About the Series

The CITES Academic Technology Services "Teaching with Technology" Brown Bag Series features award-winning Illinois faculty discussing how they successfully integrated web-based technologies into their teaching. This forum includes presentations on expanding and developing teaching strategies through using emergent technologies and online resources in a variety of disciplines.

The Brown Bag series runs through the Fall and Spring semesters.

All events are held in 23 Illini Hall from 12 until 1pm.

Spring 2012

February 08 - Illinois Compass 2g: Showcase of Teaching Tools

Panel of Selected Faculty and Staff

The second generation of Illinois Compass offers many new features designed to enhance teaching and learning. In this showcase presentation, a panel of Compass 2g users will highlight particular tools and demonstrate how they are used in teaching. Presenters include Darin Eastburn (Crop Sciences) discussing learning modules; Norma Scagnoli and Jill Moore (Business) discussing embedded media; Laura Hill (Spanish, Italian, & Portuguese) discussing blended learning, and Virginia Peterson (Online and Continuing Education) discussing group assignments and group projects. Join us for an informative look at these second generation teaching tools.

February 22 - The Many Faces of Facebook:  Enhancing the Academic Experience

Kathryn Anthony, Architecture

Can a social networking tool like Facebook enhance the academic experiences of students, faculty, and alumni?  As an active Facebook user with over 600 friends, Kathryn Anthony has been exploring the use of Facebook as a teaching supplement in six different courses during the last four semesters.  Join us for an in-depth look at her research on best practices, the benefits and disadvantages of Facebook in the classroom, and the innovative use of Facebook to reach out to alumni. A few students from her courses will be on hand to describe their experiences and offer different perspectives on the teaching and learning process.

March 07 - The Maps on Our Backs:  Teaching with Google Maps

Ashwini Chhatre, Geography

Your home contains a world map of exported clothing and electronics. Based on an exercise originally developed by Professor Tom Bassett from Geography, students in Chhatre’s Geography of Developing Countries course record the countries of origin from all the garments and electronic goods in their homes. The data is pooled together and students generate detailed maps showing the stark differences between countries that export electronics and those that export garments. Join us for a look at how Chhatre integrates freely available software like Google Maps, Google Fusion Tables, and Google Public Data Explorer in this course, and others, to enhance student understanding and ability.

April 04 - Teaching a Large Class Online: A Case Study from Chemistry

Nick Llewellyn, Chemistry

Join us for an inside look at an Organic Chemistry service course with 550 - 700 students per semester. Dissatisfied with some of the online course management tools available, Llewellyn and colleagues Jeff Moore and Mike Evans set out to explore the pros and cons of using various teaching technologies to improve presentations, discussions, and evaluation. Their experiences with Wiki, Compass, Lon-Capa, and ACE Organic will surprise and inform anyone who is interested in developing or enhancing the online teaching and learning experience. View the Fall 2011 course site at: https://wiki.cites.uiuc.edu/wiki/display/chem232fa11/Home

April 18 - Effective Teaching Tools in a Large Enrollment Classroom

Julia Shapland, Accountancy

Keeping students focused and interested in large enrollment classrooms presents a variety of challenges. Join us for an in-depth look at the arsenal of tech tools and teaching methods Shapland uses in her ACCY 202 course (with 550 students) each semester to present content, increase engagement, and minimize cheating. Shapland will discuss a variety of high-tech tools including tablet PCs, media-rich online content, and i>clickers, as well as no- or low-tech methods for delivering and managing instruction.