Technology in the classroom is a permanent fixture. Our world is much smaller now, the global landscape is very different, and in response, the way humans interact with each other, and the world has evolved. I am old enough to remember the pre-internet days, I have been a witness to this evolution.
Subscribers to constructivism will argue that face to face learning cannot be completely replaced. However, the practical benefits of online learning cannot be denied. Beyond the practical, there are other benefits to using technology in the classroom.
Before diving into EC&I 834, I wanted to reflect on the benefits that technology has brought into my own adult classroom. Hopefully this will provide a “before and after” overview of my level of knowledge and beliefs towards technology and the adult classroom.
Within the first week of teaching over Zoom, I noticed an increase in student engagement. My adult classroom is very small (less than 10 students each year) and every year the class has a different dynamic. The class that started in 2020 was particularly quiet, and I had a hard time engaging them individually, with the exception of the iClickers which provided anonymous responses. Even trying to get information about what they did over the weekend was like pulling teeth!
However, once I started teaching, students were asking questions in a private chat box. I was thrilled! Having the chance to correct misunderstandings or clarify difficult concepts prior to moving on is very important when building the foundations of a new concept, a new way of thinking, and a new way of applying mathematical concepts. I use these opportunities to customize in class review questions, targeting specific learning barriers.
I found that online learning also made using the “Flipped classroom” strategy more palatable for the students. They were better prepared for our synchronous online classes, and I could use our time towards applied learning.
It was interesting having this particular, very quiet, class as the first to teach over Zoom. It seemed to me that the differences in the teaching/learning environments were amplified. Another example. During in person classes, I often broke the students into small groups to work together to solve a particular problem. Collaboration leads to richer educational experiences. This class, however, would sit in groups of 2 or 3, and quietly work on their own. What I found was, when I used breakout rooms in Zoom, they would actually work together, which also resulted in increased engagement, developing their critical thinking skills.
These are just a few examples of the benefits to switching to Zoom for this particular classroom. Although, I still hold on to my belief that there are benefits to face-to-face learning that cannot be met by the online platform. I found it more challenging to place the lessons into a real-world context. As I instruct future healthcare providers, the social context is very important.
Before I start this course, I wanted to spend a few minutes reflecting on what digital technology meant and how it is changing. Prior to 2020, digital content in my classroom meant saving larger files on the shared drive to save paper. It meant delivering the class content via PowerPoint and demonstrating examples on the white board. This picture is not my classroom, but it is surprisingly similar. Just like the instructor of this classroom, I had a tiny space of white board available behind the podium to the left of the screen to do physics equations, draw pictures of diverging radiation beams and stick figure patients. Utilizing more whiteboard space meant rolling up the screen, then pulling it down to continue with the slides – covering up the example I just drew on the board!