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Investigator
is the word Meredeth McCoy uses to describe her role in helping
bring technology to Columbia State classrooms. She does not
consider herself an innovator, but when something new comes down the
pike, she is willing to be the first. She began her technology path
with Distance Learning. "It took a lot to get used to being the
“talking head” or “hands” on the TV screen in those classrooms. It
was also like being a celebrity." Students from other campuses knew
her by voice and face, but she didn’t know them.
She
has taught online courses. "What a lot of work. When an online
course is done correctly, it takes an extraordinary amount of
thought, planning and work. Just by the nature of the delivery, it
forces a different type of communication and students are contacting
you WAY more often."
She
has used online study tools. In fact, when Addison Wesley first
introduced
MyMathLab, she presented at several National Conferences
on use and best practices at Addison Wesley’s request. She has also
been a beta tester for them for years. "It is exciting to see your
suggestions and comments put into action. It’s like magic!"
In
addition to online support, she has used a
SmartBoard for
flexibility in delivery and is currently in love with her
“clickers”. She says that she doesn’t use them like she wants yet,
but every semester she gets better with applying their use in
increasing student participation and engagement during classroom
time.
 Meredeth
is a cheerleader to anyone interested in trying something new. She
takes pride in her role as a
Faculty Technology Mentor. “It is
especially rewarding to see your colleagues being more efficient and
effective and knowing you played some small part in inspiring them
to do so. Sometimes a particular device or method doesn’t work for
them, but most take their experiences and continue to look for that
thing that will make instructon easier/better for them and their
students.”
What’s
next? She is currently developing a
Hybrid class for Basic Math.
“We’ll see how that goes,” she jokes. Her dream is to have
Columbia State become a “clicker” friendly campus. She feels that
the effort it takes to prepare quizzes, games and activities pale in
comparison to getting her students involved and excited enough to
come back the next day.
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