The digital humanities, technology in the classroom, ebooks — words that strike fear in many a literary traditionalist, at times myself included! But new technologies are rapidly changing the way we read and learn about literature. As teachers, finding ways to use these new technologies effectively can enliven the learning experience and create valuable resources for future use.
In preparation for a class I’m currently teaching on the Victorian novel, titled “Deviant Selfhood: Love, Faith and Criminal Activity in the Victorian Novel of (Self)-Development,” I prepared an iBook course reader using the iBook Author software. The software allowed me to bring a selection of non-fiction sources from the 19th century together with photos, maps, videos, music, and artwork, all of which provide students with a richer sense of British history and culture in the Victorian period. Unlike a traditional course reader, a multi-touch iBook creates multiple reading paths that allow students to work through a variety of texts in non-linear ways. Students find the variety of material engaging and even entertaining. As a teacher, the electronic format can actually simplify my course prep in the future by making it easy to update information and add additional resources, creating an evolving and stunning resource that I can use term after term.
The use of this technology is still “cutting-edge,” particularly in literature classes. Consequently, the Office of Digital Learning at the University of Notre Dame featured my class in a series on “What Works” involving iPad use in the classroom.
Article by the Office of Digital Learning at the University of Notre Dame