Dr. Robert Buchwald of the Biology department sees in technology the opportunity to reach his students. 鈥淒ifferent people learn different ways and it鈥檚 very complex material,鈥� he says. 聽Whenever Buchwald introduces a new process or concept, he gives a verbal description, reviews it with an image pulled from the textbook or Google, and then shows a video or animation from YouTube.
This repetition of material allows all students to grasp the difficult biological concepts that Buchwald teaches.聽 鈥淚t came from a realization during teaching that some ways I was presenting material clicked for some people and didn鈥檛 click for others,鈥� Buchwald explains. Buchwald uses the reiteration to cover his bases.
Buchwald also designs his own website which he uploads to D2L and uses to share lecture slides, videos, relevant pictures, and news. 鈥淭hen when it comes time for finals, students can go back to the other weeks and pull the slides or watch the movies and use them to study,鈥� Buchwald says.
Utilizing the forum section of D2L, Buchwald has also encouraged dialogue outside the classroom by posting videos or relevant articles for his class to see. 鈥淚t was a good opportunity to talk about things that were on the periphery of what the main syllabus [was] supposed to be covering but [were] really cool or really interesting.鈥�
Technology has played an important role in how Buchwald teaches his courses. 鈥淚t鈥檚 paramount. I think I couldn鈥檛 teach the class without technology because it鈥檚 2013. By not taking advantage of technology, you鈥檙e missing out on an important way that people think today, especially students.鈥澛� Technology also grants access to materials that were harder to find in the past. 鈥淭he proliferation of technology has gotten to the point where there is just so many resource out there, and most of them are free, why not take advantage of that?鈥� Buchwald posits.
When new professors are trying out technology, Buchwald says it鈥檚 important to know that technology isn鈥檛 necessarily difficult, but it can be intimidating. Buchwald points out, however, that one not need learn everything there is to know about technology. 鈥淎ll you need to figure out is your way鈥� How you鈥檙e going to use technology.鈥�
While Buchwald reiterated that technology was critical to view certain microscopic processes, videos and slides can鈥檛 always replace the experience of being in a lab. 鈥淭here is still something to be said for touching the real thing,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just a whole other level of wow.鈥�
