I really loved what is being incinuated by the term Edupunk posted yesterday. The concept really does harken back to a time and place where the teacher as "sage on the stage" or "even guide on the side" had a one-on-one dialogue with students over course materials, scripted or Socratic, to acccommodate the learning going on at any one moment, at any one point in time, in any given class.
Seriously, what has technology done to improve teaching and learning? For example, someone can always show me the latest bells and whistles of Powerpoint to make presentations to students in class or lab settings. But, I often wonder how Powerpoint really replaced the overhead projector and the use of transparencies which I could write on, unlike my Powerpoint slides, to underscore important points of information. I then wonder how that really replaced the chalkbox and chalkboard that used to be used to deliver content to students, which actually permitted arrows and circles to show how things being discussed were related or not, which is hard to do flipping to and fro between slides or transparencies. Then, of course, the Powerpoint salesperson shows me that you indeed can write on your slides now which makes me wonder even more how that technology has replaced the chalkboard.
I guess the point of my post today is that there are so many variables that contribute to the quality of student learning. I think there are far too many things we are doing for the sake of doing them like others before us without asking why, such as is the case with technology. So walk into your next class today or tomorrow and look at that piece of lonely piece of chalk or dry erase marker and ask yourself whether it is or is not a better tool to used at that point to preach the gospel of culinary arts and hospitality to the students assembled before you.
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