Faculty Affirm Ed Tech Funds Are Well Spent

Higher education institutions invest significant funds on educational technology. From learning management systems to the latest generation of wireless projectors and personal response systems, there is a demand to keep up with the latest tools to support learning. But if faculty fail to use these technologies or don’t believe they can actually make a difference, then the investment is likely going to waste. Here’s what a new survey has to say about that. Continue reading Faculty Affirm Ed Tech Funds Are Well Spent

The Learning Styles Debate Continues

Do you believe in the validity of learning styles? Even if the scientific evidence doesn’t necessarily support them there may still be value in keeping in mind the need to mix up instructional approaches in the classroom. Learning styles are not without some degree of controversy and the debate continues. Continue reading The Learning Styles Debate Continues

When Digital Becomes the Norm

Whether we talk about digital libraries or digital humanities, it must only be a matter of time until the digital is so fully developed and firmly embedded in practice that it will seem redundant to keep prefacing our professions and disciplines with the “digital” qualifier. What about Blended Librarianship? Does it still make sense in a digital world? Continue reading When Digital Becomes the Norm

Tech Gadgets Emerging As Next-Gen Instructional Technology

When it comes to instructional technology our thinking tends to focus primarily on how we integrate software into the learning process. A new generation of tech gadgets suggests that Blended Librarians should be paying as much attention to hardware as they do to software. Continue reading Tech Gadgets Emerging As Next-Gen Instructional Technology

Librarians and Teachers: Not Exactly Eye-to-Eye on Data Privacy

How should academic librarians respond when administrators request data on student use of research products, attendance at instruction sessions or number of books borrowed? What about K-12 educators? They and their schools collect considerable amounts of student data. Perhaps a conversation about big data and student privacy is the next fertile area for discussing common interests and having a united front on privacy policies for student data. Continue reading Librarians and Teachers: Not Exactly Eye-to-Eye on Data Privacy