Millikin University Board of Trustees October 3, 1997

Teaching With Technology Presentation

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Teaching With Technology at Millikin University

Teaching Researching Communicating Creating

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Teaching With Technology

Millikin prides itself in blending theory and practice, and in most disciplines and professions, the practice has been transformed by technology. Our students need to learn how to use the technology of their professional discipline. These disciplinary skills often require "experiential learning" methods in which students learn by doing and reflecting on the results of their attempts to apply their more theoretical knowledge in actual situations.

It's not a question of teaching about technology--the point is to enhance learning experiences through the use of technology. Technology is not content; it is a vehicle. So where are our faculty taking students by teaching with technology?

(1) Bringing the technology into the classroom:

Mobile Computer Carts traditional delivery of instruction multimedia content for students digitized demonstrations

(2) Extending the classroom into the world beyond:

Web Access In Every Classroom webized course content * access to experts & other views * access to web content & tools connections to other students

Faculty will teach with technology employing a variety of approaches, some enhancing traditional presentations and others taking a more experiential approach. The technology does not necessarily alter teaching approaches; it simply has the potential to enhance proven, quality teaching methods.

Of course, some faculty will take advantage of new approaches to teaching and learning, which are only possible with technology. Let's consider some examples.

researching or back to top

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Researching

Research in all academic areas has become technology dependent. The sciences require the use of data collection instrumentation and analysis technology. The humanities have led efforts to create new electronic forms of academic journals, hypermedia texts, and indexes of scholarly materials.

(1) Using technology for research at Millikin:

Technology Research Projects behavioral science experiments biology/physics labs user testing in publishing classroom

And all of the disciplines and professions require more sophisticated skills in searching for relevant information by means of technology.

(2) Using technology to search for information:

Mobile Computer Carts librarian demonstrations in classes professor's links to related web sites ACI workshop on search strategies *

communicating or back to top

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Communicating

Communicating with technology at Millikin has the potential to change the nature of learning. Communication technologies allow students, faculty and distant community members to more fully participate in learning experiences beyond the time constraints and physical walls of the traditional classroom.

email access to external sources & experts teacher/student email conferencing class listserve discussions sharing files in drafts faculty web pages (alumni contacts) * student web portfolios

creating or back to top

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Creating

For me, the most exciting education potential of teaching with technology is that students can move beyond the consumer metaphor, merely receiving professed information, and become creators. Using the technology, our students can wear multiple professional hats and complete amazing projects:

recording & producing music CDs publish monographs & newsletters create artwork produce a documentary create hypermedia reports design web pages for clients *

As I said at the beginning of this presentation, it's not the technology that we're teaching. It's where our students can go with that technology. And of course, the exciting thing for faculty is that our students take us along with them for awhile as they race off into the future.

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