We must not use technology just because it is available. We must use it when, and only when, we can see how it will enable us to do the education job better.
Herbert A. Simon, Carnegie Mellon University
For effective integration of technology into a course, it’s important to first identify the desired learning outcomes and then select the technology that enables interactions to support these learning outcomes. Brown’s Instructional Technology Group maintains a Teaching with Technology website to help you discover ways to use technology in your courses. Technology can be used both inside your classroom and to design an online learning environment.
How can I adopt technology to engage students in my classroom?
Presentations
- Practical Suggestions for Enhancing Slide Presentations (from the On the Cutting Edge Course Design Tutorial from Carleton College’s Science Education Resource Center)
- Effective Multimedia Lecture Slides (a Sheridan Center resource)
- 8 Reasons Why Prezi is Not Recommended for Teaching (a Sheridan Center Resource)
Teaching with Technology
- Clickers
- Wikis
- Canvas
- Blogs
- 7 Things You Should Know About (an EDUCAUSE collection of brief overviews of many types of educational technology)
Sample syllabus policies on the use of mobile devices in the classroom.
How can I design effective online learning environments?
Sheridan Center resources
- Key Questions for Designing Online Discussions
- Six Tips for Online Discussions
- Annotated List of Resources for Online Discussions
- Characteristics of Effective Online Assignments
- Annotated List of Resources for Designing Online Assignments & Activities
- Peer Assessment in Online Courses
Other resources
- A Social Network Can be a Learning Network (from The Chronicle of Higher Education)
- Advice to Develop and Implement a Course Blog (from Inside Higher Ed)
- Using ePorfolios as a Reflective Teaching Tool (a video resource from the University of New South Wales’ Learning to Teach Online Project)
Resources and Support at Brown
- Information Technology and Teaching, Learning and Research at Brown (support for academic technology at Brown)
- Online Learning & Innovation Team (School of Professional Studies support for pedagogy, course design, media, and facilitation best practices for online and blended learning)
- Workshop Series on Learning with Technology (a Sheridan Center program)
- Summer Institute (a Sheridan Center collaboration)
- Digital Teaching and Learning at Brown (support and resources for teaching with technology and digital teaching and learning at Brown)