This chapter explains how technology enhances learning in different ways. The different categories are visual learning, accessing and assessing information, feedback, engagement and collaboration, and creativity. I find visual learning with technology to be one of the most important. I believe this because I think that there are many visual learners in our classrooms, and even the students who are not necessarily visual, they can only enhance learning. I find visuals to be very helpful when learning. Charts, pictures, videos, and games can help children become more involved in the learning. This also reminds me that I think classrooms should be student-centered for the most part. We want our student’s engaged in what we are teaching. No student wants to sit and listen to lectures every day. They need to be hands-on and see how what we are teaching them applies to their lives.
Technology also enhances creativity. I think this is also great for many students because some students are not artistic. This gives those students an opportunity to shine when it comes to completing different projects. Technology can be used to make videos, slideshows, collages, and much more. The students can show what they are good at and make their work individual with the use of many different programs.
Questions:
1.
How can teachers decide when a lesson should be
teacher-centered or student-centered?
2.
When it comes to information literacy, how do we
ensure that our students are using reliable resources? Will this be a new skill that we as teachers
are going to have to learn how to teach? How do we prevent our students from
becoming overwhelmed by all of the information they find on the internet?
3.
We know that group work in the classroom is
important because the students should have time to work together and share
ideas. My question is how do we make
sure all students are doing equal amounts of work and that all are
participating?
Hey Kelly,
ReplyDeleteI will give you my thoughts regarding your question 1. I think that new skills still need to be explicitly taught. Once the teacher does the "I do, we do, you do", he or she can gauge who needs additional help and scaffold instruction from there. Once the students are independent, the lesson (s) can become student-centered!
I also think that we are becoming very heavily dependent on technology. I know personally, even if I have a good idea of where I am going, I am constantly using GPS when I am driving so that I do not have to think about it. Same thing goes for with the calculator. We need to make sure that our students CAN do it by themselves first before we let them use tools and technology to figure it out, in my opinion at least. Also, in response to your question about group work, I think that the teacher can delegate to ensure that an equal amount of work is being done. We can make a sheet with a list of the tasks and have each student in the group sign their name next to the task that they are doing. This also would give the students a sense of organization and help them in higher grades when they complete group work, as they could use this template themselves.
ReplyDeleteIn response to your question about group work, I think that first, each student should be assigned a roll in their groups so that they may assume responsibility for a part of the given task. One way to ensure that each student is doing their fair share would be to ask them to each, briefly, write a concise summary as to their role in the group and have them explain what steps they took to fulfill their role as well as what they learned from doing so.
ReplyDeletefor a class with younger age or when teachers need to teach something new, the class, I think, should be more teacher-centered. On the contrary, if the class is for discussion and need students to express their ideas more, it could be more student-centered.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rena regarding group work. I feel that each student should get a role in their group. I feel that when each student has their own job they are able to all participate fairly. I student taught in a fifth grade classroom, the group teacher had each student fill out a worksheet while they are doing the group project. They have to write not only about their part in the project but also about the other student’s part. I felt the worksheet sheet kept each child interested in their role and on the roles of their peers.
ReplyDeleteA lot of research show that group work is the most effective way for students to learn new things in classroom. Yet, the problem is how to make sure that each student do the equal amount of work and participating. I will assign students into small group by their personalities and give each student different job in their own group. In addition, i will ask each students to share their opinion in class or write an essay about what they learned today. Each student has his or her job, they will feel responsibility in his or her group. if teacher dose not organize groups, it is hard to increase students' learning proficiency via cooperative learning.
ReplyDelete