Thoughts on advances in technology

In class this week, I mentioned that sometimes classes are better left not integrating technology into them because it's either forced, awkward, or not necessary. When Dr. Lomicka asked me which classes I've had in which this was the case, it reminded me of a course I took as an undergraduate at Duke University more than 10 years ago. It was a Spanish course and the teacher, presumably a TA, tried to use powerpoint and overhead projectors perhaps in an attempt to make it easier for the students to read the notes. (Her handwriting was not particularly neat.)

But more often than what should have been the case, there were often tech problems in which the computer running Powerpoint would lock up, the bulb in the overhead projector would need to be replaced, or the actual equipment had been removed and had to be located. All of these problems would result in lost class time.

Because this course was in Spanish literature, it seemed unnecessary to me for there to be such an emphasis on using technology. If the students read their reading passages and books, they didn't need to see the teacher's notes on the board. And the time spent locating missing overhead projectors and rebooting a computer using Windows 95 was time that could have been spent discussing the class material.

Dr. Lomicka reminded me that the mid- to late-90s was the "bells and whistles" phase of CALL. Back then, there seemed to be a greater emphasis on learning how to use the new technology rather than showing how that new technology could actually help people learn. In retrospect, perhaps I should give this Spanish teacher a bit more credit for at least trying to jazz things up a bit. And maybe because technology is a bit more advanced and more reliable now, technology probably would be more likely to enhance (rather than detract from) that class.

Then again, a part of me still thinks that sometimes there's just no substitute for having the students go at it with each other unencumbered by setting up computers and and plugging in wires. But I graduated from college in 1999, so maybe I'm just an old fogey who likes the old way of using technology:



Regarding Powerpoint (PP) specifically, I think it can be quite useful in that students can print out the main notes and not have to spend so much time quickly trying to scribble down what the professor says. However, I really don't like it when professors read their PP slides word for word with minimal elaboration. To me, that makes it seem like the professor is unprepared, doesn't know the subject matter so much, or is lazy. I could easily just print out some PP slides and stay home if the lectures are going to consist mainly of reading PP slides verbatim.

On the other hand, PP can be a useful organizational tool. Most people can type faster than they can write, so this can be a big time saver. And if you use the bullet points in PP as a springboard into other discussions or points of elaboration, I think it's great. The key here is to let the technology assist the teacher, not become a substitute for the teacher.