CMC represents at COLTT 2011

We are in the most exciting time in Education! Just think, how many students had cell phones in class ten years ago? Did you ever imagine that these Mobile Devices could develop to a point where they were actually an asset to learning & teaching? Back then I had no idea. But, believe it or not, the time is here. And the place for learning is EVERYWHERE!

Amazing innovations in Learning and Teaching were presented at the Colorado Learning and Teaching Technologies (COLTT) conference, at the University of Colorado at Boulder this week. We saw anything from cellphones used in the place of “clickers”, how easy it is to us to present, and students to take notes using their iPad, to how powerful posting your podcasts or vodcasts (video podcasts) into iTunesU can be.

Did you know that 62.7% of students entering college today come with a Smart Phone? And, that by the year 2014 more people will be accessing the Internet via Mobile Devices than the traditional computer? These devices are invaluable in our student’s lives. They use them for everything, yet at present only 11% of them are able to use these devices to access school related work. And they would love to use them more! They are connected, and now have the capacity to be learning everywhere they go. Students could engaged in your interactive assignments (produced by the textbook publishers) or be reviewing your lecture, on their Smart Phone while waiting for the bus. They could be listening again as they drive to school. The possibilities are only expanding.

We all strive to engage our students, and give them ownership of their learning, and the advent of new technologies is only making it easier for us to reach them, them to reach each other, and for us to collaborate! Ask any student, their Mobile Devices are personal to them, and they’d rather loose their wallet than Smart Phone. Thank goodness they are easy to backup, and even locate using GPS and apps like “find my iPhone”. To many of our students, these devices are not even considered technology; they’ve always been here. After all technology is really anything that came about after we were born. So, lets choose to get on the same wave our students are riding, speak to them from where they are, and have a huge impact on their learning. After all CMC is a student centered Learning College.

You can stand on the shore and watch the wave grow, or you could really have some fun and excitement and get on for the ride before it gets too big. Kick up your class and continue the learning! Check out some of the excellent workshops that are offered by our folks at the Office of Innovations in Teaching and Learning. You’ll be hooked!

Here are just a few of the great resources I was turned onto at COLTT:

• Add formative assessment to your online or classroom course by having students use their own cell phones as a "clicker" using Polleverywhere Demo Video
• Present Hand Drawn Diagrams or notes to your students from anywhere in the room or in your online course using the Penultimate App
  
• Check out the INKLING App which brings many textbooks right to your student's Mobile Device, and bring with it interactive quizzing and study tools.
• Sign Up for "Ask a Biologist" podcasts in iTunesU