Adaptability: Reflecting on Technology Use in the Classroom
As student needs change from class to class and from semester to semester, I constantly reflect on the uses and limitations of various technological tools for the concepts I am teaching. This page addresses three major concerns associated with teaching with technology: distractions, student stress, and misuse with generative AI. I then share my methods for dealing with each of these concerns, followed by a general reflection on gauging student performance and growth.
Distractions
One major concern with technology use in the classroom that I have contended with each semester is distraction. This semester, I have decided to limit the use of digital devices in the classroom to activities that require them, such as engaging with online readings or interactive course slides.
Performance Stress
Another challenge is the potential pressure students feel when their work becomes visible to others. To mitigate this fear, I emphasize that in-class activities are designed for skill development; they will never be graded on “quality.” Instead, these activities are graded as part of the students’ participation grades, allowing students who are not as comfortable with contributing to whole-class discussions or other more verbal forms of participation to nonetheless make meaningful additions to the course.
Misuse and Generative AI
Additionally, while technology offers many opportunities for multi-modal forms of instruction, it can also be misused—particularly with such tools as generative AI. I have dedicated a number of class sessions to exploring the uses and limitations of AI tools in rhetoric, using real examples from my own experiences and ones inspired by past students’ submissions to demonstrate how AI-generated content has certain strengths and weaknesses. From such lessons, students can make informed decisions about how—or if—they will use these tools in their writing processes.
Evaluating Growth
I use a variety of strategies to evaluate the effectiveness of my pedagogical methods. After each class, I review students’ in-class work, identifying common strengths and opportunities for improvement. I then revise my lesson plans to address any prominent pitfalls. After the first unit of the semester, I administer an anonymous survey asking students to reflect on which teaching strategies work best for them and what suggestions they have for improvements to the course. Some significant policies in my classes, such as reserving the right to cold call on students when discussions go quiet and moving the deadlines for process work to Saturdays instead of Fridays were initially suggested by my students in these anonymous surveys. Finally, I assess trends in first and final drafts of major assignments to measure student growth. Students generally respond well to my course policies, especially when I take the time to explain their purpose. For instance, my policy on AI use, which allows outlining and review but requires all written work to be the student’s own, helps students appreciate the importance of academic integrity and the value of finding their own unique voices when writing about topics that are important to them: this is ultimately my highest priority as an instructor of ENGL 15.