online & interactive
Dr. Mike Beutner, Associate Professor of Instructional Technology, earned his Ph.D. at Ohio University. He began working at ULM in 2004.
I grew up in a small city in southern Ohio which is considered part of Appalachia. My parents were immigrants from Germany, and they spoke German at home.
After many majors, I fell in love with instructional technology. Drawing from an interdisciplinary perspective from many fields of research, nothing is more engaging and interactive than designing and creating interactive learning applications.
I was drawn to ULM. A common theme that appealed to many faculty, especially new faculty, was the sense of mission and resolve that Dr. Cofer ignited. It is hard to believe the positive transformation, and even renaissance, ULM experienced under his leadership.
Starting Louisiana's first online high school technology competition was gratifying. Being actively involved in setting up an online graduate program in Instructional Technology also comes to mind. Serving on the national advisory committee for the "Praxis" exam (required by all teachers for certification) was great. However, getting the award for Teacher of the Year in Louisiana made me extremely happy.
Instructional Technology is having a profound influence on education. I love teaching ways to use technology to make learning more relevant and interesting. One highly rewarding part of my job involves opportunities to make a difference, like producing interactive online audio stories featuring "Ace" the ULM mascot. It's possible to develop many educational audio stories for young readers in the Delta, using free online resources that can play on any computer.
My students learn skills that can make them effective in serving the larger community. With the principle of "open source," anyone can use and apply anything the Instructional Technology program develops. In the future, students will create and adapt online interactive learning content using free applications.
I remember, during the first day of a traditional class, asking about professional interests. One student stated that she wanted to be an opera singer. So, I asked her to sing. She sang, beautifully, mesmerizing the class for several memorable minutes. That was followed by another student who sang a "bluesy" haunting melody that made time stop. Although only a few minutes of time passed, the social barriers of unfamiliarity dissolved completely. Only in Louisiana could something like this happen.
I have three favorite spots on campus. One is in the cafeteria, sitting with colleagues and students at the collegial "President's Round Table." Another is the excellent steam room in the Activity Center, after some exercise. The third spot is the extremely comfortable sofa in the ULM Bookstore where I wait for my wife to talk to me, during a break from her busy work. Yes, I wait.
If my students leave my classroom knowing only one thing, it would be that they have the potential to dramatically improve the world around them through conscious, deliberate, and prolonged effort. Technology tools can help ... a lot.
Most people don't know I served in the Peace Corps. I was involved in constructing over 200 water wells and over a dozen communal toilets in a tropical paradise.