The Tech Edvocate

Top Menu

  • Advertisement
  • Apps
  • Home Page
  • Home Page Five (No Sidebar)
  • Home Page Four
  • Home Page Three
  • Home Page Two
  • Home Tech2
  • Icons [No Sidebar]
  • Left Sidbear Page
  • Lynch Educational Consulting
  • My Account
  • My Speaking Page
  • Newsletter Sign Up Confirmation
  • Newsletter Unsubscription
  • Our Brands
  • Page Example
  • Privacy Policy
  • Protected Content
  • Register
  • Request a Product Review
  • Shop
  • Shortcodes Examples
  • Signup
  • Start Here
    • Governance
    • Careers
    • Contact Us
  • Terms and Conditions
  • The Edvocate
  • The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
  • Topics
  • Write For Us
  • Advertise

Main Menu

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Lynch Educational Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • Post a Job
    • The Edvocate Podcast
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • School Ratings

logo

The Tech Edvocate

  • Start Here
    • Our Brands
    • Governance
      • Lynch Educational Consulting
      • Dr. Lynch’s Personal Website
        • My Speaking Page
      • Careers
    • Write For Us
    • The Tech Edvocate Product Guide
    • Contact Us
    • Books
    • Edupedia
    • Post a Job
    • The Edvocate Podcast
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Assistive Technology
    • Child Development Tech
    • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTech
    • EdTech Futures
    • EdTech News
    • EdTech Policy & Reform
    • EdTech Startups & Businesses
    • Higher Education EdTech
    • Online Learning & eLearning
    • Parent & Family Tech
    • Personalized Learning
    • Product Reviews
  • Advertise
  • Tech Edvocate Awards
  • The Edvocate
  • Pedagogue
  • School Ratings
  • How AI Helps Student Outcomes

  • Choosing A Reading Program: Everything You Need to Know

  • Reading Intervention Strategies That Work

  • Calculating Reading Comprehension Scores: Everything You Need to Know

  • How Big Data Is Changing Education Forever

  • Teacher’s Aides Deserve Our Appreciation

  • The Cycle Of Learning To Read: Everything You Need to Know

  • Summer Reading For Your Kids: Everything You Need to Know

  • Analyzing the Research on Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Kids’ Reading Comprehension Is Worse On Screen

Higher EducationHigher Education EdTech
Home›Higher Education›3 Myths of Using Digital Tools in the Higher Education Classroom

3 Myths of Using Digital Tools in the Higher Education Classroom

By Matthew Lynch
September 12, 2018
3
Spread the love

College professors account for a sizeable portion of educators who, though they appreciate the value of digital tools and materials, do not use them to teach. All too often, faculty members see digital tools and materials as the ‘second best’ options when compared to traditional ones. Why is there such apathy or resistance toward edtech in the higher education classroom? I believe the answer lies in the deep-seated misconceptions and outright fears that some higher education professionals have towards technology.

Recently, I stumbled upon a new eBook from Pearson titled, Why I Went Digital. In it, higher education professionals discuss why they decided to start using digital tools and materials in their classrooms. After reading the eBook, I reflected on some of the myths that discourage higher education professionals from using digital tools and decided to write a piece that discerns myth from reality. In this piece, I will list and discuss each myth and counter it with reality, backed up by research. I will also use the experiences of the professors from the eBook to offer real-world examples.

Myth #1: Math must be taught in a face-to-face format.  Many higher education professionals think that subjects such as math are best taught exclusively in a face-to-face format. They believe a professor must teach students how to solve problems in a linear step-by-step process. In their minds, attempting to teach all or a portion of a math class online would be setting your students up for failure. However, this could not be further from the truth.

The Reality: In, Why I Went Digital, Jessica Benards, a math instructor at Portland Community College, declares that she used to think students wouldn’t learn math in a digital format. She believed that students had to see every step and review every problem with a professor to learn math. Thankfully, her colleague Wendy Fresh talked her into using MyLab™ Math, and she ended up getting phenomenal results. MyLab™ Math is an online tutorial and assessment tool that is designed to provide engaging experiences and personalized learning so that each student can succeed and pass the course.

The colleagues decided to do a one-year study to test the efficacy of MyLab™ Math vs. traditional teaching and learning methods. They both taught two sections of a math class concurrently – with one class working exclusively from a print book, and another class doing the problems in MyLab™ Math. Everything else about the courses stayed the same. The passage rate was 14% higher for the class that worked exclusively with MyLab™ Math.

George Woodberry, a professor at The College of the Sequoias shares a story concerning his first online teaching experience. He encountered many challenges, which centered around the significant differences between the capabilities and academic performance of his online and traditional students. Because of this, George believed that they were missing the in-person lecture.

