Old vs. new

AP (via CNN) is running a story on how some university professors continue to hold onto old-style methods of classroom-based interaction, namely blackboards and chalk. This is another one of those interesting interface points between old and new technologies that makes studying the field so interesting. The article is called Some professors won't give up chalk for technology's sake.

It's of particular interest to me because I also teach part-time at London's Fanshawe College. I'm a huge proponent of technology, and use it extensively when I'm in class - through an Internet-connected PC and an overhead projector unit - and when I'm out of class via a richly-featured web site that uses multiple tools to dynamically deliver course content and facilitate student interaction in a virtual environment.

As much of a geek-head as I am when it comes to leveraging technology in an educational setting, I'm also keenly aware of its limitations. When the vaunted technology has failed - and sooner or later, it fails for everyone - I've had to revert to good old blackboards and chalk to both get my initial message across, and to facilitate the interaction (and learning) that followed.

Education is all about picking the best medium at any given time. No one form is ideal, and the best teachers are the ones who appreciate that concept right through the core of their very being.