I am arguing for my college to integrate technology we already have into our classrooms.
Classrooms should integrate software packages we already have.
Look at document design and graphics with desktop publishing. This would be useful for marketing, English, design, and other courses.
Show how databases and spreadsheet programs match up with what we are already doing in our classroom and how they can make our work more effective. This might be a way to help the students figure out their averages in the class on their own. (They seem to have trouble with weighted grades.)
Use podcasts in the classroom. The students could create podcasts. The teachers could add lectures to the class by doing them as a podcast and using class time for integration of information.
Math classes could take advantage of tech and use the inverted class technique.
Use the computers more effectively. Use the internet to teach technological literacy. (Fixed as per Elizabeth’s comment.)
I want to talk about information literacy as part of digital literacy, as I started to in this post, but I haven’t finished thinking it through. It’s been almost two years. Maybe I should get on that!
The link you reference as “teach information literacy” is not about information literacy, but about technological literacy. The two could not be more different.
Amen!
After coming to MLA, my friend and I feel like we are behind the curve on technology. But after talking it over, even though we could brush up on our Twittering, etc. we realized were not the limiting factor–it’s the facilities at our school AS WELL AS our students that are the limiting factors. I like this idea of incorporating what we already have–we spent more than a few minutes in our last department meeting discussing how to get students to get their MLA formatting correct (simple formatting issues). I mean, it was an intense discussion and we weren’t even talking about content!
Elizabeth E, something that worked well for me in the classroom with MLA was to have the students come in with their sources. Then I took one source and wrote it on the board correctly. (We had gone over how to do them the class before.) Then I had someone come up and put theirs on the board. We talked about where it was correct and where it was off. Then we erased both and had two people come up. Eventually the whole class had come up and everyone was correcting the person at the board before they finished writing.
This has worked multiple times, not just once, so I recommend it.
It is easier to do if everyone is using the same type of source for the one on the board. I’ve done it for internet quote sites, for Opposing Viewpoints, and for scholarly articles out of JSTOR and Project Muse. Mixing the groups is harder.
The first mention of MLA I meant MLA: Modern Language Association convention in LA (where I met you). The second was obviously how to get your margins/headers/formatting correct. Sorry for the confusion.
I like your idea, and may try to incorporate it. Thanks!