Technology and learning disconnect — from NITLE by Rebecca Davis
“So what is it that I, these isolated faculty members, and indeed the rest of NITLE believe about technology for teaching and learning? Technology can be most powerful when used to expand the classroom, by linking students to the world, or to break down the barriers keeping learning inside the classroom, by encouraging students to think and learn in the field. Like AAC&U we believe in integrative learning, a linking between individual courses, and between courses and the extracurricular world. We believe that technology can facilitate that integration and encourage reflection on it, e.g., when a student blogs a discovery outside of class that is relevant to the topic being studied or reflects on a portfolio of work that represents what they have learned across four years of college. As strong believers in liberal arts colleges, we privilege face to face time for the interaction it allows between students, faculty, and other students. Rather than hiding behind a PowerPoint presentation, faculty should collaborate with students and encourage them to work with each other to develop their own learning. Outside of the classroom, technologies should continue that collaborative learning and cultivate a desire to learn everywhere, not just when in class.”