Classics Professor Uses Technology to Bring Ruins to the Classroom

By Sara Baron

Images of ancient artifacts, writings, and ruins bring to life the study of ancient languages, archaeology, and Greek civilization for students in Professor Kellee Barnard's classes. A professor of classics, Barnard uses PowerPoint presentations to display major concepts and images.

"There is really no way to teach students about a civilization two or three thousand years old without images to help make it more real," she says. Barnard found PowerPoint presentations to be more flexible than traditional slides and uses the program to import images, intersperse text, and mark materials.

Her course websites offer links to all class presentations, as well as an image library, outlines, key concepts, and study guides. Barnard also provides links to written texts and primary sources available online. As it can be difficult to find a textbook that covers everything Barnard needs for a course, she is able to supplement her chosen textbooks with online links.

Barnard also teaches an interactive television course on ancient languages for students at UMass Boston and UMass Lowell. Blending traditional language courses with blackboard translations, language drills, and general conversation are possible in a mediated environment with the help of technology.

Barnard uses technology to create online flashcards and translations so that students in both locations can learn simultaneously. By putting these materials online, students in Lowell have access to the same information as students in Boston. Another positive aspect of using technology in her classes is the increased learning opportunities for all students. In addition to the course website, she provides the image library on a CD-ROM for students who do not have easy access to the Internet.

Barnard believes that students are intrigued by the technology she uses in the classroom and find they have fun learning history and languages through in-class technologies and the course website.

Barnard encourages other faculty who may be interested in teaching with technology to play with technologies and start with a project that is personally convenient or will help them save time. Her own introduction to PowerPoint was based on ease of use, and led to her saving time while enhancing her teaching and student learning. Barnard also encourages faculty to get help from each other and the technology specialists at the Instructional Technology Center.

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