Paula’s E-Musings

The September/October 2007 issue of EDUCAUSE Review was all about how the faculty use emerging and collaborative technologies, and how to provide systems and services to support their efforts. Last week our Information Resources group and The Faculty Development Center co-hosted a retreat for faculty, technologists, and librarians. The faculty attendees ran the gamut from early adapters of technology to those who had recently begun creating online collaborative teaching environments. And many of the discussion topics reflected the “It’s All About the Faculty” themed issue of EDUCAUSE Review as noted above. Faculty talked about a variety of e-learning experiences. Several have begun using wikis and blogs. We learned how others have their students create podcasts and other digital media. We even got to see SUNY Cortland’s island on Second Life and hear how faculty are using this virtual world to engage students.

Some examples of what is going on in the classroom here at SUNY Cortland:

• An historian using wikis to help the students get a sense of how history is recorded;
• A psychologist giving in-class quizzes using clicker technology;
• Students in professional writing classes collaborating on Second Life with students in Japan, Korea, France and Canada;
• Students in a New Media course composing music, then sending it to another group in the class who create a video from the music score;
• Biology faculty collecting field data through cell phones and PDAs and having that data instantly available on the server;
• An art historian who has moved from analog slides to exclusive use of images through the ARTstor database.

There was a lot of energy and excitement throughout the day. Although it was a typical cold Cortland winter day, participants ventured outside to have a geographer lead them on a geocaching adventure to locate eight sites in the downtown area.

In the afternoon a panel of faculty and technologists relected on their experiences in using and supporting technology in the classrooms. The faculty readily admitted that their success in the classroom depended on the technology working flawlessly; labs are expected to always be in working order. Technologists emphasized that ongoing communication about faculty needs is critical, and the technologists should be consulted as soon as faculty begin to consider any new technology. As more faculty than ever are using Web 2.0 applications and other emerging technologies, we must continue to expand our infrastructure. Our resources are being stretched as we learn about new applications while continuing to support more traditional technologies.

We’re in a dynamic environment and a culture of change. We’re embracing the 2.0 world with new technologies as best we can, working closely amongst ourselves and staying in touch with our faculty. The partnerships are growing and together we’re creating a vibrant community of discovery and learning.