• http://chronicle.com/article/Teach-Naked-Effort-Strips/47398/

Doesn't the title say it all? In this week's Chronicle, Jeffrey R. Young discusses a new movement underway to "teach naked," that is, a call to give up the Powerpoint.  He profiles José A. Bowen, a dean at Southern Methodist University, who has gone so far as to remove computer equipment from classrooms. It's another variant on getting rid of the boring lecture model of instruction, but it hardly means there is no place for technology in teaching.  Many faculty interviewed here rave about the usefulness of podcast lectures and Powerpoint slides for student preparation for class.  The intent once they get there however--hardly new or radical--is that they discuss and argue about what they gleaned from these sources.  Perhaps the more interesting question: do students actually come to class better prepared and capable of engaging in these kinds of conversations if they've prepared via digital tools rather than printed material?