Zack Lesser’s Comments on Teaching with Technology
I want to draw everyone’s attention to a recent Almanac article that Zack Lesser, an Assistant Professor in the English Department, wrote about how he chose to use technology in the classroom. Dr. Lesser calls on all of us to think first about why we would use technology before we get excited about the “bells and whistles.” It is also fantastic that this essay is about successful use of technology in a Shakespeare class and worth reading for how he transformed his class.
He also discusses his experiences in the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Teaching with Technology Seminar. These seminars are discussion groups aimed exclusively at faculty where they can discuss why they use technology in their classes. There are people on hand who help with questions about how to use the technology but the real focus is how technology can benefit student learning. These events are a useful place to send faculty who are interested in using technology or who want to use technology more effectively to engage students. I would advocate sending any faculty who use PowerPoint to the upcoming event on PowerPoint (Monday October 20 from 2:00-3:30 in the seminar room of the Weigle Information Commons). I used to malign PowerPoint but after the conversation with Drs. Mike Kaplan (Biology) and Jay McInerny (Classical Studies) I have come to see how it can be a great tool for engaging students (rather than letting them sleep in the dark while the slides pass by).
If you enjoyed this post, please consider to leave a comment or subscribe to the feed and get future articles delivered to your feed reader.
Comments
No comments yet.
Leave a comment