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The goal of this two-day workshop is to not only to show
you how various technology tools work, but more importantly how
to incorporate these tools into part of your overall teaching
goals—how to grapple with the choices offered by technology.
Indeed, you may already be familiar with some of the applications, but what we hope to do is rather than simply introduce it, we would like to elevate the kinds of thinking that go into working with technology—the good and bad aspects, how to use it more thoughtfully and effectively.
Of course, there are times when old standards work well (chalk and the blackboard) and we've started the workshop in this room and with discussion to emphasize that class planning has to start with thinking about your ideas and goals rather than just jumping onto a keyboard.
Throughout the two days, we will discuss pedagogical concepts as well as technological tools, and we will give you time to work on your own on applying these ideas to your own course development.
Online Collaboration
| Using Audio and Video | PowerPoint | “Homework”
for Day 2
Technology should support your teaching goals rather than take over your course.
To ensure that those goals are at the center of your workshop experience, we’ll start with reflecting on what matters
most to you in your teaching, as well as some of the specific challenges you face. These conversations will then serve
as the foundation of your workshop-based exploration of technology.
Some resources relating to this discussion:
In a special report to the National Research Council, the panel on the impact of information technology in higher education states, "We envision a future, enabled by information technology and driven by learner demand, in which two of the major (and taken-for-granted) ways of organizing undergraduate learning will recede in importance: the 55-minute classroom lecture and the common reading list. That digital future will challenge faculty to design technology-based experiences based primarily on interactive, collaborative learning." While the older model webpage was a static space--a clearing-house for course information--and newer technologies such as course management
systems (CMSs) are primarily useful as tools for instructors to manage and distribute course materials in a one-way flow of information, the latest trends in educational technology emphasize precisely those elements of interaction and collaboration predicted by the NRC.
The wide appeal of technologies that encourage collaboration and interactivity can easily be seen in the popularity
of such non-academic sites as Facebook, LiveJournal, and
MySpace among many students today (undergraduate and graduate alike). While such sites are primarily oriented toward social networking, they superbly demonstrate the possibilities of sustained online communities that encourage a high level of individual user participation. The same fundamental principles are at work in some of the newest technologies that educators are embracing in order to encourage a more student-oriented learning environment. Some of these, including blogs, wikis and new pedagogical uses for Facebook, will be discussed on Day 2. Today, we look at three tools that may be useful when engaging students in collaborative projects.
There are many commercial and open-source programs available
that allow for different ways of structuring and managing online collaboration, but we'll briefly take a look at three: Google Docs and Spreadsheets, its companion, Google Calendar, and Zoho Planner.
All are free, though users must have or create accounts.
Google Docs and Spreadsheets allows you to upload Word documents, OpenOffice, RTF, and HTML files or create them from scratch. Multiple users can edit these files. Revisions are archived, so that all changes in the document can be tracked. There is also an in-text comments feature.
Google Calendar is an online scheduling tool. A calendar can be set up by one user and then shared with many others, who may be allowed to view and/or edit events. It is also possible for a user to have multiple calendars and view them together, so that, for example, you might view your personal and course calendars simultaneously to see if you have any scheduling conflicts. Google Calendars could be used as an alternative to the course calendar in Telesis, or as a way for groups within a course to plan their work on a project.
Zoho is a newer website that offers many applications similar to Google Docs and Google Calendars, all of which are free and can be used collaboratively. Zoho Planner offers a site for you to create to-do lists, upload files and images, set email reminders, and make notes about your activities and items.
In this segment, we will discuss the pedagogical possibilities of the latest forms of
on-line information sharing: audio clips known as podcasts and shared or self-produced video clips, found on sites such as
YouTube.com or video.aol.com. We will focus on how to locate and use existing material rather than how to create new material--since our time is limited and since ability to create video varies widely by department.
Video Examples:
These illustrate some of the many ways one might use online video content.
Youtube also allows you to assemble a playlist. Here is an example of a playlist Stacy put together for a lesson on the role of parent-child interaction in cognitive development.
A general site such as YouTube can be frustrating to search, however, since it offers such a variety of content, most of which is not meant for the classroom. Here are other video distributors that might be useful:
- www.fora.tv creates or broadcasts content from various recording forum such as CSPAN or author readings.
-
www.teachertube.com
was specifically created to house content that might be useful in class or for instructors who are planning lessons.
Some other useful resources relating to online video:
Audio Examples:
You may search through
National Public Radio
for broadcasts or interviews that match the topics in your course. Or, you can access free downloadable NPR content through the itunes store.
Many academic institutions now offer recordings of classes or guest lectures online.
More information on Podcasting:
Troubleshooting YouTube in the Classroom (from iTeach 2007 newsletter)
Whether you've created a hundred PowerPoint presentations or have never used the application, this section of the workshop has something to offer you. We will begin this segment with a consideration of the various ways PowerPoint can contribute to effect teaching-- including interactive approaches that are often overlooked. We'll consider uses and abuses of PowerPoint, and offer you a framework for making sure your use of it supports, rather than hinders, student learning. Of course, we'll also provide how-to instruction, including the basic mechanics for beginners as well as tips for more advanced users. We will also work with Microsoft Office's newest version of PowerPoint, which you may or may not have seen before.
Resources for assessing the role and uses of PowerPoint in your teaching:
Day 2 of the workshop will be devoted to learning the functionality of Telesis by setting up a "dummy" course, which will require a syllabus in electronic form (a Word document, for example). This is an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the Copy Option in Telesis--any of the work you do here in the "dummy" workshop example will easily transfer to your future course.
1. We encourage you to bring your own syllabi for courses that you have taught in the past or will be teaching/TAing in the future, so that you are working ahead to the class that you will teach.
For various reasons, however, you may not be ready to work on the Telesis site for your class. If not, you may use syllabi from courses you have taken, or you may choose one of the following samples or the syllabus finder resource from George Mason University:
2. Bring additional course materials that you would like
to use in your course, including:
- Articles and handouts for distribution to students (such as
Word documents or PDFs).
- Useful links.
- Images.
3. In order to experiment with blogging during tomorrow's session, please accept the e-mailed invitation we will send you so that you can join the GSSW 2007 blog, which is hosted by
Blogger
. Our site is located at:
http://gssw2008.blogspot.com.
(These instructions are repeated in the blog section of Day 2)
| Sample
Student Views on Classroom Technology and Learning Styles |
| “We
are very proud of our high-tech classroom. The use of
the projector/computer/DVD player helped w/ visual learning.
Discussion on the chalkboard helps make connections. Telesis
is very useful. I probably check it at least once a day
to make sure I’m up to date with assignments. I
enjoy the links (News Hour, extra credit links, etc) and
that I have the reliability of posting to Telesis.” |
| “The
use of the chalkboard is good for visual learners as
well as giving our class a little bit of movement :)
. And I need to say that I really appreciate Telesis.
I love that I can go there for anything from class.
I do confess I don’t use it often though. I don’t
have a computer so my computer/internet time is limited,
therefore I don’t get to spend much time reading
the discussion or checking out the links as I should.” |
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