Teaching with Technology

Part 1. With the hope of all of us being “forward thinkers” in education, we strive to incorporate the latest and greatest information and communication technologies in the classroom to maximize learning. Then reality sets in and we are confronted with the question: What happens when it just doesn’t work? There will be students and co-workers that will push back for any number of reasons and they will have to be cared for regardless of how great we thought our original plan was played out. Understanding why this may happen in your classroom may make the difference in success and failure. Current philosophy holds that today’s working environment is a world of collaboration and knowledge sharing and that as educators; we owe our students the proper curriculum that prepares them to succeed in a distributed world. In my own practice of experimenting with new technology in CTCH 603, I understand the frustration of attempting something new on-line without having training or prior knowledge of use or even the luxury of having an expert to turn to in time of need when everything goes sour. Technology change is fast paced and highly visible but the adaptation into the classroom by instructors or its use by students may be painfully slow. Many faculty members initiate “delay tactics with drag your feet attitudes” that administrators have to constantly deal with. Any of us with older family members has experienced at some point the reluctance to try some new technological change. For faculty and staff members, there are four common reasons to being technology adverse in the classroom. First, a basic lack of awareness and interest in the technology itself, most likely due to getting the word out effectively that change is coming. Second, a strong lack of motivation to learn something new and having to possibly change established teaching patterns. Third, a fact that most change brings about a strong feeling of fear and anxiety (been there). And fourth, the introduction of a state that is far from equilibrium, a “don’t rock the boat” mentality.
One of the most common issues that students face in the on-line environment (possibly the hardest form of teaching) is the feeling of being out there on their own. For students who have experienced the more traditional face-2-face learning environment, the change to on-line can be a challenge. Interestingly, a point made by many of the students was that “instructor engagement” was a key factor to “student engagement”. I believe this is a common theme for both using technology in the traditional classroom setting and the cyber environment. Instructor emails, feedback on Blog/Wiki postings, and utilizing CHAT on Blackboard push students to think beyond their initial input. It helps them visualize their classmates and believe they are part of a real team. Active instructor participation also sets the standard for others to follow in keeping everyone engaged and making the class truly worthwhile. The use of technology in traditional classrooms does not come without its problems as well. Some students feel that blogging was just too time consuming and the use of multiple technologies was just “a duplication of effort”. For students new to the cyber world, just learning the technology in itself took time away from the real course content. For geographically separated students, technology incompatibility presented access problems, and for others, just using something new was a non-starter. Although not without its problems, collaboration and knowledge sharing with technology is, in the end, a critical part to successful teaching in the on-line classroom environment. Together with strong instructor participation and encouragement, it can be a successful part of the traditional classroom as well.

Part II: (Teaching assignment) No idea, still struggling with this one.

Reference: Moershell, L. “Resistance to Technological Change in Academia.” Current Issues in Education; Vol 11(6). N.p. May 2009. On-line. 04 Feb 2010.
Reference: Zach, Lisl & Denise Agosto. “Using the Online Learning Environment to Develop Real-Life Collaboration and Knowledge-Sharing Skills: A Theoretical Discussion and Framework for Online Course Design.” Merlot Journal of Online Learning and Teaching; Vol 5, No.4. N.p. 04 Dec 2009. On-line. 05 Feb 2010