on listservs (and other such electronic enchancements to learning)

This presentation is made through media files (video and audio). Click on the highlighted phrases below to view each file. Thanks to Rich Bloom for technical support.

The background is simple: I began to use listservs precisely when students at my university were receiving email accounts by virtue of being students. I used mailing lists in teaching for what are essentially non-technological reasons.

This media file can be viewed using a RealPlayer. To download a free RealPlayer, click here.

I conceded that there are several challenges one must overcome in order to see the value of using this sort of teaching tool.

The key, of course, is to integrate tools such as listservs into the course as it is. Don't change the course to suit the new teaching tool. Don't let the technological tail wag the educational dog. On the other hand, new media do have the potential of changing one's pedagogy from teacher-centered teaching to learner-centered learning.

I am not particularly stuck on listservs for use in my teaching, as opposed to other media and modes. But in the end I do, for now, prefer listservs above all for several reasons having, perhaps, to do with the importance, in my discipline, of words and thoughts carefully expressed and (asynchronously) considered.


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Document URL: http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/listservs.html
Last modified: Friday, 06-Aug-2004 09:52:35 EDT