Educational Technology
Contact Info
To make an appointment for training or support with the Educational Technology group, please call 413-748-3430 or e-mail at: educationaltechnology@spfldcol.edu.
Alternatively, you can contact us through the VHD system. When using the VHD system: Click on Get Help / New Request and select Educational Technology from the category options.
Students, Faculty and Staff visit us in the PrideNet portal at:
What is Educational Technology?
Educational technology is a field of education centered on the design, development, utilization, management, and evaluation of technology in support of teaching and learning. Educational technology can enhance traditional face to face instruction, facilitate face to face and online or “blended” learning experiences, as well as provide a platform for distance learning.
The Educational Technology group has assembled resources and information related to a variety of educational technologies currently in use at the College in this section. You'll also find links here to information regarding emerging educational technologies and resources to support teaching with technology.
Who are Educational Technologists?
- Educational technologists come from many different fields of expertise, and are trained in the science of improving human learning and performance.
- Educational technologists work with professional colleagues across academic disciplines and with technical, library, media, and other administrative colleagues.
- Educational technologists design, develop, and support virtual and physical learning environments.
- Educational technologists believe that through the application of sound pedagogy and appropriate technologies, educational technology plays a critical role in fundamentally improving the construction and delivery of higher education.
Our mission
The Educational Technology group evaluates both current uses of educational technologies at Springfield College and emerging technologies for their pedagogical value. Working with academic and administrative colleagues, the Educational Technology group also formulates long-term plans for the future development and support of educational technology at Springfield College. Please contact us if you have ideas or suggestions about how we could more effectively support faculty development in educational technology.
Contributing to the mission of both Springfield College and the IT Department by:
- Providing strategic direction for all campus academic technology applications, initiatives, and support services.
- Building partnerships with other campus departments to work collaboratively toward institutional strategic goals that can be addressed by technology.
- Promoting the use of technology solutions to academic departments.
- Providing academic insight to IT projects and strategic plans.
- Facilitating the process of moving academically related IT projects through the IT system.
- Advocating on behalf of faculty and students in campus matters related to teaching and learning with technology.
- Working with academic departments to identify technology competency levels for faculty; developing training programs to help faculty achieve those competencies.
- Providing an integrated one-stop-shop model for all academic technology related services.
Services
The Educational Technology group offers a variety of services to support faculty integration of educational technology in teaching and learning. These services include one-on-one consulting, educational technology workshops offered in the Davis Center, custom-designed workshops for faculty groups or departments, and self-directed training and support resources that faculty can use on an as-needed basis or as part of a larger professional development plan.
Consulting
Interested in Enhancing your Teaching with Technology?
The Educational Technology group offers assistance in pedagogical projects of any size. We provide feedback on individual technology-integrated learning activities, collaborate on the design of classes, courses, or seminars, and provide hands-on support during implementation.
During the consultation, the educational technologist works with faculty to:
- identify the pedagogical goals of the course
- determine the appropriate technology to support course goals and instructor's pedagogy
- connect faculty to appropriate campus resources and experts (Registrar, Media Services, etc.)
- enhance and differentiate student-learning activities
- evaluate the effectiveness of the technology
Benefits of working with Educational Technology include:
- achieving pedagogical goals
- differentiating teaching to support diverse learners
- gaining support for large numbers of students in classes
- designing and developing authentic student-centered collaborative learning experiences
Faculty may also contact the Educational Technology group to simply discuss their work, test drive emerging technologies, and find inspiration. To set up an appointment with the Educational Technology group, please call 413-748-3430 or e-mail, educationaltechnology@spfldcol.edu
Educational Technology Workshops
Faculty and departments may request workshops designed to meet the needs of a specific course or discipline. Contact us to discuss setting up a custom workshop.
Would you be interested in sharing your experiences in teaching with technology? We are interested in expanding our workshop offerings by working with faculty who are successfully integrating technology into teaching and research. If this is you, please email us at: educationaltechnology@spfldcol.edu to discuss developing a unique faculty-led workshop for colleagues.
Multimedia Services
Digital Media Production
Faculty can create audio or video recordings of lectures to increase access to learning for students.
We help specify the equipment needed and teach faculty how to edit their audio or video using state-of-the-art editing applications. Faculty may stop by during office hours to consult with a member of the ITS staff or can make an appointment at 413-748-3430, or by e-mail at: educationaltechnology@spfldcol.edu.
Document Scanning
The FRC has a scanner that has the ability to convert pictures or documents to a digital file, or to convert a document to editable text. There is also a slide scanner, which allows slides to be converted to a digital file.