Breakout Sessions

2. Breakout Sessions • The top recommendations have been prepared by each breakout session group based on the topics discussed at Mission Day XIII. • The three discussion main topics and points posed to each session are included for review.

3. Sessions 1-4 “An educational pedagogy that is digital, automatic, fault-tolerant, minimally invasive, connected, and self organized”

4. Discussion Points “An educational pedagogy that is digital, automatic, fault-tolerant, minimally invasive, connected, and self organized" • Is the above statement an accurate vision statement for “21st Century Learning”? How would you modify or improve it? • What do we think the students would want the classroom of the future to be? • Is Cal U successfully implementing the existing technology on campus into the education? Is it a hindrance or a key in stimulating engagement? • Enumerate ways to use technology to help promote a more student-centered classroom • Discuss ways to use technology to help students collaborate on class projects

5. Session: 1 • Refine the statement replacing the jargon with language that would be understandable to the general population while communicating its purpose to stakeholders and incoming students and adding language that sets clear expectations how this will be of benefit to Cal U students and/or communicates student expectations relative to the statement. The group also suggests adding diversity to the statement. • Classroom of the future should be renamed as “Class of the Future.” Class of the Future should incorporate technology as a tool/vehicle for knowledge with the instructor as an overseer who still gives direction and sets expectations. Class of the Future would include an equal blend of technology, lecture, collaboration, and validation of student work. It would also be customizable for traditional and non-traditional students and the level of technology used would be dependent on the discipline and that discipline’s need for face-to-face interaction; e,g., Nursing, Communications Disorders may be less technology driven that other courses. • Rather than focus on utilizing technology for collaboration or student-centered learning, focus on creating inviting spaces where students can congregate and share learning. Current technology practices that have been successful at Cal U include using Twitter to collaborate on exams and leveraging Library faculty as resources to identify online resources that are discipline specific and instructor approved.

6. Session: 2 • An environment where the University community is engaged, challenged and supported in creating, learning and developing mastery for success. • We, the University community, want the OPTION to use the technology and have the support required to operate it. • The students want the classroom to have: • Real world experiences/applications • Engage us at all levels • Educators to be guides, not gate keepers • Value of education to be an outcome • Self autonomy • Respect our time • Non judgemental

7. Session: 3 • Faculty, staff, and students should work together collaboratively to implement digital technologies effectively. • There is a role reversal in teaching and learning—no longer are the professors the experts, students have also become the experts in certain areas. • Professors must be willing to change how they teach, i.e. “Don’t PowerPoint us to death!” as well as what they teach. Students should be willing to change how they learn. All must also be willing to find motivation to learn and teach and balance experiential learning with rote memorization.

8. Session: 4 • Students with disabilities may have a harder time with this new approach to learning. The future classroom should address each student’s learning style and provide learning in a variety of modalities. • Smart classrooms are possibly too advanced for the professors. More professor training is needed. • Equip students to analyze the quality of the abundance of information available.

9. Sessions 5-8 Enhancing Student Learning through Technology and Minimally Invasive Teaching Strategies

10. Discussion Points Student Learning through Technology and Minimally Invasive Teaching Strategies • Review how today’s learners are different from those of the past • Discuss what skills will be necessary for students to be successful upon graduation • Consider instructional design needs • Share experiences and best practices • Student expectations of ed technology • The role of using the learning management system (D2L) in our classes • Mobile devices and their use in enhancing student learning • Student expectation of what and how technology will be used in the classroom. • How to assess if the technology is enhancing or distracting

11. Session: 5 • Create environments that increase student excitement about learning. • Faculty should be trained to use technology. • Questions need to be asked for “discovery of new material” where students and teachers together search for answers.

12. Session: 6 • To ensure that if faculty are incorporating technology that they are considering all learning styles. • If technology is being used, reliability must be in place and resources are widely available. • Ensure that there is a base level understanding of the technology being used in the classroom and for online learning.Realize that not everyone has access to all of the latest technology.

13. Session: 7 • Figure out where technology fits into the learning process (beginning, middle, end) in different learning situations. • More empirical research on this kind of learning methodology before jumping in without question. What is the impact of technology on intellectual curiosity and how can we assess that the technology is enhancing the learning/curiosity? • Learning should include both the process of acquiring knowledge as well as the acquisition.

14. Session: 8 • Today's learners are tech savvy and fast paced, and technology is constantly changing. We need to be adaptable in teaching methods to accommodate learners. • Support services, staff and a platform to share best practices are crucial if we want to maximize the potential of technology and integrate best practices throughout the curriculum. • The most current technology is needed, or at least the technology that is being used in some of the top high schools from which our students come.

15. Sessions 9-12 Integrating Technology and Technical Support

16. Discussion Points Integrating Technology and Technical Support • Creating a Vision Statement for Educational Technology at Cal U • Determine technical support needs • Consider how to best integrate technology to provide learning experiences • Discuss what to do when technology fails or is not available • Share ideas for applications (Web and device-driven) • Discuss support that faculty needs in order to use technology in the classroom and support that students need in order to use technology to be successful in their courses

17. Session: 9 • Cal U will strive to create a twenty-first century teaching and learning environment by integrating the best available educational technology to provide the most complete learning experience for everyone by providing equal access to technology. This will be administered via teacher preparation programs enhancing the ability to educate the future workforce with technology allowing our students to be competitive and prepared for our future world and continuous education. • Educational Technology-How it is related to the classroom, (e.g. smart rooms) Books-dated technology, even a pencil can be considered technology. However, so many advancements and our focus will be new digital media. • Students have right to expect technology is available and staff is capable of working it.

18. Session: 10 • Training (Access for all constituents, central physical location, self-paced online tutorials) • Accessibility (Transparency, simplicity, ease of use, access in all locations with same password, more individual server space, administrative access to software, use of mobile/portable devices) • Administrative Goals (Administrative statement of technology-based learning outcome goals and commitment to proactive support; Acknowledge technology as a means to educate rather than a goal in and of itself)

19. Session: 11 • Group 11’s vision statement says it all: “Educational technology at California University of Pennsylvania will be interactive, functional, easy-to-use, effective, versatile, essential/consistent, and enjoyable” • Better training would make the experience of integrating technology more realistic for both the students and the faculty/staff members involved. Both groups have to know what’s available to them and how to use it. • Technology utilization has to be desirable (fun-to-use) for all of the teachers and learners (students, faculty and staff)

20. Session: 12 • Cal U App Marketplace • Incentives for faculty, staff, and students to learn and use technology • One universal communication platform (fully incorporated email and LMS) • Encourage cooperative learning

21. Thank you!