Visualizing the Adolescent in American Society

EDUC 263

Taught by: Tracey Holland

hollandThe Course
What is the course in which you use instructional technologies about? Tell us about its origin, goals and objectives.

The course is Adolescent in American Society, a 200-level course offered by the Education Department. The class examines the lives of American adolescents and the different ways our society has sought to understand, respond to, and shape them, specifically through an educative lens. By the end of the course, students have a better sense of how adolescence emerged, the evolution of adolescence over time, what challenges they face today, and how education plays a defining role in their development.

The Technology
What were the technologies used and how did they change or enhance your course?

Students were given the option of doing anything from PowerPoint slideshows to website design to recorded music to short documentaries, and many groups incorporated many of these options into their projects. Obviously, exposing students to these mediums is an excellent way to enhance their own abilities and skills, but it was also a lesson in and of itself, having the students learn firsthand the impact media can have in conveying information to certain groups of people in our country.

The Student Response
How have your students responded to your use of this technology?

They’ve risen to the challenge, even though many of them have never attempted a project as in-depth as this one. It requires a lot of organization and dedication on their part to get the equipment, understand what they want to convey to their audience, get in touch with the people they’re interviewing, go through the process of editing, etc. Thankfully, the resources provided by the Media Cloisters and other areas on campus allowed for the students to have access to assistance when they needed it.

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