Campus Connection

[caption id="attachment_5637" align="alignleft" width="450" caption="Participants in the 13th Annual Teaching and Learning Conference look at the social and rich media captured by Jim Jorstad, UW-L director of Academic Technology Services, for the research project, "The Use of Social and Rich Media in Politically Charged Environments.""][/caption] Did you know Legos can be useful in the learning process and SmartPens can help with studying?   UW-L faculty and instructional academic staff heard these ideas and more at the 13th Annual UW-La Crosse Conference on Teaching and Learning Friday, Sept. 2, at UW-L. “We have a large number of new instructional academic staff and faculty and this is a great way for them to learn about what their colleagues are doing in the classroom and foster conversations among instructors and across disciplines,” says Bill Cerbin, UW-L’s director of the Center for Advancing Teaching & Learning.       Instructors found answers to questions such as:

• How do I teach an online course?
• What kind of technological tools will help me communicate a message to my class?
• What research is being done to understand the way students learn?

Regan Gurung, professor of Human Development and Psychology at UW-Green Bay, gave the keynote presentation, “Invigorating Student Learning: How Should Students Study?” The event also showcased the work UW-L instructors. Presentations by UW-L faculty followed the keynote address, including posters, demonstrations and display tables. Jim Jorstad, director of Academic Technology Services, presented his research "The Use of Social and Rich Media in Politically Charged Environments. The project has documented the events in Wisconsin since February 2011 in Madison and throughout Wisconsin. Examples included segments on CNN iReports and MSNBC, and many other domestic and international news and blog outlets. "The most significant data we have is that social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube has a profound effect on our political perspectives. Events and information change at an incredible pace," says Jorstad. "Our challenge is to develop skills to be able to discern what is fact from fiction." Learn more about the conference here.