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3. What
strategies and methods in educational technology have you used to maximize
student learning?
Individuals create their own
understanding of new concepts by creating an interaction between what they already
know and believe and knowledge in which they come in contact. Meaning and knowledge are actively
constructed in the mind by the individual.
To maximize student learning, teachers need to present many of their
lessons in a constructivist manner. Teachers
need to create a learning environment which is student centered. Students need to be provided with
opportunities to change and add to their understanding of concepts through
being engaged in tasks structured for this purpose ( Many
strategies used to maximize student learning are based on differentiated
instruction and multiple intelligences.
The purpose of schools should be to maximize the capabilities of all
its students. This type of instruction
is based on beliefs that all learners are different be it by how they learn,
their learning preferences, or individual interests ( All the
students I work with in my current job must take a learning preference test
on the computer first. The results of
the test show us if the student is a haptic,
auditory, or visual learner. As a
teacher, I use this information to help my students better learn
concepts. I use manipulatives, such as
base 10 blocks and three dimensional figures, to help my haptic
and visual learners investigate a math concept and better understand it. I suggest to my study skills students to
study using their learning preference.
I suggest that my auditory learners create songs and riddles to help
remember information or read out loud.
Students can tape record themselves, so they can listen to their notes
later when reviewing. I have had
many students who have trouble with handwriting or it takes them a long,
frustrating time to write everything out.
I allow these students to type their papers or notes on a laptop. If I do not have a laptop available, I have
also used AlphaSmarts. The AlphaSmart
allows the students to type out their answers to short answer or open ended
questions without becoming frustrated.
The students then hook their AlphaSmarts up
to a computer and print off their work or notes. This allows the students to not become
frustrated with a lot of writing and so the teacher can read responses by
students that may have otherwise been difficult to read. On the other
hand, I have some students who cannot type well. It takes these students a while to type one
paper of notes, work, or information.
These students become frustrated because they fall behind on their
work due to typing being difficult for them.
I allow these students to neatly handwrite any papers or projects they
must do while I create opportunities for them to practice their typing skills
and improve with their pace and accuracy.
Two programs I have used to help students improve with their typing
are Type to Learn and Type to Learn, Jr.
Students enjoy doing the various activities each of these provide as
they practice their typing skills and improve their speed and accuracy. I was given
the opportunity to learn about more software programs that can help maximize
my students’ learning through writing a software review for 10 different
programs in EDU 553, Computers in the Classroom and the Curriculum. This paper forced me to review ten software
programs based on how they work and can be used in the classroom to improve
learning (See Appendix G). I was able to
investigate the two typing programs discussed above among other programs such
as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Inspirations, and Kidspirations. Since the completion of these reviews, I
have begun to create more lessons and activities that allow my students to
use these technology resources. Before
beginning any piece of writing, I ask my students to create concept maps and
outlines. Students are asked to first
think of everything they can about a topic and write it on the concept
map. I then ask the students to
organize their ideas, which they feel are similar, in groups and outline
where they are going to write about each in their paper. Up until now, I have had my students create
these on paper with pencils and highlighters.
After learning more about Inspirations and Kidspirations,
I will now have my students create graphic organizers on these programs.
Students can use their imagination to create an organizer that works best for
them. The students will then be given
the opportunity to use programs, such as Word, to type their papers according
to what they wrote on their graphic organizer and outline. I will also use Inspirations to create Venn
Diagrams and K-W-L charts with my students, so we can work as a class to
collect all the information we know about a topic and the areas we all want
to investigate further. I have also
created science activities that allow the students to investigate a concept
and form ideas about the topic on their own.
While student teaching in fourth grade, I had to teach my students a
unit on sound. For many of the
lessons, I created experiments and centers that allowed students to learn
about the different components of sound, such as pitch or vibrations, through
doing. Students would be given a
sheet, which I created on Word, to fill out on the concept that helped them
to investigate sound. They were also
given a picture of the ear and asked to fill in different components as they
went. After all students tried each
experiment, we would come back together as a class and discuss what they
learned about the topic. My students
enjoyed these lessons and were able to easily explain how pitch or vibration
affect the way we hear. While
student teaching in first grade, I had students partake in lessons that
integrated math and science. I taught
my students a unit on nutrition.
During this unit, I had students do a couple activities that involved
taste testing. Students would have to
go to four different centers in the room and test different kinds of cheese
or fruit. Many students had not
previously tried a couple of the choices, so they were able to learn of other
nutritious foods. After students tried
all four kinds of the food, they had to choose their favorite. We would then come together as a whole
group and create a pictograph comprising of the students’ favorites. Each student would have to put their
cut-out paper of cheese or fruit on the enlarged graph. After all students shared their favorite,
we would discuss the graph and students would have to tell me what they can
learn from it (See Appendix H). When I do this type of
lesson again, I will have the students take a survey of their classmates’ favorite
foods and then create a table and graph on Excel. Students will be able to create any type of
graph they feel appropriate and can then share with the class their graph and
how it was created. I will also have
used Excel other times in the class with my students to create graphs,
tables, and averages. Students
today enjoy using the computer and their learning can be enhanced by doing
so. In EDU 580, Productivity Tools and
Curriculum Application, I created a PowerPoint that could be used by the teacher
to explain multiplication or by the student themselves to learn more about
and practice the basics of multiplication (See Appendix A). This allows students
to explore the different aspects of multiplication and enhance their
understanding of the topic. I have
also helped my father create PowerPoint activities, similar to Jeopardy and
Who Wants to be a Millionaire, which allow the class as a whole or small
group to test their knowledge of the concepts. I have also helped him create Word and
PowerPoint activities that explain concepts to the students and then ask the
student to solve problems involving the new concept. Students are
often curious about concepts and want to learn more about them. The use of the Internet is a great
resource. I encourage my students to
not only explore the world around them, but also to use trusted sources on
the Internet to investigate and better understand topics of interest, or that
they need to learn for the curriculum.
When substituting, I have also seen students who have pen pals from
all over the state and country. When I
have my own classroom, I will use e-pals to encourage my students to talk
with students from all over the world.
Students will be able to learn of different cultures, languages, and
beliefs through the discussions they conduct.
They will have to think of their own questions and responses, so they
can learn what is of the most interest for them. I will encourage my students to share their
e-pal experiences with fellow classmates, so they can learn from each other. Students
consider a good teacher to be one who makes sure they are doing their work,
who is willing to help students when needed, who varies classroom routine,
and who takes the time to get to know their students. When a student feels the teaching is good,
their learning is enhanced (Corbett & Wilson, 2002). As a teacher, I create an environment where
my students feel safe to learn and to ask questions. By doing this, students are able to freely
explore concepts and learn for themselves.
Environment and instruction work together to invite, to inspire, and
to effectively maintain student learning (Tomlinson, 2002). |