Then he had an epiphany; the in-person lecture wasn’t the problem, it was the lack of interaction between the students and the material. He solved his problem by recording his classroom lectures on VHS tapes and allowing his students to check out copies. The process wasn’t perfect, but his students started to perform better academically. From that experience, he discovered that there’s an advantage to the pause button and that allowing students to learn in a digital format is more productive than with traditional text.

Myth #2: Courses taught in an online format only allow minimal student engagement. Students see the ability to interact with their instructor as crucial to a good learning experience. Some people believe that since students can’t directly interact with their professors or classmates in an online course, student engagement either suffers or is nonexistent. This is a myth as the digital format offers a plethora of ways for students to engage with each other.

The Reality: In an online course, the interaction between individuals can take several forms, including (but not limited to) detailed feedback over email, online forums or discussion boards, voice feedback using a voice feedback tool and video chat sessions. In the eBook, Terry Austin, a biology professor at Temple University offered these insights: “I’m finding that the students engage a lot easier online than in the classroom. With online lab discussions, the students are sharing effective ways to study with each other. When someone’s slipping, two or three of them will jump in and help them out. It’s become a community of learning instead of a single individual trying to battle the material.”

Sam Sommers a social psychologist and professor of psychology at Tufts University and Lisa Shin, professor and chair of the Department of Psychology at Tufts University have developed some innovative ways to use digital tools to engage students outside of the classroom. In the eBook, Sam discusses how they engage students with digital tools: “It allows our students to share journal prompts and shared writing assignments. It allows us to have, embedded into the text, video reenactments of famous psychology experiments, so they can see for themselves how these studies looked.”

Lisa chimes in with some keen insights about implementing digital tools outside of the classroom: “What we’ve found, rolling out the Revel platform in our classes, is that students initially express some wariness before using an eText. But as the semester rolls along, they become more enthusiastic about using that technology.”

Myth #3: Artificial intelligence will replace professors. Some are beginning to wonder whether the expertise of professors is on its way to becoming obsolete in our colleges and universities. Are we headed to a brave new world in which professors are replaced by giant computer screens and a tech coach to assist on the sidelines? What will the role of the higher education professional be in this robotic classroom of the future? Many professors’ worry that artificial intelligence will take their jobs. They need not worry about robots taking over schools anytime soon. A recent study conducted by Pearson predicts that there is a 73.04% chance that the teaching profession will experience growth in the coming decades, and 0.00% chance that it will shrink. While artificial intelligence can teach students skills or reinforce difficult concepts for struggling students, it can’t replace a human professor.

Reality: Let’s face it: Good professors will never become obsolete. Students may be digital natives, but they still must be taught how to construct knowledge for themselves and navigate higher education. The best professors care about us and inspire us to do our best. And that will never go out of style. However, there are tremendous opportunities for artificial intelligence and professors to work in tandem to help students reach their potentials.

As Karen Gross, a higher education consultant puts it in the ebook: “I think the potential for technology and AI are enormous, and they call for us to rethink what and how we teach across the entire educational pipeline.” Pearson also sees this potential, as the IBM™ Watson Tutor is now included in select Revel products. This provides students with the benefits of an in-person tutor — like targeted feedback, motivation, and shared knowledge — minus the cost and hassle of finding one.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that many higher education professionals have their myths and misconceptions about edtech, many of which discourage them from utilizing it in their classrooms. The reality is that there are lots of digital tools and materials, that if used correctly, can positively impact student learning. For the professionals of tomorrow to reach their full potential and compete globally, they need to be taught by higher education professionals that can tap into the power and promise of edtech. When we can move from myths to realities, then and only then, will digital learning reach its potential in the higher education classroom.

Previous Article

You Need to Understand Learning Analytics to ...

Next Article

How to Manage Group Assignments in Google ...

Matthew Lynch

Related articles More from author

  • Higher Education EdTech

    8 Must-Have Apps and Tools for College Prep

    October 12, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechHigher EducationHigher Education EdTech

    Creating Formative and/or Summative Assessments with Video

    June 29, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Higher Education EdTechProduct Reviews

    Product Review of Aveon College Management Software

    April 18, 2022
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechHigher EducationHigher Education EdTech

    My Vision for the Future of Assessment in Education

    December 15, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechHigher Education EdTech

    Using Digital Tools to Revolutionize Your School Cafeteria

    August 25, 2018
    By Matthew Lynch
  • Assistive TechnologyEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechHigher Education EdTechOnline Learning & eLearningPersonalized Learning

