I sat down earlier this week on Zoom with Ernie Perez, Director of Instructional Technologies at California State University, Northridge. We discussed some of the experiences that he has had with various technologies and how they have been integrated into curriculum.
Friday, October 9, 2015
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First of all, great interview! Ernie is extremely knowledgeable and articulate and the interview was very informative. I have to say that several things stood out for me, from the extensive use of tablets in the classroom to network concerns which we experience as a non-profit organization trying to integrate technology. But what really struck me was Ernie mentioning that handwritten notes may be a more effective tool for learning compared to using tablets or computers.
ReplyDeleteI could write extensively on this topic from both views. As I teach dyslexic students reading, writing, and spelling skills, we know that handwriting actually helps a child learn to read. But we also know that dyslexics often struggle with the physical act of writing so technology can be a lifesaver there, especially as they advance in school.
However, Ernie’s comment left me wanting to look into this further with relationship to the non learning different student. I found several articles supporting handwritten notes over those taken on a device. According to an article in Scientific American (May, 2014), although handwriting is more cumbersome and cannot capture every aspic of the lecture, the student uses more cognitive processing and is making connections with meaning while taking notes. In contrast, typing is more rote without the cognitive connection. Fascinating!
rlm
May, C. (2014). A learning secret: Don’t take notes with a laptop. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/
Thanks for the comment. I agree there are many things that can sometimes pop up and cause problems that might not have been anticipated during the actual planning phase. And yes, I believe that you are right about the handwritten notes too. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in all of the latest and greatest technology and lose focus on some of the concepts that have traditionally been used but can still be effective in some cases.
DeleteGreat interview and what a great technology tool you used for interviewing. Ernie Perez sounds amazing and what a great advocate for technology integration in to higher education. Sometimes, I feel working at a community college in Oklahoma we are behind on everything not just technology.
ReplyDeleteIn the interview Ernie spoke about the requirement of each student purchasing their own tablet. I think this is a great idea. I work for a scholarship program and we pay 100% of tuition and fees minus a $10.00 copay per credit hour and 100% of books. We are in the talks about purchasing a tablet for each student that is accepted into our program for the simple fact of the ability to download textbooks instead of buying them from the bookstore. Just to provide an example for last spring we spent almost $57,000 for tuition and fees for 67 students (each student takes anywhere between 6-12 credit hours. Our bookstore bill was $48,000. Pretty crazy how textbooks almost total the amount we spent in tuition and fees.
My program team and I are working on gathering information on I-pad cost with digital book cost vs. print books in the bookstore and are in the beginning stages of writing proposal. Right now, since we are a scholarship all textbooks must be purchased from our institutions bookstore only (which the mark up is incredible).
In an article, Tomassini (2012) states many educators like the idea of "getting more out of textbooks by going digital” (p.18). Digital textbooks content is interactive; the ability to connect to other classroom technology tools, and uses platforms that many students are familiar with.
I think shifting this way is a positive direction for the integration of technology into education.
Great interview,
Melinda
Tomassini, J. (2012). Educators weigh E-textbook cost comparisons. Education Week, 31(30), 1-1, 18, 19. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/docview/1018655372?accountid=11789
Great interview and what a great technology tool you used for interviewing. Ernie Perez sounds amazing and what a great advocate for technology integration in to higher education. Sometimes, I feel working at a community college in Oklahoma we are behind on everything not just technology.
ReplyDeleteIn the interview Ernie spoke about the requirement of each student purchasing their own tablet. I think this is a great idea. I work for a scholarship program and we pay 100% of tuition and fees minus a $10.00 copay per credit hour and 100% of books. We are in the talks about purchasing a tablet for each student that is accepted into our program for the simple fact of the ability to download textbooks instead of buying them from the bookstore. Just to provide an example for last spring we spent almost $57,000 for tuition and fees for 67 students (each student takes anywhere between 6-12 credit hours. Our bookstore bill was $48,000. Pretty crazy how textbooks almost total the amount we spent in tuition and fees.
My program team and I are working on gathering information on I-pad cost with digital book cost vs. print books in the bookstore and are in the beginning stages of writing proposal. Right now, since we are a scholarship all textbooks must be purchased from our institutions bookstore only (which the mark up is incredible).
In an article, Tomassini (2012) states many educators like the idea of "getting more out of textbooks by going digital” (p.18). Digital textbooks content is interactive; the ability to connect to other classroom technology tools, and uses platforms that many students are familiar with.
I think shifting this way is a positive direction for the integration of technology into education.
Great interview,
Melinda
Tomassini, J. (2012). Educators weigh E-textbook cost comparisons. Education Week, 31(30), 1-1, 18, 19. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/docview/1018655372?accountid=11789
R - at first, as the interview began, the concept of the "flipped" classroom came to my mind, but I realized that what your interviewee was discussing was the mechanics of teaching through the use of arguably new technology, ie. the iPad and various software packages. It occurred to me that as your interviewee went on, that his concept of the flipped classroom was much deeper than the mere introduction of technology. Cox and King (2011) discussed another authors experience through which the author described how questions that were commonplace throughout a traditional class were answered earlier during an online class (p. 110). I think that this is interesting, especially when considered together with the amazing technology being introduced at your interviewees university.
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Cox, T.D. & King, K.P. (2011). The professor's guide to taming technology. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Thanks for the comment. I agree with you. Since the idea of the flipped classroom originated several years ago, it has advanced more and more. Teachers now have the benefit of being able to learn as well from those who have already tried the concept in their own curriculum so it is that much easier.
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