By Will Later, OSU College of Liberal Arts
Depending on how many years a person has been teaching, that person has seen many changes in technology in the classroom. From just chalkboards to having to make transparency copies for the overhead projector or making sure the projector is on, developing online modules in Blackboard or Canvas, from worrying if a student is helping another student write their paper to having to worry about which AI program may be doing it for them. All of these changes have their ups and downs even outside of having to learn how to use them and how students may use them as well. Even starting to think about what technologies we can incorporate into the classroom can be intimidating, but that is what I would like to share in today’s post.
When I think about resilient teaching and what that means for me, it comes down to being able to adapt and change. Adapting to a different building I am teaching in, the time I teach at, the physical set up of the room, etc. The more I think about resilient teaching and adaptation though, I think about how technology might be the most consistent thing educators will need to adapt to.
If I am teaching primarily first-year college students who came straight from high school, I need to realize that these students have literally lived all their lives with social media and the technology that comes with it. With that lived experience, comes an expectation of technology being present when they come to college. So what kind of technology can I incorporate into my class? Better yet, what questions do I need to ask to determine what kind of technology I want to use in my class?
Do I want to record or live stream my lectures? Do I want to record supplementary lectures? Do I want quizzes/exams in-person or online? If those quizzes/exams are online, do I want them proctored? How large is my class? Do I want to have my student participate in lecture through a digital device and lecture questions? Do I want outside of class discussion online? Does every assignment need to be turned in online? Do I want to incorporate any AI programs intro the process of completing an assignment?
For me, being able to have a group to discuss these technology ideas has been very valuable. In my teaching I am part of a 10-13 person teaching team depending on the term where we can share ideas like this. Also having this Faculty Learning Community (FLC) to learn new ideas and new programs to be able to incorporate into the course. For example, in one of our last meetings I was introduced to a new program that solves a problem my teaching team had been trying to come up with a solution for all term. So, if there is something you feel like you are missing in your course or not working as well as you want it, reach out to the Center for Teaching and Learning and they can point you in the right direction. A great place to start as well is How to Make Smart Choices About Tech for Your Course by Michelle Miller.
In the end I think embracing technology is a positive thing, but you have to do what is best for you to get your message and information to your students. Everyone has a different teaching style and philosophy. If being able to incorporate some kinds of technology that engage students and streamline your own process is something you are interested in, there are lots of people to reach out to that know how to work them and can get them into your course.
Reference
Miller, M. D. (2024). How to Make Smart Choices About Tech for Your Course. Retrieved from Chronicle.com: https://www.chronicle.com/article/how-to-make-smart-choices-about-tech-for-your-course
About the author: Will Later, MAIS, is an Instructor in the School of Communication. He teaches public speaking, nonverbal communication, communicating online and is a former Benny the Beaver.
Editor’s Note: This is part of a series of guest posts about resilience and teaching strategies by members of the Spring ’24 Resilient Teaching Faculty Learning Community facilitated by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The opinions expressed in guest posts are solely those of the authors.
Top image generated with Microsoft Copilot
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