The Technology Pep-Talk!

Walking back to my office after Jeff’s lecture I couldn’t help but have a little Eminem moment.  His “I’m not afraid” song is usually on my gym playlist, but this morning it went straight to my teaching list.  My take home message from this morning’s lecture?  Technology is empowering!  Delicious, Prezi, Scoop, twitter, and Skype are not meant to be feared (guilty), but to be embraced, utilized, and maximized.  I feel like I am shedding my beloved dreams of living off the grid, but I came to the slow realization that technology is advancing with or without me, along with everyone else!  As retarded as Delicious and Prezi sound, they are the new paper, ink, fountain pen, and computer. I would be a reckless and careless instructor if I chose not to take advantage of the tools and mentality that technology showcases.  Thanks Jeff!  My world is no longer flat! 

Technology Questions

1.  Should technology be fully embraced in the classroom?  Or feared since students can easily be distracted (e.g., facebook, email)?

2.  How should a facebook relationship be handled between instructor and student?  Undergraduate and graduate levels?

3.  How do you stay organized electronically as an instructor?  Mulitple classes, hundreds of emails, how do you efficiently and effectively deal with it all?

4.  What are the top three technology tools (ipad, blog, website, etc...) you would recommend for a new instructor?