Mike's Reading notes #2

Reading through the assignment for this week, I will agree with what others said in that there was a wealth of information to sort through. Also, that large amount of information was fairly straight forward. With that said, there are still some places I would like to focus on for this week's discussion.

One thing I would like to know more about is how do you approach teaching a class that requires a large amount of information, but simply doesn’t have enough time? (Davis) Obviously you want the students to benefit as much as possible, but you don’t want to leave out necessary information either. Considering this type of course will likely be a lecture, how do you get at Davis’ suggestion to make “ear not eye” lectures, or rather lectures that appeal to someone who is listening and writing furiously, rather than watching a Powerpoint?

There was also mention of taking time to meet informally with your students. Do others feel this is OK rarely or on a regular basis? I’ve had both sides of the spectrum in the past with professors. Some would have no problems sitting down and having coffee with me off campus somewhere, while others would seemed to avoid their students like the plague. I’m torn on this issue and would like to hear what others think.

If the opportunity presents itself in a teaching environment, I’m a fan of interactive technology that students can use. I have recently been introduced to Smart Boards, and can definitely see the benefit to using that. I would like to hear how you can use an interactive medium like this to facilitate learning, rather than just letting students basically play with it.

I’m in a bit of disagreement with the text when Davis says not to use “eye candy” in Power Point lectures. Personally, I don’t know very many people that thoroughly enjoy text only presentations. I’m not saying we should use comic book sound effects and explosions, but what are some other approaches to keep Power Points interesting without going into the “eye candy” that Davis suggests.

I like how Lang points out that online services like Blackboard can bring a class together. I think it is also worth noting that having online discussion away from class might also give those students who don’t participate much in class, an avenue to contribute to overall classroom learning, even if it is virtual. I do think it is also important that a teacher know hows to adequately operate the electronic medium they are using to communicate with students. Throughout my education, on many occasions, teachers were trying to use new mediums to deliver course content, and at times it really disrupted the flow of information. Especially when the technology was working properly, it was just operator error slowing things down. I believe it is equally important that a teacher be proficient with the electronic medium they are requiring students to use.