More than 400 people attended the two day August 2014 Colorado Learning and Teaching with Technology (COLTT) Conference at CU Boulder. Presenters explored a range of teaching with technology topics and programs, including: PhET interactive science simulations, alternative formats for students with learning disabilities, e-books, MOOCs, digital gaming, podcasts, YouTube, Learning Management Systems, and the psychology of learning with technology. Participants represented Adobe, CU Boulder, CU Denver, CSU, Front Range Community College, Regis University, Red Rocks Community College, Metropolitan State University, and the Air Force Academy. ASSETT sponsored 26 scholarships for CU Boulder College of Arts and Sciences faculty to attend the conference. ASSETT staff spoke with participants about ASSETT programs.
CU Boulder Physics Professor Steven Pollock gave the keynote speech at the 2014 COLTT Conference. Pollock is the 2013 Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support for Education National Teacher of the Year. He is active in CU Boulder's Physics Education Research (PER) Group, through which Physics professors conduct research of Physics teaching. Pollock said that the PER has found that students achieve a better understanding of material in an interactive environment. He also said that the PER has found that Learning Assistants (high performing undergraduates) achieve higher content mastery after they lead interactive learning sessions with lower level science students. Pollock said that if these LAs pursue careers in K12 education, then they exhibit stronger science knowledge than they otherwise would. Additionally, he suggested the implementation of SCALE UP (Student Centered Active Learning Environments with Upside down Pedagogies) classrooms, which would feature round tables so that students would face one another in optimal position for small group discussion.
Presentations
ASSETT hosted one of the more than 70 sessions at the 2014 COLTT Conference. ASSETT Teaching with Technology Consultants Jacie Moriyama, Amanda McAndrew, and Nisha Azimova spoke to a full house during their presentation, "A Technology Roundup: Feedback Tools for Students." The consultants presented various formative assessment technologies, including screencasts, Camtasia, Voicethread, Jing, iAnnotate, Screenr, and SnagIt.
Additionally, Angela Galik of Red Rocks Community College presented research about the pros and cons of our growing dependence on electronic devices for learning during her 'Tech and the Brain' session. Galik explained our generational shift from deep attention (thoroughly reading one book without doing anything else) to hyper attention (changing focus rapidly, such as stopping work on a project to respond to an email because of the flashing alert in the corner of the computer screen). Galik discussed the stress responses involved when we try to balance these distractions while maintaining productivity.
