With Julie Dodd presenting, Christine Eschenfelder and Casey Kochey have taken over the live-blogging duties…

by Christine Eschenfelder and Casey Kochey

With an energetic introduction, Julie Dodd, Cheryl Pell and Judy Robinson have begun their talk on technology tips for the classroom — “2, 4, 6, 8 — Tech Tips You’ll Appreciate.” (See the PDF of their 8 iPad applications — ipad-innovations)

Julie Dodd, Judy Robinson, Karen Flowers and Cheryl Pell ready to take the stage. – Photo by Casey Kochey

Julie Dodd says that tech considerations should always begin by thinking about the motivation behind your use of technology. An understanding of professional applications of technology can be a useful motivator for students, and connecting with large classes can be a motivator for instructors.

On to the teaching tips:

1. Develop a course blog, which can provide students with useful links, introduce students to lab instructors and provide information to students who may have missed class. It can also serve as a useful resource for posting class handouts and documents, which eliminates the need for instructors to print and distribute copies of some materials.

2. Teaching using smart phones – the abundance of students with smart phones can allow white board discussions to be captured and saved, promote reporting skills and allow students to take their learning out of the classroom and easily report back to the instructor.