Teaching and Technology
As a graduate student, my experience with what I've dubbed 'technological teaching' has followed two complementary trajectories.i. the role of the student in the classroom 2. the role of aspiring scholar and independent researcher. These two functions, I believe, nicely summarize the experience of graduate studies. As a student of the classroom, blackboard has proven an invaluable tool. Accessing material digitally, on -time and almost immediate feedback, as well as the ability to submit material electronically have increased my efficiency as a learner. However, my experience hasn't been without its problems. My biggest frustration with blackboard in particular might be described as a high variation in the way that blackboard is used across classes. More specifically, in some classes, blackboard itself was used so inefficiently that I found out at sometimes the last moment that I in fact did not have access (specifically if I was signed up for an independent study with the instructor) to the required material, even though the instructor had been sure that all students had access. In my role as an aspiring scholar, I've benefited most from the existence of course websites and teaching/research portfolios. Course websites are invaluable tools for aspiring future instructors to develop their own teaching material and syllabi. As one professor recently put it, '' there are many ways up the mountain'' if teaching is analogous to climbing up a mountain or finding your way through a forest. Assuming that classes that I plan to teach in the future resemble-as they most assuredly will-already extant courses in my field, course websites provide exemplary ways of 'finding your way' up a mountain or through the forest. In that respect, perusing such websites would also allow future instructors to identify ways in which their approach to teaching might differ from more conventional or existing approaches. Research portfolios on the other hand, have been increasingly useful for me as I moved from the status of the 'consumer of material' to (aspiring) producer. Not only do they give an idea into what types of currently unpublished or working papers exist in my research topic, but also provide insight into the existence of data and the different methodological approaches employed in studying my topic of interest.
The above paragraph touches on two or three types of technological tools : blackboard, course websites, teaching/research portfolios of instructors and /or faculty members. The list of tools may be broadened to include course-specific software such as statistical packages, presentation tools such as Powerpoint or Latech, and teaching-tools that might exist within blackboard or other communicative tools such as discussion forums, announcement pages, and audovisual tools that might specifically be relevant for language-learning. The greatest strength of all these various tools is their ability to appeal to individuals of different learning types. Approaching the issue from the standpoint of an instructor, I'd emphasize this common strength the most. To delve into the issue a bit further, among students I've found the distinction between 'global' learners and 'factual/local' learners to be the most marked. Whereas the former group enjoy discussing abstract statements and theories, the latter group can recall and cite examples from historical events or figures. Discussion forums are a great way to provide interchange between the two groups. I've also found that discussion forums complement in-class discussion by allowing students to think about the topics ahead of time, and by ensuring that the material has been read on a timely manner. In addition, discussion groups appeal to both individual and group-learners, the second most prominent distinction in learning types that I've been able to witness in the classroom. By complementing the inclass discussion, online forums encourage individual thinkers to voice their opinions as well.
The above points are relevant for my role as an instructor in the social sciences in several respects. First, learning in the social sciences draws on different types of learning abilities. In order to fully appreciate theory-building, students need to be independent thinkers and thus utilize the 'individual learning' style. On the other hand, however, theory-building cannot progress in a social vacuum; instead, scholarship develops through debate, argumentation. In that respect, students are required to use the 'team-learning' style. A similar complementariness in learning exists for the global/local divide. In my experience of teaching three types of courses, Intro to Political Science, Theories of Developing Countries, and International Security, students have needed to draw on historical/factual knowledge as well as on abstract, conceptual.thinking.
My goal as an instructor might best be defined as a 'guide' through the myriad ways through the forest or up the mountain of material to be learned. A colleague and a friend describes this approach as that of a 'scout'; another colleague likens the tools of learning to the tools of a carpenter. However it is described, it hints at the same idea. First, face-to-face classroom experience may be complemented by the use of various technological tools. Second, as I've touched on elsewhere, the goal is not to use technology for the sake of appearing 'advanced' or 'hi-tech' but to use it as a tool. Thirdly and relatedly, there might be variation in the extent to which technology is needed across classes. For instance, 'Theories of Developing Countries' relied more on extensive handouts but did not encourage online discussion. Whether the introduction of online discussion forums would have benefited students' experience remains an open question. In contrast, International Security was a more hands-on course which required students and instructors to perform a United Nations simulation. The use of blackboard as a logistical tool-in setting up the simulation, letting students know of meetings of delegations with heads of state, and of groupings, providing feedback-was definitely essential. Finally, the use of how much or the ways in which technology is used might not only depend on the content of the course but also on the size of the class. Smaller classes might be more reliant on face-to-face time whereas online discussion might assume a more significant role for large classes.
In sum, my approach to teaching recognizes that there are many ways to teaching and learning and uses technology as a complement to and as an instrument to finding the most optimal way.
