campaigns in Korea, I used PPT along with video clips and DVDs, trying to incorporate some technologies into class. I am going to teach Principle class next semester and I am so excited that I can be better prepared at the end of this semester!
The World of MomBlogs
I'm started some preliminary research about Momblogs. I didn't know until two weeks ago they existed--although a magazine group in my former company hosts them--and now find them quite interesting from both the journalism and societal perspectives. Two that I'm paying attention to are www.parents.com (serving the Meredith Corp. magazines with parenting content, primarily Parents but also American Baby and Family Circle) and www.parenting.com, the rival major publisher of parenting content. If you are interested, google the websites, and click community upper right to reach the blogs. Both home pages are set up the same way--also interesting. Both also invite parents (there are some dadblogs) to set up blogs. My initial impression: parents.com may serve as more of a gatekeeping function, but I haven't had time to drill down on this.Initially some of the blogs seemed to have been up in "crisis" situations--premature birth etc.--or to follow a challenge (child with autism).
I was wondering if I posted my momblog comment in the right spot--blogging is still new to me--and I'm confused about finding where to post.
Any help welcome!
Also looking for Amy's post and can't find it.
Linda
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