26.7: Summary

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“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge”. – Einstein (n.d.)

In this chapter, we have answered the questions “Who does what to whom, when, where, how, and why?” as they relate to techno expression. The concept of student expression is not new, but the online teaching and learning environment gives both instructors and students amazing possibilities in this area. There really are so many pathways to techno expression, it is staggering. We hope to see your examples on the Internet some day!

There are a number of factors that go into successful techno expression. You can establish asynchronous or synchronous timeframes, depending on your goals. For brainstorming and presentations, synchronous activities work well. For reflection, research, and collaboration, asynchronous activities give students time to generate original ideas.

Since students seldom get a chance to share their thoughts in academic settings, they may be tentative at first, though given the number of student accounts in social networking areas like MySpace and FaceBook, perhaps they will jump right into it. Either way, techno expression works best when students have a safe environment in which to try new things.

There are a number of tools that enable techno expression, and that list will continue to grow. Whatever media type you choose for the students—print, audio, video, multimedia, or multiple forms of interaction in an online environment—be sure to align the end result with the learning objectives. Students will be able to express their views, regardless of the medium.

Finally, allowing students to state their opinions does not automatically add work for the instructor, nor does it necessarily pull students away from the underlying learning objective(s). Instead, techno expression can inspire students to go well beyond expectations, as Michael Jones and Gail Benick learned during their wiki experiment. Students will appreciate any efforts you make to let them speak their minds. They will appreciate even more your acknowledgments, feedback, and responses. When designing a course, techno expression can be a way to add meaning to the assignments for the students. Be sure to make it fun for you, too!