I still remember the first time a student used an iPad in
class. He was presenting on some concept or another in They Say / I Say, and
began by placing his tablet in front of the document camera. Words and pictures
were projected for the class as he read and elaborated on the main points, quickly
swiping between slides all the while.
It took me about ten seconds to realize that he was simply
projecting the e-book version of the book, and for that ten seconds I was
impressed with the student’s presentation building skills. Then I was appalled
at his lack of preparation.
That was 2010. Ever since that time I’ve had an aversion to
using iPads in class, which is odd because I am a proponent of technology in the
classroom in general. My distaste comes from, I’m sure, my student’s use of one
as a means for laziness. Certainly I agree that interactive ebooks and other
tablet accessible tools are useful, but using new technology as a shortcut or “just
because it’s there” detracts from the learning process.
In my mind using something like an iPad as a teaching aid
comes with great responsibility on the part of the teacher and the student.
Just like using PowerPoint is often seen as tedious and nap-inducing, so too
can forcing the use of a tablet, smart phone, or web-based learning tool. As
teachers, we must develop our curriculum in such a way that technology enhances
student learning, not just because it’s expected of it.
I’ve heard of several English departments that require graduate
students to create a course website before they begin as graduate teaching
instructors. To this I nod in approval because I think it important for budding
scholars to have a web presence, and heaven knows that teaching multimodal
literacy often requires skills like web design, but the fact that instructs
must have such a site is troubling to me. How many GTAs new to web design
simply created a site because they had to and thusly designed a course that was
more clumsy and inefficient than it needed to be? Such sites can be wildly
helpful, but understanding how to use such technology for student benefit is of
paramount importance.
Now that I’ve ranted, here are a few ideas on how to
effectively incorporate technology in the classroom:
1.
Electronic responses to papers: For years I
hated track changes. Now, as an editor, I can’t live without them. Using track
changes allows you to suggest rewording without scribbling in the margins.
Similarly, the comment feature allows you to point to a troublesome passage
instead of drawing arrows and circles that are, honestly, confusing as all get
out.
2.
ebooks: A few years ago ebooks were basically
just PDFs on an electronic device. Sure that can be handy, but I’d rather have
a physical book. In 2012, though, many ebooks have interactive features that
link to the Internet and/or additional content. Often times teachers will show
a video or a still image to supplement a written work. Today, many ebooks do
this work for you. Projecting an ebook to the class (much like my 2010 student)
can be really useful in linking concepts between texts.
3.
Message boards or social network-style
communication: Some forward thinking corporations are getting in to this, which
just goes to show how smart teachers are. Utilizing a Course Management System
with a social network-style “wall” (er, “timeline” I suppose) is a great way
for students to ask questions and get quick answers (and not necessarily from
the teacher!). What’s even better is that these questions are asked publicly,
though students usually have the option of remaining anonymous, and they’re
answered publicly, so the teacher won’t get fifteen emails in one night asking
the same question. Plus, conversations are housed on the CMS so students can go
back to them later.
There are many more suggestions I
could bring up, and still others that you may be able to contribute. Please do
share if you feel the urge! I’m interested to see what everyone else thinks
about technology in the classroom.
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