Zhongchun Jiang, State Univ. of New York College of Agric. and Technology at Cobleskill, Plant Science Dept., Cobleskill, NY 12043
There are various definitions of the term “information technology” or IT. In this roundtable discussion, IT is defined as all forms of technology, both hardware and software, used to create, store, retrieve, exchange, display, and utilize information in its various forms including data, sound, still images, motion pictures, and multimedia presentations. Classrooms are now expected to be equipped with LCD projectors, computers, and Internet access. Touch sensitive screens are beginning to replace traditional chalkboards and white boards. PowerPoint is an instructional tool frequently used by instructors and the presentations are often made available to students either freely on the web or within a course management system. Student rosters come in Excel and attendance is taken on the spreadsheet. Anything that the instructor uses the computer to accomplish can be demonstrated to the students in the classroom. Video Clips and DVDs are often played to enhance student learning in the classroom. To gauge students' understanding during a lecture, the instructor can use a student response system such as TurningPoint, instead of a show of hands, to collect anonymous student responses to a particular question in a large class within a second. Document Visualizer permits capture of documents and objects for display on a screen with an LCD projector, eliminating the need of making transparencies, scanning documents, and photographing the objects. These are examples of the instructional IT used by instructors in classroom teaching. Students also use IT in the classroom. More and more students bring their laptops into the classroom to take notes, review their reading material, and complete their assignments, among other things that they may do in the classroom. This roundtable will focus on forms of IT used in the classroom and ways to use IT effectively to benefit the students in the classroom.
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