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Implementing new technology into the classroom

By Editorial Board on April 7, 2010 1:00 am in Editorial / 5 comments

 

Technology can instantly revolutionize the way we communicate. The way students learn changes with it.

The recently released iPad may the next wave of the future — it allows users to access the internet and store complete books on a single device.
Many CMU instructors already use BlackBoard for online class discussions and posting course material.

It’s not farfetched to envision students in the near future using e-readers or tablets for every class.

This is CMU’s chance to get ahead of the game.

Challenging professors to use textbooks that are available via iPad format and creating university-related applications would give CMU a leg up over other higher-ed institutions around Michigan.

Students are already accustomed to using technology in the classroom.

Many bring laptops to class and use smartphones; technology has become a powerful force in education.

Some universities are already changing the way they teach, anticipating the future.

Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania plans to provide first-year students with iPads as part of their education.

According to the school’s Web site, this access to technology is to give students “the technological skills you’ll need in the 21st-century workforce.”

This technology wouldn’t be cheap, initially. But compared to a few semesters of spending a couple hundred dollars on text books, e-books would likely make reading much cheaper.

The basic e-book for Amazon’s Kindle, on average, costs $9.99.

By providing the opportunity to download books versus purchasing the hard copy, CMU would better prepare students for the ever-evolving working world, just like Seton Hill.

An iPad or something similar would make perfect sense for the classroom.

Students would no longer have an excuse for not having their textbook or checking their e-mail on a regular basis.

All of that could be done from one device that weighs less than 5 pounds, saving students from hauling around bags full of thick textbooks.

The paper saved by reading electronically is a move in favor of sustainability.

The university has already created smartphone applications, bridging access between students and the university.

Why not encourage iPad usage as well? Look for avenues to explore e-book technology and openly promote it on campus and roll out a plan over the next 2-3 years.

CMU may be smaller than the University of Michigan or Michigan State, but here’s a chance to take the initiative and be a leader in education.

This is a perfect opportunity to stand out from other universities and attract students that will be a force in tomorrow’s work place.

The future is coming — quickly. CMU has the chance to move right along with it.

 

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  • cmu student

    there is now a blackboard ipad app as well!

  • James_OBryan

    I enjoyed the article, but can't say I feel the same quite yet. I am a “macboy” who owns a Macbook, ipod classic, ipod touch… so on. I love technology and electronics, I use my macbook to take notes in class, look up information online, keep tabs on my emails and write all my papers and journals on it. You're right, this is a part of the future, but this is a cross roads in life where we need to realize the double-edged sword of technology. We could go to e-books, and remove the burden of using our muscles to carry textbooks. We could go from paying 60-80 bucks for a used book to paying 10 bucks for an e-book in order to “Save money. Live better.” (Walmart…)
    This is the crossroad where we need to see that textbooks, novels, poems, and all written works are the “vinyl” of the day. Records are bigger, sure, but they contain the same songs we want to hear. Sure, cd's are cheap, and not as big or heavy, but you lose that appreciation and substance of the vinyl. This is the music industry, but imagine a “book industry” where all books become digital. We become dependent on the provider, the container, and the industry.
    Would you transfer the Park Library to a giant digital hard drive of tons of e-books with access to students, then just forget about the library? I wouldn't. You lose the smell of the pages, the texture of the hardcovers, the sound of the book closing, the bindings, the desks, the solitude… and that's something very scary to me.
    The pipe-dream of convenience sounds good, but as with most other conveniences, its just a gimmick. Some things are better as smaller, stronger, faster… but again there are more problems. Ask yourself if you would read the entire Harry Potter series on a 12 inch screen, or even trust that you won't break, lose or have your ipad hit with malware or viruses. I'm not going to get into it, but there is a chance of DRM with your e-books, and that's un-book like. If you are seriously troubled enough by books that you would give them up for the convenience of e-books and monetary saving, you deserve neither.

  • pooooooooop

    i don't even know where to begin…, so i won't

  • http://www.paragonlifeblog.com/ debbi

    Great to keep students abreast of the newest technology. If you don't have the knowledge, you are not going to be successful in the business world. Computer knowledge is almost as important as a degree now.

  • Kpotts

    I am on the fence when it comes to this issue. On the one hand, the benefits from using this sort of technology in the classroom is obvious – sustainability, ease of access, and cost effectiveness. However, I wonder if this is the best way for students to learn. College students on most campuses already suffer due to the fact that, let’s face it, many professors are masters of their subject, but know next to nothing about teaching the material in an effective way. Students are forced to sit for hours and be “talked at” instead of participating actively in their educational experience. I feel that since students are already required to supplement their “education” by teaching themselves the book (which often entails highlighting, scanning for information, etc.), the IPad may prove to be a hindrance to that practice. Staring at a small screen for hours on end, trying to find that one piece of information you need (that you could have marked on your first reading in a real textbook to save search time later) does not at all sound appealing to me. But, of course, this is just my opinion – and in the end the college will do what they decide is best (for them).