New Technology
My previous teaching experience was at a public high school. I was using a textbook that had no supplemental materials such as lesson plans, computerized test banks,power point presentations, etc. I had to develop all those materials on my own.I now teach @ a career college that all the materials like the examples listed before are provided. This does not mean that I don't have to prepare my lessons but it eliminates the stress of developing the the examples listed above.
Technology definitely is a plus when it comes to lectures and quizzes. Teaching a new class allows the opportunity cover pertinent topics in lectures that are going to be in quizzes. Thumbs up for power points!!
Warren, Yes technology can make all the difference and I love Power Point too. What's great about using Power Point is that it allows us to save and organize our lecture materials for the future. It can be great for sharing materials with fellow faculty members too!
Dr. Melissa Read
Jim, So glad to hear you found a textbook that is well supported by its' publishers. Some publishers have wonderful materials to compliment your teaching and grading, already prepared. So it's a good idea to reach out to your publisher and ask what's available, especially when you are asked to use a new textbook.
Dr. Melissa Read
I teach in a field that has no textbooks per se; only manuals, handbooks, and other publications considered authoritative (doctrinal). These do not have supplemental materials for lesson plans, exams, etc. There are, however, on-line courses for some of these topics that I can access and use as a resource. Almost all of my lessons are are on PowerPoint and so are the on-line materials. I would save time by finding and using these as applicable.
While I could be using Power Point, I tend to use Excel. This lends itself well to Accounting classes where I can go to a spreadsheet to show or demonstrate and then go directly back to the lecture notes. I also add homework to the file and provide templates of the worksheet needed to solve the problem. The student gets the file with: Lecture notes, Homework and templates.
Terry, That sounds like a fantastic system! Goes to show that there is no best tool out there, but rather the one that works best for you!
Dr. Melissa Read
I also teach at a career college. The text books we use also have technology support. I use the test banks and power points but I do make changes and add pictures or other info as needed.
I really like the idea of using Google groups to answer questions that students may have. I even set one up to try as I was going through this forum. I am looking forward to using it.
