- Faculty, Online
There’s no telling what globe-trotting Southern New Hampshire University instructor Mark Friedman will do in his online classroom.
Friedman likes to push the possibilities of technology to create the most interactive, provocative and productive learning environments possible.
For example, in one international business course, Friedman and his students assumed avatars (online representations of themselves with the ability to move and interact) to work with one another online in virtual form as they explored business transactions.
Friedman has used technology to make his online courses more personal and more global. During his frequent world travels, he creates “photo lectures,” taking photographs of pivotal moments in global history as they happen, such as Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. He annotates them with personal captions so his students can witness those moments when the world changes. He also uses video of classroom interactions in Israel, where he spends half his time, to provide his students in the U.S. with an opportunity to explore cultural differences.
The point isn’t technology itself. Friedman focuses on the ways video, photos, sound files — even avatars — can open up the classroom and his students’ minds.
“We’re always looking for new ways to introduce materials to students,” he says. “I’m not against text, but that’s just one way of absorbing information.”
Friedman has long been fascinated by world history. He spent time all over the world as he was growing up, but his love for studying international relations really began when he was an undergraduate student at Dartmouth and intensified during his years as a graduate student at Columbia University. It’s his affinity for all things international that drew him to Southern New Hampshire University, with its many international students.
“They bring their experiences and their points of view from overseas