    Educational Technologies that Every Teacher Should Know: Part II

    April 7, 2017
    By Matthew Lynch

3 comments

  1. 3 Myths of Using Digital Tools in the Higher Education Classroom | The Online Teachers Club 12 September, 2018 at 14:13 Reply

    […] 3 Myths of Using Digital Tools in the Higher Education Classroom  The Tech Edvocate (press release) (blog) […]

  2. This Weeks Collection of Articles – Reading Group Resources 17 September, 2018 at 14:39 Reply

    […] 3 MYTHS OF USING DIGITAL TOOLS IN THE HIGHER EDUCATION CLASSROOM […]

  3. Getting students to use (new) apps – Reflections of a journey 18 February, 2020 at 07:39 Reply

    […] safe to say that I approach this post from the point of view that there are many opportunities for digital education to enhance the learning and teaching […]

Leave a reply Cancel reply

Search

Login & Registration

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

  • Recent

  • Popular

  • Comments

  • How AI Helps Student Outcomes

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 5, 2023
  • Choosing A Reading Program: Everything You Need to Know

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 5, 2023
  • Reading Intervention Strategies That Work

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 4, 2023
  • Calculating Reading Comprehension Scores: Everything You Need to Know

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 4, 2023
  • How Big Data Is Changing Education Forever

    By Matthew Lynch
    February 4, 2023
  • 7 Ways Technology Is Impacting Modern Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 4, 2017
  • 20 Top Virtual Reality Apps that are Changing Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    March 11, 2017
  • Why Mobile Technology Enhances Instruction

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 14, 2016
  • 7 Roles for Artificial Intelligence in Education

    By Matthew Lynch
    May 5, 2018
  • Digital Literacy is the Most Important Lifelong Learning Tool

    By Matthew Lynch
    December 30, 2017
  • Where to Find Dyslexia Support for Adults - Case Training Services | Registered Charity #1051587
    on
    August 2, 2022

    11 Must-Have Apps and Tools for Dyslexic Students

    […] recorders Electronic flashcards ...
  • What Types Of Posts Can You Make In Google Classroom? - The Tech Edvocate - Gossip ...
    on
    July 31, 2022

    How to Integrate Google Classroom with the Power of YouTube

    […] of your posts. ...
  • Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Google Classroom - The Tech Edvocate - Gossip Buz
    on
    July 31, 2022

    Answers to Frequently Asked Questions About Google Classroom

    […] Answers to Frequently ...
  • 10 Important YouTube Channels For Teachers - Kiiky Wealth
    on
    July 29, 2022

    10 Incredibly Useful YouTube Channels for Teachers

    […] Thetechedvocate.org – 10 Incredibly ...
  • Teaching Learners Digital Content Curation Skills - Fab Lab Connect
    on
    June 30, 2022

    Teaching Learners Digital Content Creation Skills

    […] Read More… […]

EdTech Policy & Reform

  • Curriculum & InstructionEdTech Policy & ReformEducation Leadership

    Why We Should Leave Behind the Cookie-cutter Education

    Spread the loveChange appears to be the only “constant” factor in the educational field. However, what happens when a more significant shift becomes necessary? To provide students with the best ...
  • Adaptive LearningCurriculum & InstructionDigital & Mobile TechnologyDigital Age TeachersEarly Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & ReformInstructional Technology

    Exploring New Ideas: Student-Driven Remote Learning

    Spread the loveRemote learning is taking its toll on our students. They miss the social side of school. Not seeing their classmates or teachers is leading to nervousness, anxiety, and ...
  • Digital & Mobile TechnologyEdTech & InnovationEdTech Policy & Reform

    Implementing Education Technology by Pursuing Technology Education

    Spread the loveTechnology is used for many great things in our world. It’s a powerful tool when used correctly. As such, this powerful tool can be used to transform learning.  ...
  • EdTech Policy & Reform

    How Much Bias Is Okay in Your School?

    Spread the loveThe algorithm has proven itself to be a handy tool when it comes to solving education problems. It’s also not without bias.  You may be wondering how some ...
  • EdTech Policy & ReformFeaturedFresh

    Edtech Should Complement Good Pedagogy, Not Attempt to Replace It

    Spread the loveThe newest generation of edtech is downright amazing; it’s no wonder that various education stakeholders might be a little excited about its potential to transform education. However, edtech ...

