Gina Gray, assistant teaching professor in kinesiology; Jim Hart, lecturer in communication arts and science; and Griff Lewis, instructional designer, were presenters at this year's Teaching and Learning with Technology Symposium, sharing their knowledge and experiences with other Penn State faculty members.
DUNMORE, Pa. — Three Penn State Worthington Scranton faculty and staff members presented at the 2018 Teaching and Learning with Technology (TLT) Symposium, an annual event that brings together Penn State faculty and staff members and ideas that transform education.
Gina Gray, assistant teaching professor in kinesiology; Jim Hart, lecturer in communication arts and science; and Griff Lewis, instructional designer, gave presentations on student engagement and the use of recorded video.
“Show and Tell: Infographics to Keep and Sustain Engagement” focused on incorporating infographics as visual aids in the classroom. Gray, Amy Kuntz and Beth E. Michalec showed several uses of infographics, including as an introduction to the syllabus; as lesson introductions/summaries; and as an alternative to traditional student presentations.
Throughout the session, participant insight was collected electronically as part of audience engagement and was used to construct an infographic after the conclusion of the session.
“Self-assessment and Individualized Learning Through the Use of Recorded Video” dealt with using student self-recorded and instructor-recorded video in the classroom to enhance teaching and student learning.
Gray, Hart and Lewis discussed how they incorporated the use of video for the following situations: student self-assessment for speech preparation and delivery and the instructor's expectations for the student learning as a result of seeing themselves on video; pre-test assessment that was then utilized for individualized learning based upon their previously gained skills in a variety of kinesiology courses; and team self-assessment to gain a better understanding of game strategy techniques in kinesiology. Their results, student feedback, pedagogical impact and example videos were shared with participants.
The TLT Symposium is mainly targeted toward Penn State faculty, although instructional designers, education technologists and multimedia developers also attend. Graduate students who are teaching courses or who are part of symposium presentations are also invited to attend.
While intended to be a for-faculty, by-faculty event, with presentations typically being led by at least one University faculty member, staff and students can be part of the presentations at the TLT Symposium in a supporting role.
In addition to informational/instructional sessions, the symposium also features a keynote speaker, which was sponsored in partnership with the University Libraries this year. Stephen J. Dubner, award-winning author, journalist and radio/TV personality, shared the stories hidden in data.
Dubner is best-known as the co-author of the "Freakonomics" book series, which have sold more than 7 million copies in over 40 countries. He is also the host of "Freakonomics Radio," which gets 8 million monthly downloads and airs on NPR stations and elsewhere.
Next year’s TLT Symposium will take place March 16. At this time, the symposium is not open to people outside of Penn State.
