As part of my role with the Department of Informatics I teach information technology related courses in the School of Criminal Justice and more generally try to advocate for the responsible use of technology in crime and justice research and teaching. I enjoy this role a lot because it allows me to use a variety of skills. One of the challenges I face in this role is how to advocate for IT as part of general education and not merely as a specialized skill reserved only for those with a particular interest in the area.
Daniel Sullivan, the President of St. Lawrence University, has written an article explaining why IT is important for a liberal arts education. He nicely articulates the value of critical literacies, which are intricately related to IT, for general education. In particular, I like the way he frames IT in terms of modes of thinking and not simply as tools. He writes, “technology in liberal learning becomes more than a tool or a means to an end: technology is also a locus for creating new knowledge and, often, a medium for creative expression. Twenty-first-century technologies in particular are dynamic media, encouraging collaboration and enhancing the learning process.”
