Symposium for Teaching and Learning with Technology

You may have noticed that over the past couple of weeks we've been posting audio from the 2009 Symposium. In case you haven't, all of the audio can be accessed from the Agenda Tab. Start listening by clicking any link marked "audio". Thanks again to all those who attended the 2009 Symposium, you helped us make it a great success!

David Wiley delivered the keynote address at the 2009 Symposium. In his address titled, "The Impact of Openness on the Future of Higher Education," Wiley challenges the academy to focus on where it adds value in order to stay relevant in the 21st Century.

Click here to watch the video

Someone once warned that if we are not careful, we could become road kill on the information superhighway. A sure way to become road kill is to become swamped by knowledge (information) without the development of wisdom and good judgment. As much as I have enjoyed the symposium, and felt inspired to utilize technology in more varied ways for my college courses, I feel that the focus on knowledge as “content” obscures a central element of what should be the centerpiece of education at every level: the development of good judgment. Having access to content is one thing, blogging one’s opinion is yet another; and exercising good judgment which betrays well-reasoned, intelligent thought and insight is yet another thing altogether. I am aware of the potential for the charge of elitism on this account; and certainly, there is a form of arrogant elitism that is undemocratic and sometimes inhumane.

Some of my fellow students have said that they cannot think fast enough for online synchronous discussion forums. These were text forums without voice or video. It is interesting because they felt that the more difficult the material, the more difficult it would be to use the synchronous formats. What I am hearing in this session is that synchronous may be better for difficult material, especially in math and science.