Technology in the Classroom
This is the first in a series of profiles featuring faculty and staff members who are using Technology in the Classroom to enhance the educational experiences of their students.
Getting the word out
Howard Good (Communication and Media) is preparing his students to become media professionals in the digital age by using blogs, wikis and video.
“Blogs and wikis are commonplace on the Internet, and it’s important that students who aspire to media careers become familiar with them and confident in using them,” he said.
In many of his courses, Good uses blog posts to encourage discussion and dialogue, gauge his students’ understanding of a topic and provide writing opportunities, “and as many are journalism majors, this is always a good thing,” he said.
Screen shot of Literature of Journalism blog
Alyssa Jung ’09 (Journalism) said the material in each of the four classes she has taken with Good has been supplemented with a blog. She said the experience allowed her and her classmates to further their interaction with the material and one another.
“Bringing activities and discussions outside of the classroom allows us to gather our own understanding of digital media while gaining firsthand experience with some of the means used to power it,” Jung said.
Students in Good’s Press in America course compiled an online encyclopedia or wiki using PBWiki. Students researched a topic of historical significance in American journalism and created an entry, which is available to the public, complete with hyperlinks, illustrations and an annotated bibliography.
Good’s journalism students are also learning how to produce videos and multimedia presentations.
The final in his Media and Ethics course was not considered complete until the students’ videos were uploaded to YouTube or a similar site. Good said one video has had more than 10,000 hits since it was uploaded more than a year ago.
He said through these projects his students gain crucial practice in making multimedia presentations and acquire a significant piece of work for their portfolios.
Tags: blogs, classroom, technology, video, wikis
