Some interesting technology applications.  Please send additional ideas.

• Clickers.  Especially in large lecture classes, some professors now use student response systems or clickers to stimulate class participation, we discuss this in detail in our lectures and discussion area.   Students buy the clickers when they buy their textbook and use them to respond to questions posed by the instructor.  The results appear in a bar graph in the front of the room (so your class will resemble the quiz show "Who wants to be a millionaire?).  Instructors use them for feedback, and to stimulate discussion.  Here are some best practices from a company that sells the devices. TΦ101 has had enormous success with these little devices in creating a high level of student engagement and participation in large lecture classes. Their effectiveness in a new technique called  "Peer Instruction"  (which we discuss in more detail elswhere) has been documented in some impressive evaluation studies.  
• Grade Calculator.  This helpful grade-calculator, designed by clever Berkeley history graduate student Daniel Immerwahr, can be used by both students (to figure out how they would need to do on the next test to improve their grade) and by faculty members to calculate either individual grades or grades for a whole class. It also allows faculty members to create rosters for large and small classes.
• Wikis.  Given today's emphasis on collaboration in the workplace, assigning students to do projects outside of class is as important as it is challenging. A technological solution is to set up a "wiki" that allows a defined group of students to collaborate on a document. (Wikipedia is the most famous example, where anyone in the world can edit any entry).  Nancy Hancock, from Northern Kentucky University (and a President of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers) has a handy guide to getting started. 
• On-Line Forums. Our students respond well to technology, and are used to communicating through Facebook, text messaging and IM.  Many professors are now starting to use on-line forums as a way to enhance class discussion.  For a terrific introduction and lots of good ideas, consult Christopher Panza, Adam Potthast, and Christie Cathey, "Thinking Outside the Room: Enhancing Philosophy Courses with Online Forums."  Teaching Philosophy 29:4 (2006), 279 ff. 
• Argument mapping software.  Rationale is a computer based argument-mapping program that helps students organize their arguments in learning critical thinking and in preparing papers or presentations.  It was developed by an Australian logic professor,  Tim van Gelder. The homepage for Rationale has some useful instructional materials on how the program can be used.   
• Second Life. There has been quite a bit of discussion about using the virtual world in Second Life as a way to enhance philosophy courses.  TΦ101 has talked to a some professors who have explored it.  While it has tremendous potential, there are a few things that suggest it isn't read for prime time.  The program doesn't run well on many systems, so it is hard to imagine using it as a requirement.  It appeals to an older demographic, so few traditional-age students are already involved.

Update: May 17, 2010