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Teaching/Learning Assignment The Rationale It's become a cliché, but it's nevertheless true, that the new century will require us all to be "life-long learners." Changing technology and a volatile economy require almost constant revision and even reinvention of our professional selves. And we're expected to be independent learners too, knowing where to locate resources and how to apply the knowledge we have gained. An aspect of this that I think has been underplayed, however, is the role that we are all going to have to play as teachers as well as learners. As knowledge and proficiency becomes more fragmented and specialized, we are going to frequently find ourselves becoming small-scale or temporary "experts." We will then form part of the resource pool that others will seek in order to assimilate the knowledge or proficiencies that they need. The Assignment Over the next few weeks, as we work on our websites, each of you will organize and present a teaching demonstration of 20-30 minutes in length. The idea is to introduce us to something relevant and help us to learn to use it. Getting started Think about something that you have learned recently (whether you discovered it on your own or had it taught to you). Preferably it will be something related to the work we are doing or have done in this class. You will find, for instance, that there are many aspects of HTML and web-design that we will not formally cover in class. Some of these could be very useful to people designing their own sites. The same is true of the desktop work we did, or more generally, the work we did with public and media relations. Beyond that, any aspect of writing, communication, technology, ethics, etc. in the contemporary (and future) workplace would be appropriate. Think about something focused enough for you to present it in a short time, and think about ways in which you can involve your "students." That's vital. This is not meant to be just a lecture that is politely tolerated and then forgotten. You will need to think about the best way to reach your audience, to communicate information, and to see it put to use. Process Once you have an idea write up a memo to me (email is OK) explaining it. Let me know why you think it would be interesting and valuable, and try (if it's not obvious) to show how it is relevant to this course. I will suggest changes if needed, and if you are the first to propose it, I will schedule a time for you to present. Organize and present a brief (20-30 minute) session as indicated above. Prepare all necessary materials and arrange for any needed equipment. |