Teaching with Technology: Integrating Instructional Technology into Your Courses

Teaching and learning can be enhanced through the effective use of technology. This section opens with links to several websites that provide Student Perspectives, Strategies and Examples, and information on using Technology for Courses in the Sciences. Mega-sites on Technology in Teaching provide articles, research reports, teaching strategies, and examples of technology integrated into courses. The last five sites focus more specifically on Course Development incorporating technology, and Specific Teaching Strategies such as using active learning with technology, and methods for expanding classroom communication.

Student Perspectives:
“Student perceptions of technology in the classroom: The good, the bad, and the ugly,” Gabie E. Smith (Elon University).
Describes results of a survey assessing college students’ responses to the use of classroom technology.
Link: http://faculty.mckendree.edu/ATLAS/student_perceptions.htm

Strategies and Examples:
Teaching Strategies: Technology in Teaching (University of Michigan, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching).
This webpage provides links to articles on strategies for using technology effectively and other issues that arise when technology is incorporated into the classroom.
Link: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/tstrategies/tstt.html

Instructional Technology (University of Michigan, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching).
Scroll down to “Tips and Examples of Teaching with Technology” for links to sites that provide examples of University of Michigan faculty using instructional technology, tips, a model, and additional resources.
Link: http://www.crlt.umich.edu/inst/inst.html

ITeach Professional Development Center (Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, The Center for Teaching and Learning).
Developed by faculty, this site is another helpful resource for using technology in teaching. Under the category “Online Teaching,” it contains well-annotated links to online courses, tutorials, and other resources for teaching with technology.
Link: http://www.ctl.mnscu.edu/iteach/index.html

Technology for Courses in the Sciences:
Learning Through Technology, LT2, (University of Wisconsin, Madison).
This site was designed for postsecondary instructors of Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology to provide information on using technology to enhance learning in these fields. Includes descriptions of technology in use, case studies, and assessment materials.
Link: http://www.wcer.wisc.edu/archive/cl1/ilt/intro/intro.htm

Mega-sites on Using Technology in Teaching:
e-Learning Centre (United Kingdom).
A comprehensive site offering information and services on e-learning. “Library” contains links to articles, papers, research reports, and resource collections; “Showcase” provides examples of online courses and projects; “Products and Services” provides links to e-learning tools, systems, and other resources.
Link: http://www.e-learningcentre.co.uk/index.html

Technology in Teaching and Learning (Learning and Development Services Center, Edith Cowan University, Australia).
Provides a searchable database of over 2000 selected sites, articles, and documents dealing with technology in teaching and learning. Includes case studies of effective online teaching and information on using technology in campus-based, hybrid, and online courses.
Link: http://www.ecu.edu.au/LDS/pd/ttl/resources.html

The TLT Group: Teaching, Learning, and Technology.
Provides information on many aspects of using technology for teaching and learning. Some materials and services require a subscription, but much online information is free. See especially the Free Resources section and TLT-SWG. Includes introductory information on teaching with blogs, wikis, podcasts, etc.; assessment materials; discussion groups; and much more.
Link: http://www.tltgroup.org/

Course Development:
Hitchhiker’s Guide to Course Development
A site dedicated to helping instructors design courses that integrate technology at various levels: classroom-based with web-presence, web-enhanced, web-centric, and online. Offers step-by-step tutorials at each level with specific planning guides, teaching strategies, and assessment tools.
Link: http://midsolutions.org/cms/

Keep Toolkit (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching).
Provides a set of web-based tools, such as templates and guiding prompts/questions, for enhancing teaching and learning through the effective use of innovative technologies. Includes case studies and exhibits.
Link: http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/programs/sub.asp?key=38&subkey=112

Specific Teaching and Learning Strategies Using Technology:
Active Learning with Powerpoint (University of Minnesota, Center for Teaching and Learning Services).
An online tutorial on using Powerpoint more effectively in the classroom: for active learning, active lecturing, assessment, and educational games. Includes five short videos discussing different ways to use Powerpoint to support learning.
Link: http://www1.umn.edu/ohr/teachlearn/tutorials/powerpoint/

Blogs for Learning (Michigan State University)
This site is a resource on using blogs for instructional purposes. Contains articles, case studies, and interactive tutorials on creating, using, and maintaining an instructional blog. Also provides a blog for brief contributions on blogging called The Learning Curve.
Link: http://blogsforlearning.msu.edu/

“A Flexible Alternative to PowerPoint,” Richard Olivo (Harvard University, Derek Bok Center).
Describes the use of a Web browser for teaching, offering guidelines for creating presentation pages and multiple links.
Link: http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/html/icb.topic58474/notPPT.html

Using Online Technology to Break Classroom Boundaries. Speaking of Teaching, Stanford University Newsletter on Teaching, Vol. 8, No. 1, Fall 1996. Adobe Acrobat/PDF.
Ways to integrate technology into on-campus courses to extend communication beyond the classroom: email, course web pages, electronic discussions, mailing lists, Usenet Newsgroups, and class bulletin boards.
Link: http://ctl.stanford.edu/Newsletter/technology.pdf

“Handbook for Instructors on the Use of Electronic Class Discussions,” Nancy Chism (Ohio State, Office of Faculty and TA Development).
Guidelines for using electronic communication to extend classroom boundaries. Presents several electronic discussion formats, the need for goals, and tips from Ohio State faculty using electronic discussion in their classes.
Link: http://ftad.osu.edu/Publications/elecdisc/pages/index.htm

See also on this site Using the Internet for Instruction.