Fall 1999
Vol 8 Issue 1
IN THIS ISSUE...
Technology: Places for Student Voices
Assisting Student Learning with Technology
Technology and Computers- More than Just Classroom Learning
Laptops, Websites, and Angkor-Wat
Ten Years of Student Voices on the Electronic Forum
Learning, Programming and Moving On at MCLI
Learning that Provides a Direction for the Future
Are We Listening to International Students
Hands-On Experience, Service Learning Makes it Real at MCC's Network Academy
SEE ALSO...
The Forum
Assidere
Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction
Technology and Computers- More Than Just Classroom Learning
James Jacobs, MCC Student
The first class I took at MCC, "Buried Cities and Lost Tribes," was also my first experience with computers in a classroom setting. While I had previously used Computer Assisted Drafting for residential design, I had not utilized computers as an educational tool. Dr. Rick Effland taught our class to use the Internet and other learning programs. Dr. Effland's class changed my perspective, and computers took on an entirely new meaning. They were education delivery tools, not just workplace slaves.
MCC also provides students with email accounts. Suddenly, I enjoyed the capability of instantaneous global communication. My assignments benefitted from electronic interaction with academicians around the world. Thanks to email communication, I could network and exchange ideas with my professors, fellow students, and even people on the other side of the world.
I began taking almost every computer class offered in the Open Entry/Open Exit Computer Lab. I also took an Internet class and purchased my first computer, a used Mac. Thereafter, computers played a role in every class, even if I only used it for word processing.
Dr. Effland and the Center for Teaching and Learning helped me create a "Prehistoric Rock Art" web site. The site is now a learning resource for other students. It allowed me to publish my photography and research. The Internet also served as a research tool. I began to place my coursework writings on-line. Students and teachers from all over the world emailed their comments, questions, and thank-yous; consequently these activities gave me a sense of being connected to a global learning community.
The financial enticements of the Honors Program ensnared me. For the Honors projects in other Anthropology and Religion classes, I created more web pages and an Andes web ring. Much to my surprise, the biography of Tupac Amaru page accumulated 50,000 hits in the first year. The fact that class papers can actually be read by so many people provides more motivation than maintaining a great GPA. I was no longer writing assignments that would be read only by one professor. The technology at my fingertips on campus allowed me to participate in a worldwide educational web.
When the Student Technology Assistant (STA) program began, I considered the program an opportunity to give back to MCC some of what I had learned. Also, learning while working for a paycheck seemed a great idea. I was hired, and the STA program led to more opportunities. I was asked by another community college to develop an Intranet site and tutor their staff. Subsequently, I was recruited to teach computer classes.
Earlier this year, I was certified to teach CIS classes. My MCC classes and experiences, and especially my work as an STA, contributed to my qualifications. As I start my new career, I have to thank MCC. Their learning technologies facilitated my educational experience. At MCC, I acquired new skills and abilities that are not only useful, but also the foundation for continuing learning. I also discovered a new career path, one I would not have imagined only a decade ago. Technology and computers have changed my life in positive ways and have provided new directions in which to explore. For this, I thank the many MCC professors and staff with whom I have interacted in the past few years.