Pedagogy and the use of Technology

Why use Technology?

When I talk to many faculty members about why they are interested in using technology in instruction, I get a diverse and varied set of answers:

• because I have to
• because all my colleagues have web courses and I don't
• because I have a technology grant
• because I want students to have access to the material

Everyone has a different reason for wanting to incorporate technology, but few of us really understand the basic reason:

• Technology can improve the quality (and quantity) of instruction.

It is that simple.

The Web (and other technology) can not only help you achieve current pedagogic goals, it can help you set new ones you never dreamed possible before.

Beginning

One of the most common questions asked when beginning a web-supplemented or web-based course is, "How, exactly do I integrate technology into the learning process?"

Perhaps this is the wrong question to be asking.

• The goal is not to use the technology "because it is there."
• Use it because it helps us accomplish our goals and enhance the learning process.

The web and web technologies are no longer "bleeding edge," but proven, stable technologies.

There are a few constraints in using these technologies, but there are solutions to every problem.

The true pedagogic benefit of the web comes in the methodological possibilities.

So, instead, we ask:

"What are my goals and how can technology help me achieve them in a way that traditional means cannot?"

Before even beginning to construct our course, we must understand the paradigm shift since the art of teaching on the web is different to what you are currently used to:

From		To
classroom		web
teacher-centered		learner-centered
comprehension of content		acquisition of content
content		process
subject-oriented		task-oriented
class		session
theoretical		practical
individual		team
print media		mixture of media
fact-centered		problem-centered

 

The First Step