My task for this week was to find an article related to how teachers are using technology to enhance learning. The first article I came across was this quick read by Vicki Davis. She provided 10 examples of how teachers have incorporated tech in their classroom. One teacher had students create Twitter handles using names of famous Aztecs. As they walk through the history lessons, students sent tweets that stated how they think a historical event transpired. I was inspired by several of the examples shared by Vicki, but then I started to think about how these ideas would align with higher education. Based on the provided examples, I assumed that most of them were drawn from K through 12.
I have found the delivery of most professors to be predictable, and this could make learning more of a chore. However, a select few have made an effort to teach outside of the box. One professor used a survey app to push questions to us [students] as we moved through the lesson. In fact, the professor projected our collective responses on a screen and we discussed each element of the lesson with great detail. The professor used this tool a few times throughout the course and I thought it was a great way to spice up an otherwise mundane topic. More importantly, I noticed that people were fully engaged. Learning should be fun, and I think his use of tech helped to make that happen.
One challenge for higher ed is that we may sometimes find that our class population is not homogeneous. Meaning, some students may be technologically challenged, and some students may not have the means to purchase or participate in certain platforms. If we decided to make technology a centerpiece to our lesson plan, we must keep these type of issues in mind. With enough creativity and patience, we can bring along those who are not savvy with technology and we can ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to participate.
If any of you have used technology as a centerpiece to learning, I would love to hear about it.