09/12/12 - Teaching with Technology
New Tools for a New Era: Teaching with Technology
Prof. Stephen Thomas, Department of Zoology
11:30-1:30, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012
Biomedical and Physical Science Building (BPS) 1425
(Lunch Provided)
About the session:
Over the last several years there has been a push for universities to offer more online classes. This shift combined with learning preferences and needs of “Millennial” students puts pressure on today’s faculty to be able to successfully navigate through the deluge of instructional technology options. In this session we will explore a breadth of technologies that could be incorporated into face-to-face, hybrid, or online classes (screencasting, social media, cloud computing, course management software, etc.), some concerns you might take into consideration before using a technology, and how to implement a technology to best align with your course objectives. You should bring examples of course objectives as well as a class activity that you might want to augment with a technology.
About Stephen Thomas:
Stephen Thomas is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Zoology, an Assistant Curator at the MSU Museum, and the Associate Director for the Center for Integrative Studies in General Science. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology and Entomology. Since coming to MSU his research focus has shifted from virulence of fungal pathogens of gypsy moths to visual communication of science in formal and informal settings.
Stephen’s use of technology in teaching has won him two AT&T/MSU Awards for Best Online Class (2009, 2011) and a James D. Hoeschele Endowed Teaching Award for excellence in teaching science to non-science majors (2010). As an assistant curator for science education at the MSU Museum, he has recently completed an exhibit that looks at nature as inspiration for technology. The exhibit links organisms to fantastical technology in comics, and real-world examples of technology in the field of biomimetics. In his role as Assistant Curator, Stephen has worked to incorporate technologies to enhance the informal science education experience, including QR codes, augmented reality, mobile apps, and games for touch screen kiosks.
Video of the Session
New Tools for a New Era: Teaching with Technology Prof. Stephen Thomas, Department of Zoology from ANR Communications MSU on Vimeo.