ELECTRONIC BLACKBOARD MAY MAKE NOTE-TAKING OBSOLETE, ENHANCE TEACHING
GREENCASTLE, Ind.--Dave A. Berque, DePauw University associate professor of computer science, and his students have developed an electronic blackboard that enables the professor to write lecture notes on a laser board on the wall, and the professor's handwritten lecture notes are automatically transferred to PCs at the students' desks. Students can use a light pen to annotate the notes on their PC screens and then save the notes for future review and study.
One benefit of the electronic blackboard is that students don't get writer's cramp as badly, and they have more time for class discussion and analysis with the professor.
Professor Berque is using the system with some of his students this fall. He and his students also are working to develop a method of automatically transcribing the handwritten lecture notes into typewritten notes.
Another benefit of the electronic blackboard is that it responds to Professor Berque's concern that students spend too much time taking notes in class and not enough focusing on what the professor is telling them.
"While I'm talking about information at this end of the blackboard, students are still writing down notes from the other end of the board. That is frustrating for students and the professor, and it interferes with learning," Berque said.
As a computer science professor, Berque is keenly aware of the role of technology in education, and he believes this system will enable teachers to put more emphasis on people in the teaching process. "I always remember that I'm teaching people and not information," Berque said.
"The ideal educational technology will be one which enhances the way teachers and students work together, and it is important that such technologies are developed aggressively," he said. "But it is absolutely essential that educational technology focuses on the teachers and students who are directly involved with the learning process."
In part for his work on this project and collaborative research with undergraduate students, Berque was named the 1997 U.S. Professor of the Year for baccalaureate colleges. The selection was announced on Oct. 23, 1997, by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education.
For further information about the electronic blackboard and to contact Professor Dave Berque, call 765-658-4628. Or send e-mail to: [email protected].
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