Annual Forum Showcases New Technologies for a “21st-Century Education”

“Technology is an investment in the future.” With that message, Conrado “Bobby” Gempesaw, Ph.D., President of St. John’s, opened the University’s annual Faculty Technology Forum this fall.

Showcasing the latest innovations in teaching technology, the forum drew more than 100 faculty members to the D’Angelo Center on the Queens, NY, campus. The October 24 event was sponsored by Center for Teaching and Learning, Online Learning and Services, University Libraries, and Information Technology.

Twenty-six faculty presenters filled the center’s ballroom with displays and demonstrations sharing different ways to teach using technology.  The topics included student-centered teaching, flipped classrooms, visualization and analysis tools, teaching with mobile devices, game-based learning, video messaging, online exams, and 3D scanning/printing.   A full list of the topics can be found online. University officials also discussed ongoing upgrades to academic facilities.

“With Dr. Gempesaw’s support, we now have 74 classrooms with enhanced technology,” reported Joseph J. Tufano, M.S, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at St. John’s. By this spring, he added, there will be 30 additional, upgraded classrooms in Marillac Hall.

The forum included a presentation by guest speaker Kristen Betts, Ed.D., Clinical Professor in the Educational Leadership and Management program in the School of Education at Drexel University. Her talk, entitled “Increasing Student Success: Art and Science of Innovative High Touch Instruction,” showcased progress in online and “blended” learning—an amalgam of classroom and digital teaching.

“Over two million students are taking courses either online or blended,” said Dr. Betts, “and 75 percent of school districts are offering these courses.” More than ever, she added, students seek the “flexibility” of online learning.

In addition, Dr. Betts showed faculty members ways to strengthen student engagement by integrating new technologies into their classroom lessons. “In order to teach students 21st-century skills,” she said, “you have to be a 21st-century teacher.” Dr. Betts’s presentation is available online.