New Media Advice to Baruch College

If I were hired by Baruch College to use new media to improve the College, some of the suggestions I would make is the integration on establishing an online presence in class with the use of Twitter, Blogs and web conferencing tools. I believe this integration can be possible if more hybrid classes were created. 

 

A hybrid class is when a class meets both in person and online, with time usually split in an equal ratio, 50/50.  I participated in a hybrid class on the topic of virtual teams last Fall and truly enjoyed the structure.  The class met twice a week, once in class, and the other online, usually synchronously.  In order to do so, we used a combination of Blackboard Collaborate and Google Hangout - web conferencing platforms. This allowed students to still see and hear one another while collaborating on a project through screen sharing or use of the whiteboard.

 

Another idea that would encourage students to participate in a class structure that promotes and establishes an online presence, would be to incentivize utilization through competition especially in groups.  An example would be for groups to compete with one another on most creative blog design and blog post content.

 

The ideas around the usage of new media in the classroom are endless.  What's important is the effectiveness and take away a student receives after class is over.  The College, including Professors, must be innovative and creative when structuring a class around new media.