In this highly interactive and engaging panel discussion, you will learn:
• ‘What's next' for educational technology and how you can navigate and respond to change
• How you can deliver quality content in a way that resonates with today's digital natives and meets their individual needs, preferences and learning styles
• Real-life examples and best practices for leveraging digital tools in the classroom and producing measurable outcomes
eReaders, eBooks, online courses and other technologies are changing the way instructors teach and students learn. Instead of the traditional textbook, instructors and students are embracing netbooks, tablets, and the "cloud" for their learning needs. How are schools and developers dealing with this change? How are schools dealing with slashed budgets, student needs and demands and changing technology?
Both instructors and digital solutions providers are working together to bring quality content to students in a way that appeals to digital natives and fits their individual needs and learning styles: Chris Vento, EVP Advanced Digital Products, Cengage Learning and Frank Menchaca, EVP, Research, Cengage Learning: Mr. Vento and Mr. Menchaca will discuss the next generation of educational technology— from eBook readers to smart phones to other portable learning solutions, and how publishers and instructors must provide content that is customizable and integrated for use in the classroom in order to keep up with the new generation of students and the demands of busy professionals seeking higher education as well. Dr. Tai Houser, Broward College: An English Professor at Broward College, Tai Houser enjoys working in the electronic environment, teaching both blended and fully on-line writing classes. Dr. Houser works within the college to promote learning centered instruction, international education, and the Model United Nations. He scores AP Literature exams for the College Board and received his Ph.D. in Literature, Literacies, and Linguistics from Florida Atlantic University. He relies heavily on an axiom shared by Stanley Fish and finds it helpful in maintaining his sanity: “Do your job. Don’t do someone else’s job. Don’t let someone else do your job.”
Companies, such as Cengage Learning, are seeing their activation and usage rates skyrocket—meaning students are turning more and more to online courses and eBooks for their educational needs. Additionally, students are clamoring for their course materials in alternate sources—hits from iPhones, Android phones and other smart phones have skyrocketed as more and more people—students and instructors alike—have the internet in their pocket. Manufacturers are developing new and more powerful eReaders daily. Students are using their laptops for everything from social networking to homework, and instructors need to be prepared for these savvy students. Dr. Brown will describe how she uses statistics from her online course in student assessment, risk assessment, and bonus point structure to measure learning outcomes. She will also describe how her personal learning plans assist students in deciding what is most important for their study time, leading to higher grades as the most important points are highlighted. Mr. Vento and Mr. Menchaca will describe how Cengage Learning assists instructors in planning their courses—whether they are just testing the waters of online teaching, or if they are looking for a full-blown course redesign, and how classrooms have seen success with Cengage Learning's digital solutions. Importance or relevance to other institutions: With budgets diminishing, students demanding more online resources, and student populations that are no longer the traditional, 18-22 demographic, online courses—whether fully or partially online—are no longer optional in higher education. The popularity of eBooks at a consumer level is spilling over into higher education, as students demand technology that reflects their "real life" experience. Both students and institutions do not have the income for materials that they once did—and eBooks and other online course materials can either supplement or replace traditional textbooks at a low cost. Case studies like Dr. Houser's show real, classroom applications of these technologies in a way that improves student performance—and makes the lessons appeal to students' "real life".
