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| Using Technology as a Mindtool in the Classroom | ||||||||||||
| My Reflection on Technology in the Classroom | ||||||||||||
| What are Mindtools?� According to David Jonassen, Mindtools are computer applications that students use and manipulate to represent what they know. (Jonassen, 1999. p.4.) The basic philosophy is that students learn best by doing.� The classroom is student-centered, and students are given the opportunity to ?construct? their learning.� | ||||||||||||
| Mindtools are not necessarily complex computer applications.� They can be everyday programs that are found on most classroom computers, such as database and spreadsheet programs.� Other programs that can be used would be games such as a flight simulator or SimCity.� In using the Mindtools, students are given an open-ended problem, and they must use the programs to solve the problem.� Mindtools are instruments used in the classroom that promote critical thinking, and self-evaluation.� Reflecting on the process and the results reinforces what the students learned from the activity. | ||||||||||||
| Having knowledge of the programs before hand is essential.� As a teacher, it is necessary to know how to manipulate fields, and construct formulas in spreadsheets.� The students will also need to have a basic idea of how to use the programs before they can begin to construct databases or simulations and use technology as an effective means of learning. | ||||||||||||
| Resources | ||||||||||||
| Jonassen, David H. (1999). Computers as Mindtools for Schools: Engaging in Critical Thinking, 2 Edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. | ||||||||||||
| Lewallwen Gary, (2002). Mindtool Resource Page ? Mindtools Defined. | ||||||||||||
| Retrieved June 25, 2003, from http://members.aol.com/Mind2Ls/defined.html | ||||||||||||
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