Best
Practices for an e-Classroom
Not all classes need to use the mobile computing
environment (wireless notebook). After weighing the advantages and disadvantages, faculty
interested in adopting or experimenting with notebooks, may find these points helpful:
- Although faculty have many challenges
in their work-life, the addition of technology to the classroom offers faculty
opportunities to reflect on how to
best foster learning
in their students. Although it may be too much to expect all faculty to embrace
the most recent discoveries in learning theory, it is important to note that
notebooks
and other
e-learning strategies appear to be most effective when they are used in combination
with teaching methods that rely on increased student participation. The key
is to create active-learning
opportunities, and not to resort to passive-learning methods.
- Articulate to your students when
you expect them to bring notebooks to the classroom. Given the weight of these
machines, students may opt to bring
them to
class only on the
days they are needed. Also indicate the importance of pre-charging the batteries
for use in the classroom.
- You have the option of instructing
the students to use the notebooks at some but not all times in the class. The
best way to do this is to have a screen-up
and
screen-down
time. By folding the notebook screen up or down, the students can shift their
focus appropriately. This can prevent the inevitable use of the notebook by students
to
check e-mail or for
Instant Messaging.
- Most students are extremely comfortable
with modern technology (often more-so than faculty). However, be aware that some
students may experience problems
completing
tasks on their notebooks. Reasons may range from those dealing with accessibility
issues (for example vision impaired), or a lack of familiarity with a specific
software application.
Campus resources are available to help students in these situations:
- Note that students are almost certainly going to run into problems
if they are using specialized software that may be discipline-specific.
Provide
adequate
help to
your students in these cases since no UD provided support would help
in these situations.
- Make sure that you are well-versed with the software that you
are going to use in the classroom. Both the hardware and software should
be comfortable
to you.
As any
teacher would testify, technology sometimes goes on the blink... so having
a backup plan is always advisable. Since an e-classroom may have a notebook
for
each student,
there
are going to be many times when one or more students are unable to participate
if they experience problems. Make allowances for notebook sharing in
such circumstances. Faculty
needing training in the use of basic application software can turn to
UD IT Training for assistance.
- Although they can be used for keeping notes in the classroom,
there are some potential problems. It is virtually impossible to create
sketches on a notebook
in
the classroom.
Placing figures and diagrams on the Web is one way around this problem.
Be aware of copyright issues when placing media such as this on the Web.
Increasingly,
faculty are placing
their entire set of "lecture notes" on the Web - frequently
in the form of Microsoft PowerPoint files. You do not need to export
these files into
a HTML-format
for students to be able to view these files, since the UD notebooks are
pre-loaded with
PowerPoint.
- Notebooks are well-suited to recording the activities of team
projects in-class. Faculty unfamiliar teaching through the use of
teams, may want to first
become familiar
with the best practices associated with assigning and managing students
in groups. Numerous books and articles have been written on this
subject.
- By turning to a more active-learning approach, faculty must
be aware of the need to increase student-student and student-teacher
interactions.
Although
technology
can
be a part of this exchange, many faculty are either unfamiliar
or uncomfortable with increased discussion in the classroom. Excellent
resources are found
on the Web and
a number of books have been written on this subject.
- Furniture and/or the classroom architecture may need upgrade
or modification to enable e-classroom teaching. Excellent
model classrooms exist at UD, such
as the John
O. Geiger Studio in the LTC. Faculty can experiment in these
spaces prior
to making a commitment to using an e-classroom approach in
their traditional classroom.
Consult
with
the department chairperson concerning the possibilities of
teaching in these model classrooms or the upgrade of existing facilities
within your
department.
- The amount of time used in e-classrooms for lecturing
is most likely going to be less than in traditional classrooms.
This creates
a need for knowledge
to be shared
with the student by some means other than lecture. Textbooks
or their CD-ROM equivalents offer a familiar resource
that can be embraced
with new vigor. However,
alternative
sources of knowledge can be considered, such as primary
journal articles or on-line databases.
To provide impetus for students to use these resources
prior to coming to an e-classroom, teachers should award credit
for the quality of
in-class activities
or alternatively
quizzes can be employed. Its also important to use in-class
activities that require or build on knowledge gained
from outside the classroom
so that students recognize
the value
of study prior to the class.
- Seek feedback from your students as you make changes
to your course. This information has numerous uses,
but most importantly
it can help
you determine
how effective the changes
you make are, and whether you need to make modifications.
Numerous assessment techniques exist, and the use
of notebooks in the
class
offer even more
possibilities such as
the use of e-mail. Remember that anonymous feedback
is more valuable.
- Consider pursuing a scholarly investigation of
the changes you make to your course. Journals and
conferences within your
discipline provide avenues
for sharing
discoveries
and a means to build a reputation in scholarly research.
- Take time-out to reflect on your own progress
in creating a meaningful learning experience.
The process of any educational
transformation can
be slow and frequently
needs additional changes where warranted. Sharing
your findings with colleagues and seeking their
input is one
of the best
means of making
further changes that
improve
your teaching
style.
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