Internet Technology
There are so many free applications available to enhance your learning environment. Instructors should constantly search for new ways to reach their students with technology.
I completely agree with you. I use the technology a lot to teach my students. Also, there are some good tools that can help an instructor to make the learning much easier.
Although these applications are free, does every student have to 'create an account' with logon/passord information and if so, how do you prevent all the marketing information now being sent to you and students from setting up an account to use the free application?
Robert,
A great question and a valid concern. As a user of SlideShare, Second Life, Collaborize Classroom, the many free Google apps, as well as other online resources, I find those geared towards education do not fill my in-box with Spam. Weekly or daily reports is the worst of it and the frequency of these notices can be adjusted in the preferences. The one intrusion I find is Google seems to know my every move and personalizes the marketing pushed my way, though this can also be limited by modifying settings.
Wishing you continued success in the classroom.
Theresa Schmitt
Keeping the curriculum interesting is always a challenge I face. Students of today are very hands on oriented and need a variety of teaching methods to enhance their learning. Student's need to be exposed to different teaching methods to keep them interested. It is definately a challenge instructors face, but they must learn to use technology as it is the new direction of learning.
I totally agree with this, as an Instructor i always try to find new ways and ideas to bring something new to my class. It not only keeps students engaged but it also shows them all the different options and ways of learning they have. Technology is the future and its a fun and easy way to learn and keep motivated
Patty
I agree and keeps the students excited about learning.
The biggest challenge we have here is getting our curriculum department to get on board with the new technologies. Everything we have to show them has to be approved by the curriculum dept. and the response we sadly get back from them is "Its worked that way for 9 years, why change it now?" The main reason is because you have had the same material for 9 years! How do you try to persuade an older generation that doesn't like technology to get on board?
It breaks the routine and add excitement to the classroom.
I like to have little google races in the classroom. I give my students something to research, tell them no wikipedia and have them race to see who can answer the fastest.
Students definitely need a break or change-up from just having the instructor lead the class. In some courses that involve voluminous, technical content to be mastered, sometimes technology can be utilized as a catalyst for discussion, examination and application of material they have "learned." This strategy is useful when the material plain and simply has to be taught first and taught very effectively-simplified, broken down, and made relevant to them. There is just some coursework that can not be delivered through the "bells and whistles" approach. But the learning can be assessed by utilizing gimmicks to bring the material to life and requiring students to apply their learning to analyze the scenarios.
