I approached my “technology intervention” with grand and ambitious ideas of using rarely heard of software and platforms to unite my students in collaborations with students around the planet. However, a short dip in that river revealed to me that I had some preliminary dipping to do before I expanded my networking to the planet.
I love technology. I love fancy cameras, building websites, video editing, photoshop, live interactivity, and sound editing. As I look at my list of technological interests I am aware that they are all solitary or near solitary endeavors. My problem with technology is near total resistance to using networking technology. I don’t use facebook, google docs, linkedin, twitter, or pinterest. I would even describe myself as an emailaphob. It is not the technology -- it is the networking that kills me.
I have been able to cover my technology-based-networking impotence in my teaching and artistic career with a series of (not that funny) jokes about the mediated world and the inherent problems of human interaction. However, I think at this point I am doing myself, the planet, and my students a disservice.
Now is the time. I’m teaching a larger class in Maymester. The idea of communicating and grading in the old school fashion seems inefficient at best. I think the compressed and intense nature of Maymester truly needs the immediacy of online communication. Without it -- I won’t have the flexibility of adding post lecture thoughts and links. Without it -- I think the class will inevitable waste class time going over assignments and expectations.
Here are my humble ambitions:
- I want my classes to have a shared platform to deposit relevant info.
- I want to be able to grade online.
- I want to post readings, video links, lecture notes, online for students to access.
- Specifically in Senior Seminar, I want to teach my students about the power of online networking and the importance/impact of their web presence.