Integrating Technology into Higher Education Coursework

Strategies
For technology to be fully effective, it must become a natural component of the learning environment.  Although technology can be used as an adjunct to a course -- for presentations, for research, for communication, for disseminating information and assignments, for writing papers-- its true power comes when students begin to use technology as an integral component to learning.

When pedagogy shifts from the traditional, teacher-centered model to an inquiry-based, student-centered model, integration of technology becomes more viable.  In this environment, students take a more active role in constructing knowledge.  They use technology as as assistant to support collaboration, to define and solve problems, to collect information, to draw conclusions and to share and disseminate their knowledge with others.
 
Quest 4: Identifying Strategies for Integrating Technology

Researching strategies taken by others can help you find your own methods for integrating technology.  Use the links provided to begin your search.

As you identify strategies, consider the following:

How can technology help you communicate more effectively
and efficiently than your current strategies?

 Think about how learning takes place -- 
is the lesson teacher-centered or student-centered? Is it inquiry-based?

What new approaches using technology would help students engage
more directly in their own learning?
Ten Ways to Integrate Technology - Joyce Morris This page, developed by Dr. Joyce Morris,  is a compedium of strategies for integrating technology into teaching. 
Multimedia  Students today are visual learners. Multimedia products appeal to multiple senses (print, images, audio, video) and address a variety of learning styles.  Use of multimedia can be found in --

Electronic Portfolios
Course/Professional Web Pages
Presentations

  • Powerpoint
  • HyperStudio
  • Web Pages
    • Digital Videos
    • Case Studies
    Audio Clips
    • Interviews
    Video Conferencing

    Look for examples of multimedia in the links provided in this and other sections of this webquest.  Information on specific products to support multimedia can be found in Resources.
    WebQuest WebQuests are inquiry-based activities that use resources found on the World Wide Web. They are comprised of pre-selected information and are designed to promote efficient web searching for analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. 

    WebQuests often follow a prescribed format, such as:

    Introduction
    Task
    Process
    Resources
    Evaluation
    Conclusion/Summary/Reflection
    CyberGuides CyberGuides provide supplementary, standards-based units of instruction via the World Wide Web.  The guides may contain the following components:
    Student and teacher edition
    Standards for the unit
    Task description
    Process
    Teacher selected web sites
    Assessment Rubric


    Example: DragonWings- Exploration of China Town
    Filamentality Filamentality is a web-based resource to create Internet-based projects.  The site provides a template for creating an activity and links to many resources.  It is password protected, but can be used to create "public" activities.
    Distance Learning
     

    Taking an Online Course

    Teaching an Online Course

    		 Increasingly, faculty members are interested in creating their courses for an online community.  The first step in approaching this strategy is to take an online course.  From this step, creating a course and teaching online follows.

    Dr. Joyce Morris has created resources to support faculty who are interested in learning about teaching online.
    ©Sandra A. Lathem, All Rights Reserved. 2002-2004.