Tony Bates Book “Teaching in a Digital Age”
Teachers, instructors and faculty are facing unprecedented change, with often larger classes, more diverse students, demands from government and employers who want more accountability and the development of graduates who are workforce ready, from parents who want more flexibility, and above all, we are all having to cope with ever changing technology. To handle change of this nature, teachers and instructors need a base of theory and knowledge that will provide a solid foundation for their teaching, no matter what changes or pressures they face.
Although the book contains many practical examples, it is more than a cookbook on how to teach. It addresses the following questions:
- is the nature of knowledge changing, and how do different views on the nature of knowledge result in different approaches to teaching?
- how do I balance the demands of my discipline with developing the skills that students will need in a digital age?
- what is the science and research that can best help me in my teaching?
- how do I decide whether my courses should be face-to-face, blended or fully online?
- what teaching methods work best when teaching in a technology-rich environment?
- how do I decide what is best done online and what face-to-face in blended or hybrid courses?
- how do I make choices among all the available media, whether text, audio, video, computer, or social media, in order to benefit my students and my subject?
- how do I maintain high quality in my teaching while managing my workload?
- what are the real possibilities for teaching and learning using MOOCs, open educational resources, and open textbooks?
The book is free and freely available online