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July 20, 2009
Building digital literacy

By Tania Dowdy

With the advent of blogging, podcasts and digital video, technology is changing the way we teach, learn and work.

To help faculty, staff and students incorporate technology in various projects, Emory’s Center for Interactive Teaching (ECIT) provides training workshops to build a digitally literate community.

“It’s important to be good digital citizens,” says Wayne Morse, ECIT director, particularly to stay current on skill sets to engage the millennial generation of students.

The Center’s resources are available to all members of the University community.

Staff and faculty can take advantage of the decreased campus activity in the summer at ECIT’s free workshops, where they can learn how to apply programs such as Audacity, iMovie, Garageband and Blackboard to diverse aspects of their position.

“We have introduced several new methods of incorporating technology and pedagogy into our summer sessions,” says Chris Fearrington, ECIT coordinator. “We are also looking forward to introducing more technologies and collaborating with other departments in the fall semester.”

Beth Kurylo, communications director of the Emory Center for Myth and Ritual in American Life (MARIAL), says attending ECIT’s summer workshops has helped her learn to use technology as a promotional tool for MARIAL’s new online publication, the Journal of Family Life.

“In so many ways the summer is a good time for learning,” says Kurylo. “I can concentrate on technology and take the time I need to figure it out.”

Workshop participants obtain hands-on experience creating photo slideshows, enhanced podcasts, and video content to upload to iTunes U and other Emory channels.

“Our goal is to work with you when using and learning about technology,” explains Fearrington. “This allows the user to learn and achieve their goals by working with the application themselves. We are always here to help and to provide training during the learning process.”

ECIT’s state-of-the-art facilities include three “Smart” classrooms, which accommodate up to 20 students. ECIT Classroom 214 — for example — contains 16 Mac computers with dual boot capabilities, which allow users to work in Mac or Windows with the touch of a button.

Videoconferencing facilities are also available. Videoconferencing is convenient for language courses taught by a single professor servicing students at Oxford College and Emory College simultaneously, for example. ECIT also has a Teaching Theater with a touch- screen plasma and laptop wireless connectivity for intimate group settings.

Thus far, response to ECIT’s new summer training has been tremendous, says Morse.

“We have waiting lists for most of our sessions this summer,” he says. “We have been lucky enough to partner with the Center for Faculty Development and Excellence, and they have helped us really get the word out to everyone on campus that we are having these sessions.”

ECIT’s goal is to empower the Emory community by using technology as a tool to enhance materials.

“From ECIT’s point of view,” says Morse, “if we don’t take our knowledge and help everybody else reach a comfort level, then we are missing a huge opportunity.”