As an academic instructor embarking on the use of a new technological communication tool for a travel study course, the advantages keep multiplying in my mind (refer to initial goals in the last entry). Some advantages are so obvious, I missed them on first consideration. For example, I’m the single instructor designated for the Bio-geo-cultural course. However, there is the dynamic, experienced, knowledgeable, committed staff running the Bioregional Outdoor Education Program with whom the Plymouth State University students will interact when we travel to the Four Corners region. Our blogging site expands and extends these interactions in time. The PSU students can interact before and after the trip where they will meet some of the staff face to face. This communication channel enables students enrolled in the course to benefit way beyond what one professor can offer. As a life long learner, my educational experiences are also enhanced by pulling others into our course. As a veteran faculty member, I sense my notion of what it means to be a 21st century instructor undergoing a fundamental shift, in ways I can’t even yet anticipate.
–Mary Ann McGarry, instructor
