I wouldn’t describe myself as a techy person in fact I’m not techy at all so I did wonder what I had let myself in for when I started my new role as an assistant learning technologist here at LSE.

GF

Although I am new to the LTI department I had already dipped my toe into the world of learning technology in my previous job on LSE100 (the large compulsory interdisciplinary undergraduate course).While working as a course administrator and then course manager for LSE100 I enjoyed working with lecturers and GTA’s to create interactive resources and I discovered that I was interested in using technology to enhance teaching and learning and to explore different approaches to lectures and classes.

So what are my initial impressions after the first few weeks?

  • Obviously I am pleased that I will be working with a group of highly intelligent, funny, and wonderful colleagues : )
  • I like the way my colleagues encourage people (including myself) to move out of their comfort zones and try out new things.
  • I’ve realised that it’s about showing not doing, LTI try to give people the skills to use the technology and solve the problem themselves.
  • I appreciate the fact that the team don’t always agree on what technology works best as different people work in different ways but they all use technology themselves to communicate and work collaboratively.

As I nervously publish my first ever blog post I am starting to realise that I shouldn’t fear technology, you have to engage and experiment to find out what works for you and what doesn’t. It will be a learning process but working with people to find out their needs and requirements is the most crucial step.