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Show BRMSHImaBi jâ€" UiiSiJUivgiUjij THE DAYS OF CHALKY BLACKBOARDS ARE 01 Thanks to a surge in online computing and technology dedicated to advancing learning, never before have teaching methods been so apt to help students retain what they hear from instructors. "Faculty can concentrate on developing teaching methods that foster understanding of material (application, reflection, testing, etc.) as opposed to using classroom time for simply transferring "knowledge" from the teacher's notes to the student's notes," according to the University of Dayton's Web site, Learning and Teaching in an e-Classroom. Technology can introduce students to real-world situations, facilitate deeper understanding of the material and enhance instructors' teaching methods. It can help students and educators better prepare before class as well as allow them to share comments and reflect on what took place during class. So how do instructors incorporate technology into their curriculum? The World Wide Web provides instructors with a cost-effective (and environmentally-friendly) way to create and send information to students. From PowerPoint to e-mail and instant messaging, the Web is becoming the new way instructors communicate with students. In a study published by the Human Sciences Press, Inc., researchers found, "In 2000, 59 percent of all college courses were using electronic mail, up from 44 percent in 1998 and 20 percent in 1995. In addition, the percentage of college courses that rely on Web-based resources have increased almost fourfold, from 11 percent in 1995 to 43 percent in 2000," according to a study conducted by Kenneth C. Green, published in Campus Computing in 2001. One of the most common components of technology for educators and professionals is Microsoft's PowerPoint. From school presentations to business presentations, PowerPoint offers a simple way to effectively communicate information to all sorts of audiences. Generally, everyone can operate PowerPoint for everything from creating an elaborate presentation with graphics and sound to creating a simple white background with black text. What type of technological background do students come to college with? Vicki Olsen, computer technology teacher at Riverton High School, said, "Technology affects my students because that is what they have to lessons | fall 2007 17 |