After nearly twenty years in the technology industry, I think I understand the value of technology without giving in to the temptation to use tech for tech’s sake. The so-called “bleeding edge” is great for exploring, but in education technology only has real value if it facilitates real learning. That is why I make it a point to both keep abreast of technological advancements while only implementing those which have proven value to my students.
In the summer of 2018 I was privileged to participate in DePaul University’s Online Teaching Series (DOTS), “an intensive, 40-hour faculty development program that prepares faculty to design, build, and facilitate successful online courses.” The objectives for the course were:
| Identify strengths and weaknesses of example online courses. | Organize online course content so that course objectives are clearly aligned with assessments and instructional resources. |
| Identify key standards and requirements for quality online course design. | Write and structure course orientation materials and assignment descriptions to ensure expectations are clearly communicated to students. |
| Develop course objectives that are clear, concise, and measurable. | Identify appropriate technologies to support a course’s learning activities and create a multimedia-rich and engaging online course. |
| Create activities and leverage technologies that foster a sense of community in an online course. | Facilitate online learning activities and assignments using popular collaboration and communication technologies. |
Here are some of the current technologies I have been using and/or following…
some technologies of note
Learning Management Systems
Live and Recorded Audio and Video
Academic Integrity & Review
Student Response Systems (“clickers”)
Classroom Presentations
- Microsoft PowerPoint (popular and mature presentation software)
- Prezi (Web-based presentation software)
- ShowMe (digital whiteboard app)
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