Spring Break
Multimedia classes promote effective teaching
Evin Fritschle, Senior Staff Writer
Issue date: 4/25/06 Section: News
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UA administrators displayed some of the new technology in Smart Classrooms being installed throughout campus.
The Smart Classrooms were paid for via a $5 million portion of the $300 million from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation set aside for technological expenditures.
"These classrooms allow very good teachers to be even more effective," Robert McMath, dean of the Honors College, said.
The classrooms are "equipped with numerous multimedia tools that help facilitate active interaction between instructors and students," according to the Honors College Web site.
"Types of audiovisual equipment found in a Smart Classroom include SMART Sympodiums, LCD projectors, on-board computers and a laptop interface, document cameras, DVD/VHS players, stereo sound systems, and an AMX touch screen control panel," according to the Web site.
The "classrooms" are podiums with all the gadgets inside.
The project has completed its third phase, creating 45 of the setups in nine buildings on campus, Chancellor John A. White said.
The current cost is over $2 million, White said.
The project should be completed in early 2007, at a cost of $3.3 million, White said.
The project will create another 23 classrooms, and will span across 14 buildings on campus, he said.
The remaining $1.7 million will be used for keeping technologies up to date.
The setups are important to teaching today's students because they are far more visual learners, White said.
The classrooms are for all students, not just those in honors classes, he said.
Two faculty members demonstrated how they incorporate the new technologies into their teaching.
Chaim Goodman-Strauss, an associate professor of mathematics, showed off the podium's laptop interface and some of the programs he and students in his classes can use.
David Frederick, an associate professor of classical studies, showed how the technology can be used to annotate movies, text, three dimensional architecture and photos, as well as access the Internet.
"Without skipping a beat, you can move back and forth between these different forms of media," he said.
The technologies allow teachers like Frederick to minimize the amount of writing they do, saving 10 to 15 minutes of class time, he said.
It also allows teachers to do away with the old days of laboring with slides, he said.
The technology allows for side-by-side display of videos, and with the added ability to annotate, the devices are "huge for teaching film studies," Frederick said.
"This is an essential tool to what I do," he said.
The Smart Classrooms were paid for via a $5 million portion of the $300 million from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation set aside for technological expenditures.
"These classrooms allow very good teachers to be even more effective," Robert McMath, dean of the Honors College, said.
The classrooms are "equipped with numerous multimedia tools that help facilitate active interaction between instructors and students," according to the Honors College Web site.
"Types of audiovisual equipment found in a Smart Classroom include SMART Sympodiums, LCD projectors, on-board computers and a laptop interface, document cameras, DVD/VHS players, stereo sound systems, and an AMX touch screen control panel," according to the Web site.
The "classrooms" are podiums with all the gadgets inside.
The project has completed its third phase, creating 45 of the setups in nine buildings on campus, Chancellor John A. White said.
The current cost is over $2 million, White said.
The project should be completed in early 2007, at a cost of $3.3 million, White said.
The project will create another 23 classrooms, and will span across 14 buildings on campus, he said.
The remaining $1.7 million will be used for keeping technologies up to date.
The setups are important to teaching today's students because they are far more visual learners, White said.
The classrooms are for all students, not just those in honors classes, he said.
Two faculty members demonstrated how they incorporate the new technologies into their teaching.
Chaim Goodman-Strauss, an associate professor of mathematics, showed off the podium's laptop interface and some of the programs he and students in his classes can use.
David Frederick, an associate professor of classical studies, showed how the technology can be used to annotate movies, text, three dimensional architecture and photos, as well as access the Internet.
"Without skipping a beat, you can move back and forth between these different forms of media," he said.
The technologies allow teachers like Frederick to minimize the amount of writing they do, saving 10 to 15 minutes of class time, he said.
It also allows teachers to do away with the old days of laboring with slides, he said.
The technology allows for side-by-side display of videos, and with the added ability to annotate, the devices are "huge for teaching film studies," Frederick said.
"This is an essential tool to what I do," he said.
