OK, so here's a great example of the power of blogs and RSS readers. I found this article via another ed-tech blog and I think it's brilliant. Mr. Bowden of the Meadows School of the Arts at the Southern Methodist University (Texas for y'all) has boldly gone the other way of education and technology and tried to take out the computers from the classrooms. However, if you look at the interview (hopefully comes out below) you'll see that he's advocating the smart use of technology. In particular it seems he's trying (correctly imho) to rail against the use of powerpoint as a crutch to teaching. The result - death by powerpoint.
Here's an idea that I thought was great. He is suggesting that already students are finding equivalent or better quality online courses that campuse, brick and mortar universities cannot compete with. His suggestion is that why waste a lecture time giving a death by powerpoint presentation and then giving 2 minutes for some inane question that won't be answered satisfactory.
Instead Mr. Bowden asks why not record the actual 'talking head' lecture as a podcast, or even go to another university where they've done it 'right' and then come to your actual lecture with questions for discussion. He's suggesting that what the campus experience will have to offer is in fact something more than lectures delivered in a boring talking head, lecturn-with-computer-&-death-by-powerpoint-as-barrier format. Why not come to the 'lecture' having watched it already and then have 50 mins of discussion?
Why not indeed.