Gabriela Torres, Wheaton College, Shares Ideas via Videoconference
Innovative faculty at NITLE colleges are sharing their ideas about using technology in their teaching with other faculty who have similar interests. To do so, they are using these interactive videoconferences to share their practices, notably those in the “Special Topics in Digital Teaching” series. (In January, Rebecca Davis and I offered a breakout at the AAC&U Annual Conference on this topic. Our presentation was called “Virtually Anywhere: Sharing Effective Practices for Innovation in Liberal Education.”)
By sharing knowledge and insights, liberal arts colleges can embrace and take advantage of the current dramatic changes in technologies and the information environment. Yesterday afternoon, for instance, Michael Taylor, assistant professor of political science and director of the Center for Mobile Research and Social Change at Seton Hall University, discussed the uses of smartphones in the classroom across multiple disciplines (see “Teaching with Mobile Devices: Smartphones“). Taylor presented the use of mobile devices in student projects including digital storytelling, mapping, polling, and in-field data collection. Twenty-three participants from 20 campuses participated in the session, enabling Professor Taylor to share a sense of his and his campus’ innovative work with interested others from across the country. The participants were able to learn about other parts of the Seton Hall community as well, since innovations like Professor Taylor’s call for partnerships across the campus, involve professional staff from different areas such as technologists and librarians, and demand coordination at the administrative level if they are to succeed.
NITLE is always looking for ways to support this kind of sharing and cross-fertilization between liberal arts colleges and their diverse faculties. From virtual videoconferences to the upcoming NITLE Summit for campus leaders, we seek to provide venues for discussion and platforms for developing collaborative partnerships. Your ideas about how NITLE can best nurture creative exchange between practitioners of liberal education are welcome. (And, of course, those in the NITLE Network are welcome and encouraged to register for the Summit. Early registration ends tomorrow!)
