Joe Bauman - Teaching With Technology
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Pedagogical innovation with technology
My application of technology to teaching
One of the ways in which I have used technology in an innovative way is by posting class lessons on Angel, Penn State's Course Management System. After presenting a particular lesson, I can make it immediately available to my students by uploading it to the online course space provided for the class. I simply create a folder in which to place each lesson, and organize the lessons chronologically.
Once the lessons are uploaded, they are available at any time for any of the students in the class. Thus, students can use the course syllabus (also provided online) to find the week and day on which a particular topic was discussed. Then, they can find that particular day on the list of lessons and download the corresponding PowerPoint presentation at their leisure.
This allows the students to review lessons for exams and takes pressure off of them during class, as they need not feel like they must constantly take notes. If there is something they would like to review, they can download the necessary presentation even immediately after it has been presented in class.
Another way in which I implement technology in an innovative way is through the use of links to websites on in-class PowerPoint presentations. I can insert a link into a presentation so that students can get outside information regarding a particular topic, and in the case of teaching Spanish, it allows my students to see the real-world application of their second language. For example, if I am presenting a lesson on sports, I can include a link to a Spanish-language sports website, ESPN Deportes:
I feel that both of these innovations are useful in providing students with as much information as possible, and utilizing the potential of technology. Some students seem to actually expect the availability of such materials, but in most cases, they appreciate the convenience of having these sources of information at their fingertips at all times.
Using Angel for grading
Another useful tool available on Angel is the grade review cabability. As Angel records comprehensive, detailed information concerning student use and activity scores, it is easy for an instructor to retrieve important records as needed. By utilizing the grade review tool (which is part of the course management options), I can quickly look up student grades, whether for my own use, for reporting mid-term scores to students, or for clearing up any questions that students may have about their scores. Angel automatically saves all of the scores for each student on every quiz that has been take. This way, a concrete record of all of the students' work is accessible at all times, and confusion or discrepancies can be avoided.
Using Angel for instruction/testing
In addition to aiding an in instructor on administrative tasks, Angel can also serve as a powerful instructional tool. As an example of using Angel for coursework, I have created two sample quizzes on Angel. The first quiz is designed to cover a basic grammar topic for beginner Spanish students:
The second quiz covers basic vocabulary for basic Spanish In this example it deals with the names for articles of clothing and accessories.
Using Angel to communicate
Another extremely useful aspect of Angel is its application as a communication device. This communication (often between an instructor and students) can come in many forms. For example, e-mail and message boards provide an opportunity for two-way communication:
In addition, Angel class spaces can be used to post a calendar, a syllabus, or any other form of one-way communication, as a means of one-way communication:
The Pennsylvania State University. Copyright 2008.
Last updated on:
April 23, 2008 12:26 PM
Email: jrb922@psu.edu