GCOE Professor Brings Technology into Traditional Classrooms

By Sara Baron

Gonzalo Bacigalupe of the Graduate College of Education believes that teaching with technology is not as much learning the technologies as expanding teaching methods. In his two traditional classes, Bacigalupe uses a laptop and projector for content delivery, student presentations, and group work. PowerPoint presentations are downloaded from a Prometheus course website that includes syllabi, documents, and assignments. Students work in groups to develop ideas and then take turns entering their thoughts into a PowerPoint presentation.

After the laptop is traded among the groups, Bacigalupe may add more thoughts, and at the end of class, comment on the compilation of student ideas and put the PowerPoint on the Promestheus site for future reference.

Bacigalupe also incorporates video streams and threaded discussions into his traditional courses. He assigns video clips posted on the course website so students can come to class prepared for discussion. He finds that threaded discussions on the readings elicit more student commentary than traditional e-mails and class discussions. Using comments and questions from the threaded discussions to begin class sessions, he finds these technological interventions have increased the quality of writing, flow of ideas, and contributions of students. "There is a much higher level of idea sharing and collaborative work beyond the physical class time," he says.

Bacigalupe encourages faculty who are thinking about incorporating technology into their classes to start with what they know. Faculty unfamiliar with Prometheus or PowerPoint can start with e-mail lists to promote student communication outside class and by asking students if they would like to e-mail papers or instant message during office hours. Faculty can save on printing costs and help students who miss class by putting handouts online in a Prometheus site. Another option for incorporating technology is having assignments that emphasize information gathering online. A list of excellent links will help point students to the best resources in the field.

Bacigalupe cautions that it is difficult to learn everything about incorporating technology into teaching all at once. He advises faculty to start with what they know, talk to peers, and work with students. He advises faculty who are thinking about transitioning from traditional classes to online classes to be proficient in word processing, PowerPoint, e-mail, and web searching. Faculty interested in learning more are encouraged to visit the ITC website at www.itc.umb.edu.

Image: Graduate College of Education's Gonzalo Bacigalupe blends technology throughout his traditional and online classes. (Photo by Harry Brett)

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