EdTech Startups & Businesses

  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Trends That Will Help Your EdTech Startup Succeed

    Spread the loveIf you want to thrive in the destiny of learning and self, shorten, tailor, and gamify. The bulk of EdTech businesses believes that digitizing conventional learning methods and ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    How to Sell Your Edtech Product

    Spread the loveDevelop a profile of the perfect consumer, target clients that meet that description, and plan on a long sales cycle. Selling to schools takes a different sales process ...
  • EdTech Startups & Businesses

    Edtech Companies Can Learn What Not to Do From Delta Airlines

    Spread the loveIt seems that edtech companies still have a lot to learn about their business models and practices. With that being said, there is a lot they can learn ...
  • Digital LeadershipEdTech Startups & BusinessesProduct Reviews

    Product Review of Collegix

    Spread the love This is a comprehensive ERP solution for colleges and universities that provides modular, totally integrated learners services, finance, HR, and advancement. Collegix provides online and offline workarounds ...
  • Early Childhood & K-12 EdTechEdTech Startups & BusinessesProduct Reviews

    Product Review of Discovery Education

    Spread the love Discovery Education is a big player in EdTech. The company has established itself as the leading provider of digital curriculum resources, digital content, and professional development for ...

Digital Equity

  • Digital Equity

    How to Create an Equitable Digital Culture in K–12

    Spread the loveDigital equity is vital in our schools. After all, it can help close the achievement gap. However, there is one prevalent problem concerning digital equity. That is the problem ...
  • Digital & Mobile TechnologyDigital EquityDigital Literacy

    Teaching Learners Digital Content Creation Skills

    Spread the loveContent curation is nothing new and has always been a coveted skill. It has been this way for hundreds of years — think of art galleries, museums, or ...
  • Digital & Mobile TechnologyDigital EquityEdTech & Innovation

    Promoting Online Access With Hotspots, Laptops, and Planning

    Spread the loveWhen becoming a leader in the field of education, it is important to consider equity. Some students may not have access to devices or the internet from their ...
  • Digital EquityDigital Leadership

    How Can You Assess the Tech Needs of Your Students Outside of School?

    Spread the loveToday, I received an email from the middle school principal in Los Angeles. She explained to me that the school that she ran was in one of the ...
  • Digital Equity

    It Is Time for the Edtech Industry to Stop Denying Its Equity and Race Problem

    Spread the loveThe EdTech industry is dominated by white employees, white leaders, and white entrepreneurs. If you doubt this statement, just attend an Edtech conference. Admittedly, educators and others don’t ...

EdTech Futures

  • EdTech Futures

    The IT Investments Securing the Future of Higher Education

    Spread the loveThe future of higher education still seems uncertain after the massive disruptions of the last two years. Universities and colleges are struggling with budget difficulties amid cybersecurity threats. ...
  • Adaptive LearningAssistive TechnologyEdTech FuturesInstructional TechnologyTeachers

    Will AI Replace Teachers?

    Spread the loveThrough the years, robots have taken over many jobs. First, they replaced horses and wagons and horses and plows, then they started to replace people. A few examples ...
  • EdTech FuturesHigher EducationHigher Education EdTechUncategorized

    The Future of Higher Education Must Avoid Returning to the Past

    Spread the loveColleges and universities can make higher education safer, smarter, and more accessible through automation and collaboration technologies – if they commit to it. Author: John Hulen, Director of ...
  • EdTech FuturesOnline Learning & eLearning

    IT Trends To Watch As Higher Education Moves Into a New Decade

    Spread the loveEdtech couldn’t have hoped for a better launch into the new decade than the push the industry received from COVID-19. Even the most tech-resistant institutions and individuals have ...
  • EdTech Futures

    4 Emerging EdTech Trends in 2022

    Spread the loveCovid-19 has not only changed education as we know it, but it has forced education technology (EdTech) to up its game. EdTech has been crucial since the start of this ...

About Us

Since technology is not going anywhere and does more good than harm, adapting is the best course of action. That is where The Tech Edvocate comes in. We plan to cover the PreK-12 and Higher Education EdTech sectors and provide our readers with the latest news and opinion on the subject. From time to time, I will invite other voices to weigh in on important issues in EdTech. We hope to provide a well-rounded, multi-faceted look at the past, present, the future of EdTech in the US and internationally.

We started this journey back in June 2016, and we plan to continue it for many more years to come. I hope that you will join us in this discussion of the past, present and future of EdTech and lend your own insight to the issues that are discussed.

Newsletter

Signup for The Tech Edvocate Newsletter and have the latest in EdTech news and opinion delivered to your email address!

Contact Us

The Tech Edvocate
5322 Markel Road, Suite 104
Richmond, VA 23230
(601) 630-5238
[email protected]

Follow us

Copyright © 2023 Matthew Lynch. All rights reserved.