Greetings
I chose to conduct my interview for our podcast assignment with a colleague at Washburn University. I was fortunate to be able to interview Dr. Margaret Wood, Prof. of Anthropology and Sociology. Dr. Wood is also the Director for C-TEL, (The Center for Teaching and Excellence in Learning) at Washburn University. The goal of C-TEL at Washburn University is to promote excellence and innovation in learning and enhance student learning.
To accomplish this goal, C-TEL provides seminars and training for Washburn staff in a variety of areas. The reason I chose to interview Dr. Wood for this podcast project was because of her use of technology in her own teaching, and through her support of staff development in the area of technology at Washburn University.
Enjoy the interview.
Tony P.
Interview with Dr. M. Wood, October9, 2015) (Interview on YouTube with video)
Interview with Dr. M. Wood, October 9, 2015 (Interview on Buzzsprout, no video)
Tony—I just wanted to expand on Dr. Wood’s comment about lack of interested in using social media in the classroom. I certainly agree with your assessment that part can be fear of liability—that is becoming a real concern for almost anyone utilizing social media these days. Post one “wrong” thing and your life can be changed forever. A fine example happened right here in Kansas a few years ago with an anti NRA tweet from a university professor. While I don't believe the tweet was related in any way to his class, the professor was placed on administrative leave and the incident prompted a new social media policy from The Kansas Board of Regents. The policy states that no faculty or staff may say anything on social media that can incite violence, violate student confidentiality, or share protected data. But it also prohibits saying anything “contrary to the best interests of the university” (Lowe, 2014). Many people have strong beliefs on issues one way or another and who is to say what is the best interest of the university? I’m certainly not against using social media in adult education, but it can be a slippery slope prompting instructors and students to spend a fair amount of time evaluating what they are going to post.
ReplyDeleteDo you have any additional thoughts on this? I am torn--I am a social media media user and am very careful about what I post, but if I were to use it in a professional capacity, I might be even more inclined to overthink my postings.
rlm
Lowe, P. (2014, May 14). In Kansas, professors must now watch what they tweet. In All things considered [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from www.npr.org
RM - I share your opinion regarding the issue of liability. As a former LEO, I performed background checks on prospective employees, and the first place we would look to begin our check was online and social media. There is no corner of the virtual world where you can hide, especially when it comes to FB and Twitter. I remember the incident to which you refer. I myself do not use, nor do I intend on using social media such as FB or Twitter as part of a class or class requirement. I believe the modern use for social media is completely recreation and advertisement oriented, and as of this day for me has no place in the classroom. I don't see myself having the control over FB or Twitter for classroom purposes. I do use Facebook for the Rugby team that I coach, (https://www.facebook.com/WURFC), but it's use is limited to club match information, schedules of matches, and photos/videos of our games. I can't imagine a possible enhancement that FB would bring to any of my classes, and because of this, I stay away from the use of social media in a classroom setting.
DeleteTony you had a great interview and what an amazing colleague to have. Dr. Wood truly understands “the needs of the faculty”. I really liked how she discussed that she questions and gathers information from faculty member’s to survey about what kind of technology is being used or wish to use. Then create professional development around the needs.
ReplyDeleteI think universities/colleges are focusing upon creating Information Technology (IT) foundations to enhance the quality of teaching and learning. I have been at my institution going on 15 years (yes, I started when I was 2) and have observed the rise in online/distance education courses. This semester we have had on-campuses cancelled due to our online courses and they are full with waiting lists. Which I think online courses are great to offer because they do meet the needs of adult learners and the population of students that we serve but I also think to teach online takes a very dedicated instructor. Just because you can teach on-campus shouldn’t automatically mean you can teach online.
According to Georgina, Keengwe and Wachira (2010) assumptions are made that an on-campus course that is transferred to an online course will require the same instructional design. False! Georgina et al. (2010) state “the major challenge to this technology-enhanced pedagogy remains that of providing training to faculty to ensure transition of this process. Specifically, there is need for professional development activities and support programs that will help faculty successfully teach online.” Dr. Wood spoke about she also works with an instructional design person “lead technology” and collaborating with an expert in technology along with an expert in teaching I believe works well.
Again, great job Tony, your interview was great.
Melinda
Georgina, D., Keengwe, J., & Wachira, P. (2010). Faculty training strategies to enhance pedagogytechnology integration. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 6(3), 1+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.er.lib.k-state.edu/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA238094153&v=2.1&u=ksu&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=5d9a5e9ebcb34567ef248039f13a5204
M - thanks for the feedback. Dr. Wood is one of the most dedicated individuals when it comes to the use/immersion of technology in to the classroom. She is leaving WU for a position as Director of Student Learning and technology in CO, so we are losing a wonderful colleague and professor. I have participated in as many C-TEL activities as time permits, and can honestly say that her classes and mentoring has helped me evolve as an instructor.
DeleteHi Tony, great interview. I definitely resonate with Dr. Wood's comments on how difficult it can be sometimes to address the needs of faculty in an active learning classroom environment. Having tools that meet both their more basic and complex needs at the same time is sometimes a struggle.
ReplyDeleteWe try to address these issues with our classrooms here at K-State by starting off with gathering input from the users at the very beginning and making sure that they are a part of the process when researching and installing the room itself. And of course there is a definite need to offer as much guidance as possible with training on these tools and helping them to better understand how they can be used to their best potential. This tends to alleviate some of the concerns that they might have when using something that they are unfamiliar with.
Ryan
R - thanks. Training is the key, and also the offering of constantly available usage keys and information. For our changeover to D2L in 2012, they created learning modules that guide students (and staff) through the new LMS, and added videos demonstrating the key things that you would need to be able to do. There were different training modules for students and staff. It always amazes me how many students (and staff) do not take advantage of these learning items, and continue to have issues with D2L.
ReplyDelete