Reading Notes #2

I found both readings particularly helpful as I begin my first teaching assignment this semester. The authors have made me think of what my past instructors class and lecture styles were like as well as activities I have done in the past. I have tried to discern what it was about the class or teacher that made it interesting or not interesting to me, and also which classes did I learn the most from and why?

I enjoyed both chapters authors discussion of the use of technology. Lang discussed the pros and cons of technology and gave useful information on black board while Davis focused more on tips for using technology in the classroom. While I am familiar with Blackboard from both a student and teaching assistant perspective it was useful to hear from Lang the reasons it can be so helpful to a teacher. He mentioned it can help with organization and efficiency for courses you will teach again (55-56) as well as its use for reproducibility, documentation, and plagiarism (57-58). For me as an individual who is less than organized sometimes it seems as though I should definitely be using this tool. I often fear that I will lose a student’s assignment either the paper version or delete it by accident on my Blackberry. I also sometimes question what to do about late work. With Blackboard I like the aspect of electronic submittal to an area not in my email inbox and that I would be able to tell if an assignment is submitted late or on time. Personally I have little experience of technology use in the classroom beyond PowerPoint, overheads, and PRS as a freshman 10 years ago. My instructors have been PowerPoint lecturers and I am interested to hear some new ideas.

My discussion questions on technology include:
1. What technology have others found useful to use in the classroom?
2. Other ideas than what is mentioned on effective ways to use Blackboard?
3. Any personal examples of either of the above topics
4. What are the feelings of others in the classroom about technology?
a. How much is too much?
5. Does anyone have any good websites they have used for resources/ideas for using technology?

The suggestions on the lecturing chapters by both Lang and Davis were excellent. Lang recommended keeping lectures short or breaking them up every 15-20 minutes with video or group discussion in-between. The research he provided was helpful in backing up his logic behind the chapter. Both texts mentioned using questions or conceptual ideas to begin a lecture and start students thinking. When discussing asking questions both authors said to pause and wait without answering your own question. I found this hard for my instructors but it is important to stand your ground on this one. What are the qualities of a good lecturer? There were many ideas and suggestions presented but what are the most important to remember?