Could Faculty Go the Way of Kodak?
“In recent years, Kodak failed to keep up with the digital revolution.”
Renee Montagne reporting on Kodak filing for bankruptcy.
If we are going to remain relevant in the 21st century, faculty members will need to incorporate digital technologies into our classes while helping prepare our students to live and work in a digital world. Otherwise, we risk going the way of Kodak who filed for bankruptcy because they failed to keep up with the digital revolution.
While some faculty members belittle the idea of digital technologies as mere entertainment, the most compelling argument for incorporating them into our courses is good pedagogy. In a recent class, I did not show Changing Educational Paradigms because it was entertaining—which it is. I showed this video to my students because in just under twelve minutes it presented complex concepts in an easily accessible manner.
In a lesson on citing evidence, I show Patrick Smith’s Delivery and ask students to speculate on the relationship between the two young men in the film. Are they brothers? Friends? Roommates? Lovers? We watch the film, discuss the evidence, watch the film again focusing on the evidence, more discussion, and a final viewing of the film. Yes, the film is entertaining. But that is not the point. It is an effective lesson.
But incorporating digital technologies into the classroom is more than showing films. For example, a student in my film class began a blog where she will publish the five analyses required for the class. Because she is writing for a larger audience than her professor and publishing her reviews, experience indicates that she will do a better job on her class assignments.
I believe that one of the main reasons it is difficult for us to integrate digital technologies into our courses is fear of the unknown, fear of the challenge to learn new things, fear of moving out our of comfort zones. For example, as part of a discussion on “Transmedia Narratives,” Birgit Schneidmueller comments that “I think we as educators have a real opportunity to use contemporary media and transmedia narratives in the classroom. My favorite example is still “Collapsus”, a project that depicts a serious issue (the impending energy crisis) in a way that is also appealing to younger generations.”
Unfortunately, when I went to Collapusus, I don’t know how to interact with the website. I was at a total loss. I agree with Schneidmueller that transmedia narratives such as Collapusus present us with a real opportunity, but I must first get over my fear and ignorance—even it if means asking my students for their help to understand the new media.
Fortunately, we do not need to rush to incorporate digital technologies into our courses. As Schneidmueller rightly argues, “I think we need to make a slow transition from textbook to transmedia without ever replacing more traditional teaching tools but with adding media that our students embrace and use.” As professors, we can move forward at a speed that is comfortable for us.
While I argue that we need to push ourselves to incorporate digital technologies into the classroom, we can begin by taking small steps. Furthermore, students need to be comfortable with the technologies we incorporate into our classes. Because I expect my students to incorporate so much technology and social media into the class while also taking a non-traditional approach to grading, I now begin discussing my expectations even before the class begins. By sending a series of e-mails to students enrolled in the course, I help insure that they are not shocked to learn about the technology requirements when they come to the first day of class.
Furthermore, I take my time to incorporate the technologies into the class. For example, my film student can create her blog during the first week of class even though she is not yet sure how she might use it for the course. And she was able to accomplish this at a point that was comfortable for her. Not rushing students is as important as not rushing ourselves.
But not rushing does not give us an excuse not to act even if acting makes us and our students uncomfortable. The process of excelling at anything cannot be accomplished without taking risks and taking risks is never easy or comfortable. Unless we are willing to go the way of Kodak, we must be prepared to adapt to a world of digital technologies.
–Steven L. Berg, PhD
ADDENDUM:
As I was drafting this blog, Katherine Montgomery began a discussion on “Quick and Easy Digital Pedagogy–Idea Exchange?” where she invited individuals to post their best practices.
Photo Credit: Ciccio Pizzettaro
“Could Faculty Go the Way of Kodak?” has been cross posted at HASTAC.
Ehimare Arhebamen 
Sarah Binder -History 151 (Monday/Wednesday class) 
Personally, I think it’s rather interesting for using technology in school. Yes, it’s fun and distracting at times, but is it really? You got to think about it. We’re coming to the age of the digital world, where almost everything is technology. Is it our fault? Absolutely not. But do we often take our part in this? Yes. Let me explain this better. If there were no cellphones, no internet, NO NOTHING, there’ll be nothing to interest the young mind. It’s not that they can’t learn, it’s just that we tend to learn in different ways and style. Not everyone has to be the same because actually…it’s boring, and I’m just being blunt here. It’ll be boring because there’s nothing for the students to really ENJOY learning. Have spunk and some pizazz in teaching the students, I bet you that it works. All you really got to do is by telling them your rules. After all…it is your classroom, is it not?