Instructional technology can be a powerful and highly effective teaching tool. A technology rich classroom environment stimulates different learning channels (auditory, visual, etc.) and facilitates different learning styles. Instructional technology can make it easy to display and combine text, graphics, sound, video, and animation. It is easy to update and customize text and graphics. Additionally, the instructional materials are easily made available for use by students outside the classroom around the clock.
Suggestions for Using Instructional Technology
- Start from the course objectives and ask if and how technology can be used to promote those objectives.
- Survey students about their familiarity with and access to computers and software. Make sure that all students have fair and appropriate access to the technology required for the course.
- Take into account your own capacities. If you are not comfortable using the technology or do not feel that you can become comfortable then you may not be able to use it to its best pedagogical advantage.
- Balance face-to-face interaction with students with the use of technology-based instruction.
- Be sure that students have resources to help them understand the technology. These might include online tutorials, manuals, or a bulletin board for posting questions and answers.
- Consider both technological and non-technological options. Do not assume that a particular teaching method must be better simply because it employs more technology, or that technology will be too hard or unwieldy to use in your course.
- Become familiar with the technology resources on campus. Publicize the hours and locations of campus computer labs or other facilities, in the event that students do not have either computers or appropriate software for personal use.
- Familiarize yourself with any technology that you propose to use. Ask yourself whether your students will already be familiar enough with the technology to operate it themselves (if necessary), and, if not, whether it is reasonable to expect them to learn how to use it for the purposes of your course.
- Determine how you are going to get feedback on the pedagogical and logistical success of your use of technology.
- Identify students who may have higher levels of technological expertise, and enlist them to help other students, if possible.
The rewards for using instructional technology in the classroom can be immense. But one should be prudent in its implementation.
Hardware, software and infrastructure requirements may be costly. Technology and software often requires substantial time and effort to master. This can be an impediment for instructors designing a course, and for students, who may need to spend time mastering the technology or software in addition to the course materials.
Source: University of California, Berkley |