How are you using technology in the classroom?

I use technology to facilitate dialogue between course participants, share resources, collect / grade assignments, support the modal learning preferences of students, and provide a variety of ways for students to demonstrate their learning outcomes.

How do you integrate technology into your courses?

I integrate technology into my courses by weaving the exploration and use of technologies into class activities and course assignments.  For example, I focus quite a bit on reflection and reflective practice; As one course assignment the students join our class blog and post their reflections regarding the course and their practica experiences to the blog.  The space the blog creates is also valuable for the purposes of student collaboration and the construction of dialogue.

How do you see technology improving learning?

I see three major ways that technology is improving learning: 1) Information is ubiquitous, information about just about anything is now accessible anytime anywhere; 2) Technology creates opportunities to better support the particular needs and preferences of learners (i.e.; assistive technologies); and 3) Connections, technologies support connections; people to people, people to information / knowledge, people to organizations, organizations to organizations...the more connected we are as active agents the better able we are to optimize our learning and create meaningful outcomes from the implementation of our knowledge.

How have your students responded to your use of technology?

At first they seem to be a bit hesitant.  However, as the semester progresses they begin to understand that the technologies that I have integrated into the course are reducing the overall logistical friction and creating many more learning opportunities for them to explore and experience.

What does technology add that would not be possible without it?

The ability to support students preferred modalities and the speed of communication.

What new goals do you have for using technology in teaching?

I have been tinkering with Secondlife and Active Worlds.  I would like to work towards including interactions in a 3-D digital universe as part or all of some class sessions.  In addition, I would like to create more opportunities for students to publish and share their professional level work.

What is your biggest challenge in using technology in the classroom?

The wide variety of comfort levels students exhibit regarding their use of technology

Are you using technology in any interesting or unique ways?

I use the course blogs to provide support analogous to mentoring, particularly, with respect to psychosocial support.

Is there anything in particular that you love (or hate) about technology?

I really don’t like it when something is supposed to work and it doesn’t.  Technologies need to be cash money every time.  I love the fact that as a particular technology progresses somebody always seems to come up with a disruptive innovation which greatly reduces the purchase price of the technology and seems to speed up its progress towards becoming much better, smaller, and more user friendly.

How are you using technology in your daily life?

Connections; technologies keep me connected to my family, friends, colleagues, and mentors.  Also, they assist me tremendously in responding to the myriad of questions my five year old son asks me...the earth weighs approximately....

If you had to pick one technology item that you couldn’t live without, what would it be?

It has been around a while but...the laundry machine.  I can’t imagine hand washing clothes for four people everyday.