Those of you who know me or have heard me speak, will find a familiar phrase here - technology used for the sake of using technology is doomed to failure. So, before you even begin to think about using technology in your class, you must first determine if technology is in fact appropriate. If it is, the second step is to determine the best technology for your needs. The choices seem almost endless as they continue to grow and evolve over very short periods of time. It's also a good idea to remember that using technology does not always make things quicker, it may in fact add time to your normal preparation, but can be well worth the effort.

What a tangled Web we weave...

Ah, the Web...if you're not using it, you're not where it's at! Well, maybe. Many of the faculty here at the college do in fact have a Web site and use it for class information. This is one of the basic technologies and one of the easiest to use. Posting your syllabus, class assignments, etc. is informational and very useful to your students. If you're going to dip your toe in and test the water, this is a great place to start. From this point, you can begin to branch out into many available options.

How do I determine what technology to use?

There are several factors involved choosing the appropriate tool for use in your class. First, you'll want to take a look at your own instructional methods. Sometimes it's best to stay in familiar waters until you become comfortable with the use of technology. Here are a few of the more popular instructional methods and the corresponding technology to consider.

The next step is to determine what tools are most appropriate for your objectives.

When you're new to technology

Starting out can be intimidating and many times seem overwhelming. Most of the experts will tell you - start out in baby steps. You also need to remember that things are going to fail. Sounds like a great thing to try, right? Well it is, and it can have a great impact on your students if you're willing to give it the attention it needs.

For the beginner, it might be best to stick to the basics that follow pretty much what you've been doing all these years, delivering information. Begin by posting your syllabus to the web. You may also want to consider adding any class handouts, announcements, sample quizzes or papers. This can be done using something as simple as your word processing software (which will save as HTML) or using Adobe Acrobat to make a Portable Document File (PDF). Adobe Acrobat is available in the computer center and you can scan document into the program for use on the web.

Another small step would be to add email to your arsenal of teaching tools. You can facilitate questions and answers through the use of email. Students can submit papers or other assignments via email. When you get ready for a bigger step, you can set up discussion groups in Eudora to facilitate group work and collaboration among your students.

If you want to promote collaboration and discussion in your class, consider using computer conferencing. Computer conferencing allows students to discuss topics in a reflective manner because it is done asynchronously. It also allows the "quiet" student to participate on equal footing with the more vocal students in your class.

Conferencing allows students to see threaded discussions, which gives a hierarchical type of arrangement on the screen. Typically, conferencing is instructor led, but you could choose to have students lead particular discussions.

When you want to get your fingernails dirty...

Consider having students produce web pages as a class assignment. It allows them to function on a higher level synthesizing the information they have found and presenting it in another venue. Most students will have little trouble developing the web pages. Front Page (an HTML program) is available in the computer labs for student use.