FITS will be hosting a discussion session on Thursday March 17 from 3:45-5:00 in the Walden Galleria. This continues the Winter Term discussion "The Laptop Initiative and Classroom Management" held on January 11. The initiative has sparked a wide range of sentiments and differing ideas about how the laptops might be used. Some faculty members have a clear idea for ways to integrate the technology, others may open to the idea, but unsure how to go about using them. Still others may not be planning to use them at this time. This session bring this diversity of perspectives together for a well rounded look at three key issues: effective use of laptop computers, needs and challenges in preparation for the integration of laptops into the classroom, and classroom management.

Laptops are considered as the next key initiative in transforming liberal arts education to equip students to meet the challenges and seize the opportunities of the digital age. With laptops in hand, students have access to information, materials and resources that can be integrated directly into the classroom experience. Clearly there are so many possibilities. What are the ways faculty members are envisioning using laptops, either in class or out of class? What pedagogical goals can be met more easily because our students have them? Part of our discussion will focus on opportunity, provide examples of different ways faculty members are using laptops, and generate new ideas for effective use of laptop computers.

Of course, integration of anything new, whether technology-based or not, has its challenges. The laptops will be no exception, and concerns about performance issues are legitimate ones. Perhaps the best way to identify the potential for problems in the classroom is to conduct a mock class using university owned laptops. Faculty members are encouraged to work with FITS during the spring semester or over the summer to conduct classroom simulations using the laptops. Doing so can not only ease the "first day jitters" but can also help support staff identify potential areas for concern earlier, rather than later. A component of this March discussion will address classroom readiness and hopefully generate even more creative ideas.

Studies have shown that the effective integration of technology into the classroom increases students' motivation, makes note-taking more efficient, and seems to increase student learning. As we look to model effective ways of using laptops for teaching and learning, we also need to be ready for the unique temptations inherent in a live internet connection-instant messaging, web surfing, etc. Faculty teaching in computer labs have long encountered this challenge and have typically addressed it through statements of conduct written into the syllabus. (See Teacher Tip 3 at http://people.depauw.edu/dberque/teacherTips.html). The March 17 discussion will conclude with a look at how faculty members plan to incorporate the laptops into the weekly class, what if any statements they plan to include in the syllabus and other approaches to classroom management.

Get a head start on the discussion

What ideas do you have for using the laptops in class? Are you planning to include a statement in your syllabus about appropriate use? Send your ideas to Julianne Miranda before March 15.

The discussion begins at 3:45 in the Walden Galleria (east end of the building), and wine and cheese will be served. Please RSVP to jmiranda or x4389 by March 15.

For more information about laptops in the classroom, please see:

Miracle or Menace: Teaching and Learning with Laptop Computers in the Classroom <http://www.educause.edu/pub/eq/eqm04/eqm0431.asp>

DePauw University Laptop Initiative Site <http://www.depauw.edu/laptop/>

Recently, FITS has unveiled two new pedagogical online collaborative tools: a TWIKI and a web log. Web logging, or "blogging" as it has recently become known, is an internet phenomenon that has been gaining increasing popularity amongst the internet community. A blog is akin to a personal space where an internet user can voice their opinion on myriad issues. Differing from a TWiki in that only each blog's administrator can set posting privileges, a blog is still a dynamic web page that could potentially be updated multiple times daily without the need for extensive web development knowledge. It is best said that web logging is both extremely flexible and accessible.

With a DePauw-based blogging tool, professors and students alike will be able to set up a personal or academic web log and receive immediate feedback from their DePauw brethren. For example, a professor may create a prompt or write a passage and ask for student feedback. With the click of a button, students either in our outside of the professor's courses will immediately be able to respond to the both the writing prompt and each other. The degree of anonymity for commenting on these posts is ultimately decided by the professor or blog administrator. A blog could also be used in classes that focus on current events. A professor may decide to post links to relevant articles in online newspapers and journals and expect feedback on these articles from students.

Overall, convenience and flexibility make blogs great tools for faculty members both in and out of the classroom. Utilized to their fullest, blogs are simply another medium to foster meaningful interactions and discourse on the academic level.

Biography: Jenny has a BA in music from George Fox University in Newberg, OR. After graduating from college she got married and moved to Indiana to study folklore and ethnomusicology at Indiana University. She began working in the DePauw Music Library in January of 2002, where she discovered a passion for library work which prompted her to return to school. She is currently working toward a Masters in Library Science at Indiana University. Jenny started working as a graduate intern in the Music Instructional Technology Center (mitc) during the summer of 2004.

Areas of Expertise: Digital audio (including notation, streaming); web design; creating organization from chaos; research.

Fun Fact: "All of the animals that spend time at my house get a middle name from children's literature."

Jenny Colvin (jcolvin@depauw.edu) may be reached at (765)658-6643 or by visiting the mitc office, PAC 117E.