“The most shocking part of going back to school at this point in my life (in her 30s) is looking around and realizing that nobody is in the room. The professor is just another open browser window, 1 of 10.”
Part of my role as Coordinator for Learning Technologies at Plymouth State University is to work with our faculty in adapting to the new technologies that permeate our campus. While this quote from a recent CNet News article is nothing new, it is a reminder that just as technology is changing the way we communicate, it is also affecting the way that we teach. As evidenced by the quote above from Sharyl Grant, a non-trad student at UNC, technology is changing the way we interact even in the physical realm. When the “professor is just another open browser window,” is that a function of technology or rather a dysfunction of our teaching practice? K-12 teachers have grown up In an age of multiple intelligences and learning styles, differentiated instruction and Bloom’s Taxonomy. Yet in higher ed where we often still practice the lecture to learn, drill and kill, one-sided conversation/passive consumption methodology of information dissemination, can we really blame technology for a lack of student engagement or is it just another outlet (like doodling and note passing) for those stifled minds who reject passive learning and are seeking an opportunity for engagement?
There are typically three schools of thought that seem to be prevalent. The first is the desire for an outright ban on laptop and mobile use in the classroom. Those faculty in this camp feel that their students should be focused entirely on what is being lectured and that technology serves only as a distraction to their learning. The second perspective is to simply ignore the technology use and pretend that it isn’t there, to teach around it. The last perspective is to embrace technology use and leverage it to make the class more engaging - integrating technology into their learning experience.
Now, integrating technology into the classroom experience at the higher ed level can be challenging and often means more preparatory work, and yet it has the potential to be far more engaging than the relatively static experience of lectures, overheads and PowerPoint presentations. Consider the opportunities for learning we could create if we tap our students’ affinity for technology by challenging them in class to find and share appropriate and timely references, news briefs, videos or lectures on our subject matter. Imagine if we showed our students how technology can serve them, rather than the other way around.
The 21-st century treats knowledge and information as currency and those who can effectively acquire, process and synthesize that knowledge into actionable projects and tangible results will be far better prepared for the world they will enter.
The image above is a screenshot of the resources I was utilizing to create this blog post. I tossed out a call for image resources to my Twitter network. I was searching for Creative Commons licensed images on Flickr. I was composing my post in my Flock (web browser) editor with my Google ReaderRSS feeds in the background. My feeds are what turned me on to this article and got me thinking about writing this post. Imagine the power of harnessing these resources to improve our classroom experience. What would a higher ed classroom look like if our students were actually engaged in the learning process, rather than sitting in their lecture seats as passive vessels? As web browsing becomes resource hunting, as personal Instant Messaging gave way to consulting one’s personal learning network, as students become partners instead of problems.
If the professor is simply browser window 1 of 10, the question then becomes this:
“Is the professor allowing this to occur because they have not created and drawn their students into an actively engaged learning community?”
Neither ignoring nor banning technology use will engage your students as effectively as embracing it and harnessing it for productive means. And embracing technology does not require that professors be tech experts, the students have that down. Professors just need to do what they’ve always done: share, guide, challenge and refine. They’re just doing it with more support and far greater resources than they’ve had in the past.
A big thanks to Christian Long at think:lab for pointing out this great video. If you are a teacher, know a teacher, or think you know what a teacher is or does, then this is for you.
April 4, 2007 at 12:30 pm · Filed under Diigo Links
Being the good doobie that I am, I decided it was time to take action when my wife Michelle started telling me how much she would love to enrich her classes by integrating more technology in the form of microscopes that can take digital images and connect to a projector, tablet PCs for drawing and developing in real-time with her class, perhaps even an Integrated White Board. So I began searching through back issues of E-School News and looking online for grants that we could apply for as funding in her district is pretty much non-existent. The links that follow are the superficial ones I found on short notice and some deadlines have already passed but I included them as they appeared to be annual grants and so it would give me time to prep for the next round.
Please feel free to contribute your own links if there are grants out there that you are aware of. Specifically, the grants should support science, education and technology through the purchase of appropriate technology (hardware, software, subscriptions to online resources) and/or training.
Some of the links below aren’t grants but rather awards for exemplary teaching. I’m biased but I think my wife rocks when she tells me about some of the wild projects and activities she does in her classes to get them excited about science. So now I just have to translate that into something that an award committee would value. I welcome suggestions as I am a n00b when it comes to grantwriting and awards!
Recognizing excellence in science programs. $2500 to enhance the program. Award includes attendance for winner at the NSTA National Conference. Deadline 15 Oct 2007 - post by edventures
Award for Middle- and High-school teachers demonstrating exemplary science teaching. $2000 award, 1-yr NSTA membership, $500 to attend NSTA National Conference. Deadline 15 Oct 2007 - post by edventures
The Free Geek Project - Here is a program worthy of note and emulation. Not only does it address the issue of the technology graveyard in a manner both unique and socially conscious, it’s underlying tenets challenge the paradigmatic approach to learning that our educational institutions have come to embrace. Watch the video, observe who is teaching us and think about how you could create a similar environment in your own teaching and learning world!
Technology integration is not a new problem, just take a look at this YouTube video for an historical perspective.
Passed on to me by one of my graduate faculty members.
UPDATE: The original link was taken down by the user, the new link above gives the video but without the English subtitles. But it doesn’t really matter if you think about technology support and watch the body language!
UPDATED UPDATE: ZrednaZ reposted the video by popular demand so I relinked to the version with English subtitles.
I’m at GMS providing tech support for my wife who teaches 7th grade science. We’re trying to connect an Intel Play QX3 USB Microscope (microscopy-uk article) to her classroom computer in order for her to conduct a hay infusion micro-organism experiment. The idea behind the microscope is to quickly show the class some of the protists that they are searching for. Unfortunately, the as with many schools, the lockdown on the local computer as well as her own teacher’s computer, prevents the installation of new hardware without an admin override. This protects the computer wonderfully at the cost of learning. To be fair, the computer teacher at the Middle School is the first tier support and he may be able to assist. I’ll update as I find out more.
Since I was unable to help out here, I thought I would take the opportunity to test the Internet access from the classroom. Here are my notes:
GIFs which pull from Flickr accounts would not display on the computer (the dreaded little red “X” appears instead)
del.icio.us is available (which is good as I just set my wife up with an account so that she can share resources with her class. However I couldn’t install the quick link buttons in IE due to admin restrictions)
SuprGlu available (one way to get around blog blocking and ensure some level of content oversight)
Edublogs.org blocked (discussion forums,hobbies/interest - see image below)
Now the St. Bernard software, as illustrated above, does allow for either an Override (if the educator has such privileges) or an Access Request from the local administrator. I am hoping that Michelle and her fellow teachers have this access and with it the trust of the district that her professionalism will ensure good decision making!
