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Terrific way to frame technology use and non-use in the classroom. "Instead of imposing restrictions about what they can't use, invite them to have an experience that can't be had through the use of technology." Also a very good rundown of other writing about the pros and cons.

The ECAR survey is an interesting national perspective on students' attitudes towards technology in higher education. This Chronicle article pulls out a couple of interesting findings.

Important readings as we examine our assumptions about students and technology use in the classroom.

As we wrap up this semester's projects and start thinking about next year's, Dr. Ruben Puentedura's model of the functions of technology in a course provides a useful framework.

This is a question we need to start asking up-front. When a textbook vendor calls, ask about accessible materials. When you see a documentary, ask if it's closed-captioned. When we think about new technologies, ask about screen readers and other accessibility tools. Better still, ask vendors (and colleagues) what accommodations they'd make to get all students an equivalent educational experience.

A summary of faculty responses to a survey on lecture capture technology in face-to-face classrooms.

This report is about a "nationally representative" survey which finds that educational attainment is one of the best predictors of high technology and information literacy skills - so I would assume that the results aren't quite as dire for those Millennials who go to college. That said, it's a good reminder that many so-called "digital natives" are not (yet) sophisticated creators and managers of information with their devices. I also want to point out that the kinds of information management tasks tested are perfectly relevant to research in the humanities, social sciences, and fine arts, not just STEM as the think tank suggests.

This article from Middlebury addresses many of the reasons we include instructional technology support within the CIP.

"Our real goal is to improve how students integrate new information. We want to change them. While what we have to teach our students may get them a first job, it will not on its own get them a second job-especially one that may not yet even exist. We want our students to be able to learn new things, analyze new knowledge, integrate it into their thinking, and change their minds when necessary." Jose Bowen argues that we should treat both technology and disciplinary content as tools, in pursuit of the larger cognitive changes we try to create in the liberal arts.

This course redesign "formula" may not work for all courses, but perhaps it can work for you. The article describes what amounts to a course redesign that results in a blended classroom, using the technology available through the text publisher as the source of outside data. The six guidelines they propose can be boiled down to: (1) guide students in active learning; (2) enforce deadlines to keep students on task; (3) reward students for real effort, which translates into real learning; (4) provide regular assessment (immediate feedback via technology, if possible); (5) accommodate varied learning styles; and (6) keep on students to do their work (again, technology can help with this).

For better or for worse, email is a vital communication channel in Kenyon's culture, but not in pre-college teenage culture. How do you address this gap?

This article does not address the reasons why faculty restrict access to technology in the classroom, such as distraction or the confusion of dictation for note taking, but it does present an interesting model for how technology could be used better to create a backchannel for a course through student collaboration.

A course at the University of Pennsylvania includes a one-month vow of online and offline silence, to give students a sense of what the monastic life is like.

A report from Data & Society provides an approach to "racial literacy" in technology companies, which would also be appropriate in other disciplines.

Bryn Mawr's first blended learning conference was a great chance to see what colleagues at a similar institution are doing with teaching with technology; the second conference should be just as good. Kenyon is a partner on their NGLC grant so our registration fee is waived.

An interesting balanced look - dare I call it a "middle path"? - at how to move toward wise, effective use of technology in the classroom.

"Technology is a part of our human experience, not a replacement to it."

So you've decided to "free up" some class time by using technology differently in your class. What then? This article gives interesting examples of increasing group work in a "blended" classroom, and the kind of environment which supports independent but collaborative learning.

Greg Rosenbaum, K'10 and producer of the SXSWedu conference, used this Prezi during his talk at Kenyon next week. (The video will be on the CIP's YouTube channel soon.) It's a good outline of the many factors we're juggling in education; it's also a fine example of the way Prezi can make the structure of an argument apparent.