Letters to the editor
IV Leader Staff, Nov 9, 2006
Dear Editor: I disagree with “Jessica’s Judgment”
(10/19/06) about Blackboard and how it is used in the majority of classes at
IVCC.
Jessica seems to be under the impression that the Blackboard
software package generates the materials that are stored on it. Blackboard does
not; the teachers do. I must create my documents – whether they are the syllabi,
assignments, quizzes, examples, lecture notes, etc., and then upload them to
Blackboard. I, and all other teachers using Blackboard, do this as a service to
the students.
We do not use Blackboard to be lazy. When my students cannot
attend class, it is no longer necessary for them to call or email me and wait
for a response to “What did we do in class today?” or “I forgot when the
assignment is due” or “I lost the paper copy of the assignment that you handed
out in class.” They can go to Blackboard to find out what was covered, what
assignments were given, and IF NECESSARY print off lecture notes and
assignments.
This brings me to the next error in Jessica’s Judgment. We,
the teachers, don’t print off paper copies – not because we are lazy, but
because it is environmentally sound to NOT waste paper. In addition students now
live in an age where you must learn to read and write in soft copy format
without the hard copy format that you are used to. Industry standard exams and
certifications will be paperless if they are not already. Hospitals (even our
local ones) are not recording information about patients on paper charts – they
are recording them on electronic charts only. A paperless corporation is the
direction of the future and we are trying to prepare you for that future here at
IVCC.
One of the best features of Blackboard for my students is
that they can see their grades via a secure, electronic gradebook at all times.
They don’t have to wonder or guess that they are getting a “B” in the class so
far; the grades are published real time and viewable from any computer.
And finally, sometimes I have students who don’t like to
participate in classroom discussions. They feel that what they say will be
construed as “stupid” or they will be embarrassed by their opinions. Blackboard
gives these students the opportunity to openly discuss critical issues behind
the anonymity of a computer screen. My students have intelligent discussions
about important topics via Blackboard.
I do agree with you Jessica, Blackboard is a wonderful tool
and is not a replacement for teaching. But the examples that you gave in your
article were not about lazy teaching, but possibly good teaching techniques.
Gina Elias
Computer Science/ Computer Networking Instructor