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Show , Fall 2006 page 21 discussion follows helping students identify concepts, and see real world application. Smith-Crowe is also using WebCT for her course. "I would say that 98 percent of students really like W^ebCT. They can check their grades, get the PowerPoint slides for the lectures, or download handouts they may have lost. It's also a great way for me to communicate with them and vice versa." Kyle Gardner, a business major, and student of Smith-Crowe says, "I really appreciate the professor who takes the time to use WebCT. It's definitely beneficial to be able to see where you are in a class by having your scores posted. And the e-mail can be used to communicate with other students in the class as well as your professor. When a professor makes an effort to use WebCT, you feel like they are taking an active part in helping you succeed in the course." In today's world, people are being bombarded with various forms of entertainment. Technology has given birth to interactive graphic video games and movies. The old style of teaching, with only a dusty chalk board and monotone voice, is most often viewed by students as ancient and boring. However, some criticize teachers for taking up important in-class time trying to figure out how to load a program or work an audio or a video portion. Sometimes 5 to 10 minutes of class is wasted by glitches in a program, which can make a teacher appear inept with technology. But the question remains: how much time is wasted when the student dozes off or daydreams during a mediocre presentation? "Even if it takes a few minutes longer to set up something using new technology, I think it's worth it. Probably like most students, I can't listen intently to every word said in a lecture anyway. The extra minutes that are possibly lost are beneficial because the new technology usually grabs my attention and I listen better," said Dan Bischoff, a communication student. Instructors who are feeling a little less than technologically inclined aren't doomed to use a dry-erase board and markers for the rest of their career. The Technology Assisted Curriculum Center (TACC), located on the second floor in the Marriot Library, offers support to teachers who aren't sure how to use available technology. Its primary purpose as stated on its homepage is "to support the efforts of University of Utah faculty members to integrate various technologies and information navigation skills into their curriculum for the enhancement of quality teaching and learning." Workshops on WebCT, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and much more are offered. There are even workshops with information on plagiarism software. Staff are ready and willing to set up appointments for one-on-one help sessions so teachers can become savvy enough to use this available technology in their classes. In our fast-paced world, people are directing their attention to whatever can best keep it. Effective teachers need to compete for their student's interest. University of Utah senior, Dan Bischoff, experienced a good use of technology in an astronomy class he took at UVSC that enhanced his learning. "We sat in a dome shaped room and the chairs could lean back to look at the ceiling," he said. "During some lectures the teacher would turn off the lights, turn on this thing that would light up the ceiling like a clear night sky revealing the galaxy's stars. He then would teach us about constellations through each season as if we were actually outside looking at the sky everyday throughout the year. I'm not a science major, but I thought that was really cool. It wras probably the best technology I've seen in a classroom." Eric Sorte, a multi-degree student who is currently working on attaining a doctorate in physics, is impressed with the various forms of instruments used in the University of Utah physics program to teach principles. "No longer are we taught abstract principles from drawings in books," he said. "For instance, lasers and masers (lasers using microwaves) are used to show refraction of light in water molecules. Something that is only theory in a lecture has become reality by new technology. Instead of telling us about a principle, a teacher can show the real world in action." With more technology available in the classrooms to enhance education methods and motivate students, professors can move beyond conventional lectures. The source for course information shouldn't be limited to the class text. Students can be exposed to information from outside the box of the traditional classroom, and methods of teaching and learning are being enhanced, |