New Faculty Lunch Discussion: Teaching with Technology

The November New Faculty Lunch Discussion will be held from 12:30-1:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, and noon to 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in the Cordia Harrington Center for Excellence, CORD 349. New faculty are those in their first two years of teaching at the U of A.

Technology can be a powerful teaching tool. Join our new faculty lunch and learn to hear the 2022 Paul Cronan Technology Teaching Excellence Award winners talk about their ideas for maximizing technology usage in the classroom.  

Stephen Caldwell will talk about "Magic in Their Pockets: Embracing the Smartphone in Your Classroom." For years, teachers at all levels railed against phones. Turn them off! Put them away! Those days are past, and our students' technology extends beyond their phone. "Phone away? Fine with me! I get all my notifications through my watch now!" With smartphones now linked to watches, tablets and laptops, trying to prevent students from interacting with their devices is a battle lost before it begins. So, if they are going to have all these screens in front of them anyway, why not put them to good use? This chat will explore a few ways we can embrace students' smartphones for the common good.

David Fredrick will talk about "Outer Wilder: Leveraging the Elemental Tetrad of Game Design." In The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, the game designer Jesse Schell defines a game as "a problem-solving activity approached with a playful attitude." This provides a pointed contrast with higher education, which often seems like a problem-solving activity approached with a stressful, or even painful, attitude. This presentation will focus on the elemental tetrad, the four elements of a game that must be in balance for the game to be successful: aesthetics, story, interaction design and technology. We will explore how the balance of these elements (and a playful attitude) can improve the problem-solving experience that is essential to learning. 

Fredrick, associate professor of classical studies in the Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures, has been deeply involved in using the technology and interdisciplinary creativity of video games to enhance student experiences at the U of A. This includes on-campus and study abroad courses in archaeological visualization, video game criticism, virtual reality, immersive retail and game design itself. He has won national and international awards for his creative use of technology.  

Caldwell, associate professor of music, used technology during the pandemic to create a virtual choir. Students recorded themselves on their smart phones, which Caldwell then put together. The video of the performance of the U of A Choir singing became a viral sensation. Additional videos were created throughout the Fall 2020 semester. The Schola Cantorum, which Caldwell directs, took the idea a step further and created original music and used video technology to create a combined performance. Caldwell won a national award for the creative use of technology during the pandemic. 

This will be offered live and on Zoom. Lunch will be offered. 

Click here to RSVP.