Daniel Stasko, assistant professor of Natural and Applied Sciences at the University of Southern Maine Lewiston-Auburn College, does things a little different in his science classes: he uses a digital pen in the classroom. “It recognizes what you write,” said Stasko.

Using special microdot notepaper, the pen records where you are on a page. During a note-taking session with the digital pen, it also simultaneously records speech via a built-in microphone. But where it gets really powerful is once the notes are transferred to a computer. “You can share what you’ve written. Students use the pen to take notes in class and upload the notes to the class website; then we share the notes among the class,” explained Stasko.

Note-taking is a very important part of the learning process. These annotated notes can help clarify written notes because, as the student takes notes with the digital pen while the professor is talking to the class, the microphone on the pen is recording the professor’s voice which the student can later play back relative to specific sections in the notes. In many ways, it is like a virtual, talking chalkboard, playing back the class session.

The digital pen in Stasko’s class is relatively new; he’s only been using it in the class for about two years. He said, “I’m still working out all the bugs and trying to get students to overcome a fear of sharing their notes. I give a small grade incentive to get students to take and share their notes digitally. Hopefully, as students take more and more notes they improve their note-taking skills. We’re doing some surveys to see if that is going on.”

The overwhelming majority of students feel very positive about using the digital pen and like to have the class sessions available for review, after the fact. There’s a big push for online education in the sciences. Most schools, particularly in budget times like today, do not have the money for video productions of each class. The digital pen is a low-cost solution to the high-cost of video production.

Stasko knows the advantages that technology can bring to the learning experience, but he believes that technology should not be time consuming. He doesn’t feel that students should have to download anything for his class or do anything technologically complicated.

“Everyone’s tolerance for complication is different. Technology should not get in the way of learning. It should be like the telephone. You should be able to pick it up and just use it,” said Stasko. With this in mind, Stasko tries to minimize the potential for technical complications, while still trying to build comfort and competency with technology.

What students should be taught about technology is a debate that is occurring in education. There is the idea of helping them learn skills versus course content. Teaching students how to use their calculators is not the instructors’ job, but if students don’t know how to use their calculators, they are not going to be able to do their classwork.

Adapting to new technologies is an important part of life. About the digital pen and adaptability, Stasko said, “If you extend the idea of something that records while you write, it becomes instant note-taking or mini lectures or group discussion tracking. Now, when the class breaks into small groups, those group discussions can be shared amongst all groups at a later time so that the information becomes part of a larger discussion.”

One of the difficulties faced by Stasko is the fact that many students are hesitant to take chemistry. While many of his students are freshmen, he also gets the students who have been dreading chemistry and take it late in their college career. The procrastinators should take chemistry as freshmen because chemistry shows up in so many other areas of the sciences. “Yes, chemistry is challenging, but my students come away with good knowledge and an appreciation for the course. They learn to change the way they think about things.”

Students learn the real world effects of the esoteric principles of chemistry and come away with a better understanding of the direct applications of chemistry. “Students learn a set of skills that have a direct bearing on their career choice. They learn time management skills, and they have the best of two worlds: classes that are theory rich and practical lab work,” said Stasko. “Students learn that super high-tech equipment isn’t always required to get the job done. What is needed is for students to be competent and comfortable in their abilities in the lab.”

Three major chemistry science areas of interest to Stasko include fuel cell systems, science education, and science literacy. In his practical science exploration, the focus is fuel cell systems, where Stasko is researching new materials for green energy production. He is looking at one small component of a complex system: electrolytes, which serve a similar role as the material that are in a lithium ion battery or the acid in your car battery. Science education has taken a bad rap because many students enter the classroom under prepared. Stasko is researching ways to improve student retention in the sciences and encourage students to take more sciences in general. One of his methods is encouraging undergraduate research with the students doing real lab work and experiments in which they experience the working side of science exploration.

An extension of this is looking at science literacy in the population, another area of interest for Stasko who has worked with LAC colleague, Professor Barry Rodrigue, on examining the course content found in teaching Big History around the globe. Stasko said that while Big History courses are normally thought of as history-based classes, “Big History is a way of introducing science to students who wouldn’t normally take it. The course incorporates scientific methods and scientific principles in its lessons. Barry and I have been researching the methods other Big History instructors are using to teach this course.” Stasko hopes that students who take Big History, and any science course, realize a rounder appreciation of science and its impact on the economy and social structure of our world.

For more information about USM LAC and its professors, call 753-6575 or visit usm.maine.edu/lac.

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