I thought a bit about how the internet affects teaching and, perhaps more interestingly, how much it should do so.
Clearly, the internet changed A LOT. It changed the way we obtain (and handle) information, it changed the way we communicate and it affects our research. However, it seems to me as if the internet has not affected university math teaching of that much. At least not in my experience.
The question is: Are we missing out? Should we use the internet more or would this just be a waste of everybody's time?
Most of us will certainly agree that the core of every university education should be lectures in a rather traditional way (i.e, offline and with a blackboard). Im not suggesting that we should discuss about changing that. I am sure that nobody here wants to replace lectures with whatever can happen online.
However, I think that it is worth discussing whether all the web technologies might have the potential to be a great supplementation. For instance, what about offering the students some short multiple choice practice? Or giving them the possibility for immediate (and anonymous) feedback? Why not pointing them to interesting math places on the web that are somehow connected to the content of last weeks lecture? Putting some videos online (either parts of the lectures or some kind of summary videos)? Engaging the students in online discussions?
What do you think? How much do you use the internet in your teaching and do you think we should use it more? And if so, in what way?
