Talking Toward Techno-Pedagogy:

A Collaboration Across Colleges and Constituencies

Supported by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Mission Statement

Talking Toward Techno-Pedagogy is a collaborative, cross-college, cross-constituency effort that uses the advent and proliferation of new information technologies as an occasion to rethink all aspects of educational practice. It is co-designed and co-facilitated by Alison Cook-Sather, Assistant Professor of Education and Director of the Bryn Mawr/Haverford Education Program, Elliott Shore, the Constance A. Jones Director of Libraries and Professor of History at Bryn Mawr College, Susan Perry, College Librarian, Director of Library Information and Technology Service at Mount Holyoke College, and Sandra Lawrence, Professor of Education and Chair of the Psychology and Education Department at Mt. Holyoke College. Organization is provided by Aliya Curmally, Maria Hristova, and Nancy Strippel, students at Bryn Mawr College. Jonathan Church, an anthropologist at Arcadia University, documents the workshop and subsequent activities. Talking toward Techno-Pedagogy  is supported by a three-year grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Talking toward Techno-Pedagogy takes collaboration on teaching and learning as its main goal. Many approaches to the integration of technology into teaching start and end with the technology. With support and in collaboration with members of the college community differently positioned vis-à-vis teaching and learning, we have developed a workshop that aims to support a rethinking of people's roles and responsibilities regarding the integration of technology into teaching. This workshop is designed for teams, and it starts with pedagogy ó the teaching and learning goals of the team members. Through organizing conversations among teachers and learners from different constituencies ó professors, librarians, information technologists, students, and other participants in the teaching and learning efforts of a college ó we aim to:

• foster communication across constituencies who are often separated by institutional structures
• encourage each team member to reconsider what he or she as well as what other participants in the workshop have to contribute to the teaching and learning  goals of a particular course
• ensure that teams leave the workshop with a specific curricular project to be implemented in the coming year
• help to build foundations for future, long-term collaborative relationships.
   

The first year of Talking toward Techno-Pedagogy, 2000, supported a workshop for social scientists; the second year, Talking toward Techno-Pedagogy,  2001, for humanists; and the third year, 2002, will support a workshop for natural scientists.
 
 

Email questions or comments to mhristov@brynmawr.edu.
last updated 7/17/01