Technology and Pedagogy: How Do They Match?

1. Technology and Pedagogy: How Do They Match? Presented by Dr. Sara Rofofsky Marcus Electronic Resources and Web Services Librarian Kurt R. Schmeller Library Queensborough Community College srofofskymarcus@qcc.cuny.edu

2. Introduction This discussion-based, hands-on workshop will explore the plethora of technologies available today, investigating their pedagogical use in classes.

3. What Can We Do? • Forget about these students – they should have to come to the library • Figure the students will get help elsewhere • If they really want help, they’ll come to us in the library • Bring the library to the student

4. If you selected D, you are correct. • We should bring the library to the students. Today’s technologies are making this much easier.

5. Serving a Non-Traditional Student • Non-traditional students are entitled to the same services and resources as traditional. • Interactions • Live Chat / IM • E-mail • Telephone • In-person • Resources • Online Databases • Articles • Books • Interlibrary Loan (available both on- and off-campus) • Wide range of reading levels • Textbooks for use by students who cannot afford them • Instruction • Student comes to the professor • Professor comes to the student • Tutoring • Required • voluntary • Self-training / tutorials

6. Going to the Student • Some students, even traditional ones, feel intimidated when forced to ask for help. Looking at someone, simply walking up to a person and seeing their nonverbal language can intimidate a potential patron. • Providing alternate means of interacting is a great way to go.

7. Ways to Reach the Student • Synchronous or Asynchronous • Text, Video, or Audio • Required or Optional • Group-based or Individual • Class-based or Library-based

8. Synchronous or Asynchronous • IM / Chat or E-mail? • Telephone or Voicemail? • In other words, are you communicating (in some form) in a ‘live’ manner or not? • Some people prefer to have time to think out, or rehearse, what they want to say, and therefore benefit from asynchronous communication. • Others prefer to ‘think on their feet,’ and enjoy the spontaneity and immediate feedback.

9. Text, Video, or Audio • IM / Chat or Telephone? • E-mail or Voicemail? • Some people prefer to use text, or writing, to communicate. • Others, prefer to use their voice and ears to communicate.

10. How to Decide • Rather than you making the decision on how to communicate, offer your students options. • Have • chat (or IM) office-hours • e-mail access • traditional face-to-face office hours • discussion board access to the instructor (for non-personal questions) • By providing all of these options, students can then pick the method best suited to their need at the time.

11. Required or Optional • When something is required, it is more likely to be done – be it a homework, a class meeting, or returning a form to your job. When it is optional, it is harder to get there for that help. • However, having the communication or activity required means that the student needs to be able to access these services. The technology, interaction, or activity can only be required when it is accessible to all.

12. What Can We Do? • Serve only the students we recognize from our own experience as a student • Serve only those we have experience in serving • Learn about other ways to serve students • Give up

13. If you selected C, you are correct. • Learning about the different technologies, the different methods, and raising awareness of these helps both the student and you!

14. Why does this help me? • When you serve the student in the method of communication best suited to their needs, rather than your own, you are enabling that student to focus more on the content of their communication rather than on the technique of their communication.

15. How Do These Adaptations Benefit the Traditional Student? • Separate but equal? Definitely not – all students should have access to the resources, whether they are distance or traditional students. • Even a traditional student might not be able to physically access the course at all times • Some students prefer to use an alternate means of communication, and this should be made available

16. An Example • Consider a student who’s first language is not English. They might be shy about speaking, might not pronounce a word correctly, might not understand what you are saying. Their written English skills might be better than their verbal. • This student would benefit from using written communications – such as IM or e-mail, or even a handout rather than verbal instructions – to better comprehend what is said. • This student might also prefer to use a self-paced tutorial, rather than a librarian-led one, so that they can repeat parts when needed.

17. Another Example • Consider a student who is swamped for time. They can’t stay around long enough to learn anything. • This student too would benefit from a paper to take home, or a self-paced tutorial that they could start and stop whenever they had time.

18. What about the verbal learner? • The verbal learner might benefit from hearing the librarian. • However, this does not mean that face-to-face contact is required. • Telephone, VoIP, Web conferencing (i.e., Elluminate) can all work as well. • The ‘roaming librarian’ might also work in this instance, reaching out to students who do not want to approach ‘THE DESK’ • Recorded verbal sessions (such as podcasts) can also work.

19. Don’t forget the visual learner • Captured sessions, screen sharing, tutorials with screen caps, handouts with visual directions – these can all help this learner too.

20. What Should I Remember? • Not everyone thinks, or learns, the same. • This does not make them ‘bad’ learners. This is what makes each of us unique. • Rather than trying to force a person to learn as you do, or as we have been taught to teach, teach the person as they wish to learn. Taking these few seconds (or even minutes) at the start can help save time and frustration in the long run.

21. So, What Technologies and Considerations Are There? [open discussion]

22. Time Do you have to be at the same time (either at the same place or a different place) as the person making / giving / etc. the item?  For example, if I request an ILL over the phone, I have to be at the same time as the person I am speaking to (unless I am using an automated voice system).

23. Space • Do I have to be in the same place?  For example, do I have to be at a specific fax machine to receive the fax, do I have to physically come to campus to pick up the article?

24. Technical Requirements • Yes, you need a computer.  But, what type of computer?  What type of software?  Can it be a terminal, or does it have to be a full desktop / laptop? 

25. Disability Issues • Visual, auditory, manual dexterity, textual. 

26. Language Issues • If they are both in English, what does this do for those with other languages besides English? 

27. Privacy Issues • Can anyone track what you are reading, for example? 

28. Participant Size • How many participants can effectively use this technology?

29. Content / Editorial Control • Who controls what you say? Can it be moderated? Can you edit what you’ve said?

30. Intellectual Freedom / Censorship • Who controls what you say?

31. Instant Messenger AIM, Google Talk, etc.

32. Bulletin Boards • AKA Discussion Boards / Message Boards / Threaded Discussions

33. Podcasts • Audio recordings available for listening online or downloading.

34. Videocasts (i.e., YouTube) [open discussion]

35. Web Conferencing (i.e., Elluminate) [open discussion]

36. Social Bookmarking (i.e., del.icio.us) [open discussion]

37. Wikis [open discussion]

38. Blogs [open discussion]

39. Photo Sharing (i.e., Flickr) [open discussion]

40. File Sharing (i.e., Xythos, Google Docs) [open discussion]

41. Email [open discussion]

42. Listservs / Groups [open discussion]

43. Social Networking (i.e., MySpace / Facebook) [open discussion]

44. Multi-User Virtual Environments (aka MUVEs) (i.e., SecondLife) [open discussion]

45. Questions [open discussion]

46. Contact Sara Rofofsky Marcus, Ph.D. Electronic Resources / Web Librarian Kurt R. Schmeller Library Queensborough Community College / CUNY 222-05 56 Avenue Bayside, New York 11364 (718)281-5795 srofofskymarcus@qcc.cuny.edu