Why Dynamism Is Key In Today's Learning Strategies

The Chronicle of Higher Education has posted a story about Professor Jeremy Littau at Lehigh University, and how he has used not only social media, but a range of other modern paradigms like crowdsourcing to teach his university journalism classes. Not only that, he has actively involved the students in teaching and providing feedback on the methods used in his courses. In fact, his students were partially his inspiration for changing the format of the class.

This is a great example of a meaningful two-way line of communication between learners and experts. The match is further enabled by the many options technology now provides us. Twitter is a factor in Littau's success, but his encouragement of students to find new and interesting ways to present stories is another way of empowering the students to learn and expand creatively, instead of providing rigid standards that everyone needs to meet, semester to semester.

What interests me to learn more about Mr. Littau's class now, is the experiential quotient, and where, how, and from a technology perspective, in what way, that factors into his methods. Are students using Twitter in a mock live reporting fashion, as we have seen for recent current events such as the revolution in Egypt? Are students building networks of reporters around a single story or topic? I intend to take these question to Mr. Littau for a more succinct picture. Bravo on his success with this course.