When I teach, technology is a tool, not just bells and whistles. I cannot understand why an instructor would use technology to be popular or entertaining for students. I use technology to add some variety to the learning process; a chalk board or whiteboard can serve the same function as the doc cam. The doc cam is also like the old overhead projectors (except that it does not get so hot sometimes that it burns my hand). The advantage of the doc cam that I had not had before is its ability to project textbooks (no transparencies). But, back to my point, I have used these machines/tools to give the students something else to look at besides me. These technologies add interest to my lesson. It gets pretty tedious to listen to a professor read from his yellowed notes for over an hour.
Also technologies allow me to give students a chance to experience the text like listening to Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his "I have a Dream" speech or watching a video on the Katrina hurricane. Some students learn better by doing so technology like the Internet or D2L discussion allows them to be active in their learning.
I am excited to learn more about the technologies presented in class and how to be utilize them. I want to know what other instructors have tried so I do not have to reinvent the wheel - so to speak. I also look forward to the class discussions; other perspectives from instructors remind me what I may have forgotten.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment