Grand Valley Magazine - (Page 12)

E ric Kunnen thinks the classroom of the future will be different. It may not be students attending classes virtually through a video conference on their iPads, and it may not involve complex three-dimensional projections of molecules into the middle of the classroom - but it could. He's hoping to bridge the divide between cutting-edge technology and the modern-day classroom. Kunnen is the new emerging technologies coordinator in the university's Technology Showcase in the Mary Idema Pew Library Learning and Information Commons. He hopes to grow the brand-new facility and concept at Grand Valley into a leader in transforming education. 12 Spring '14 "We're really in a golden age of where technology is going right now," Kunnen said, "and we get to be on the cutting edge of what's new and exciting, and think of ways we can use those technologies to help students learn and help faculty teach." NEW CONCEPT Kunnen, who spent the past 20 years as the director of distance learning and instructional technology at Grand Rapids Community College, readily admits that the university's new Technology Showcase is a work in progress. The space and his position were new last fall when the library opened, and since then he's been working tirelessly to secure new tools that may have applications in both teaching and learning. The showcase is a glass-walled room on the atrium level and currently contains the first batch of gadgets that Kunnen was able to get his hands on for evaluation.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Grand Valley Magazine

Table of Contents
Campus News
Athletics
Donor Impact
Art of the Possible
One Book Carries Discussions Beyond Classroom
One Million Hours
Power Trio Turns Ideas Into Companies
Research
Q&A Renee Freeman
Off the Path
Sustainability
Focal Point
Arts
Alumni News

Grand Valley Magazine