The industry trade journals all predicted that smart phones and tablets would overtake PC shipments by the end of last year. I don’t know if that’s the case, but I’ve been curious to see how this trend plays out with our traditional age undergrads. If we work from the assumption that mobility eliminates time and space boundaries, then we can assume a predilection for content that can be “consumed” any time/any place.
This isn’t a new concept, but it does serve our ongoing conversations about the use of technology to maximize classroom time. If, as some argue, SU will never see a critical mass of hybrid or full online courses, we should focus our energies (resources, money, time, etc.) on helping faculty use technology outside the classroom. Our undergrads today – the much hyped “digital natives” – may not be demanding instructional content outside of the classroom, but they would most certainly be comfortable consuming it on their time.
If we continue to demand an ass in a seat for 1 hour and 20 minutes two days each week, let’s make sure that we’re exploiting that face time. Move the contextualizing back-drop blather to ether and get to DOING in the classroom. That would truly be technology-enhanced instruction.
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