Lightning Talk
Steven L. Berg, PhD
Associate Professor of English and History
Schoolcraft College
Biography
Steven L. Berg holds a joint appointment in the departments of English and history at Schoolcraft College; a community college located in southeast Michigan. Currently, he blogs at Etena Sacca-vajjena and edits Today in History: Memorable Moments Set in a Socio-Historical Context.
Abstract
In my presentation, I will give a brief historical perspective on how I have been able to incorporate interdisciplinary approaches and technology into courses to allow students to collaborate with a larger community outside the classroom. Specifically, I will address the first use of e-mail in the classroom, bringing guest lecturers into on-line classes, and demonstrate how technology has allowed students to realize (1) that they have a public voice, (2) that they are not limited by their geographic location both as defined by where they live and their classroom space, and (3) that they can take responsibility for their own learning.
Specific examples will focus around the success of Today in History: Memorable Moments Set in a Socio- Cultural Context, and other student projects that incorporate digital technologies. The ideas cited in this section could be incorporated into classrooms of others who work without funding: graduate students, newly hired professors, adjunct/contingent faculty and so forth.