Is Ed Tech your “Brave New World?”

My inspiration for this particular blog entry comes from the following article:

Award-winning teacher discusses ‘brave new world’ of classroom technology

If you are a professor in 2007, you can’t escape the promise and the hype of Educational Technology. Practically every conference and every journal related to Higher Ed has at least one session or one article expounding on the virtues (and sometimes the vices) of technology in the classroom. As the article listed above implies, all of this technology can be intimidating, especially for technophobic professors with limited experience in things techy. It is my contention that educational technology doesn’t have to be intimidating; instead, it can be exciting and even freeing.

The key to successful implementation of educational technology, especially amongst the skittish, is to start small. Take baby steps. Don’t immediately jump into embedding Wiki assignments or blog entries or Flash-based simulations into your class. Don’t rush headlong into website development or PodCasting. Work from the familiar first and move from there. For example, try using some of the more simple features of WebCT first (assignment posting, syllabus posting, basic quizzing) and then move into group work and threaded discussion list management. Redo your PowerPoints into non-linear study aids and then try launching a course website. Movement forward in the world of Educational Technology is better than no movement at all.