According to chapter 1 in the book: The elements of a rationale for using technology in education include: increased motivation, unique instructional capabilities, support for new instructional approaches, increased productivity, and required skills for an information age (technological literacy, information literacy, an visual literacy).
1) Pick one and discuss it in your own words.
2) Comment on another student's input.
Zeina
Welcome to EDUC 560 students in Beirut! This Blog will be used to share ideas and findings in this course. Please feel free to comment on any post. This blog will be our "social arena" to connect in and out of class. Keep your discussion flowing!
Motivating children to learn in an educational setting has been an increasing problem in the classroom nowadays. More and more students are coming to school with no desire to learn or without any idea why education is so important. I always wanted to be able to show my students why education is important and then instill a lifelong learning desire so that future learning will be more easily accomplished. From my experience with my kids, I see a continuing number of students enter Kindergarten without any interest to learn to read or write. Many do not have experiences with books and language.
ReplyDeleteAlso I have observed that the technological world that my students and my kids will grow up
in outside of the classroom and the technology environment in the classroom are very different. Classroom offers very little technology-enhanced learning compared to the social environment where the use of technology is so prevalent that almost all careers will one day be dependent upon technology in one way or another. I guess schools must develop an environment that is more technologically friendly curriculum, which lead for sure to improve students’ motivation and could prepare them to be more successful in their future careers. With the rapidly changing technological workforce, and a culture of high tech communication and information, schools must stay up-to-date on future technological changes. Schools from the administration on down to the teachers must begin to take advantage of the technology available. One of the major debated issues in education today is the role of technology in the educational setting, and how much technology will be implemented in the classroom.
Many schools in Lebanon have limited technology equipment and the equipment that is available is out-dated making technology integration almost impossible. As an educator it is very important is to find a way to implement technology in my classroom as a tool and strategy to motivate students to learn, and to find ways in which to change my student’s attitudes towards learning by instilling a love for learning in the school environment. I want my students to know why learning is important to them. I propose that the use of technology as a tool for learning will engage students and help to develop an intrinsic motivation. I will teach reading and writing with old strategies in new ways using technology. I believe that using technology as a tool for learning will make learning more student-centered, hands-on, and motivational.
Educational Technology is of great benefit for both the teacher and the learners. The technology based strategies offer many unique benefits to problems. As Kozma suggests it should be conserved as the
ReplyDelete" learner actively collaborating with the medium to construct knowledge". Moreover, the virtual system can provide higher achievement for kids by motivating them and helping them acquire certain skills that are needed in future domains. The new technologies continue to make the advances for disabled people. As a conclusion, although there isn't a clear evidence on the effectiveness of technology on education, in my point of view I believe that technology is a must in educational processes because it enhances both the way of instructing and conveying the message to students achievement and attention.
How to Improve Educational Productivity?
ReplyDeleteRecently, researches have been showing that students are not keeping up with their foreign counterparts, there is an increased emphasis on improving educational productivity. Many believe that the way to get students on top of the rating systems is not through tacking hours onto the school days, as some countries do, but instead through making the most of the hours that our students already spend in school. There are a number of proven techniques that can improve educational productivity and lead to more student learning.
Instructions:
1) Create a structured organizational system. Much time can be lost when individuals try to navigate through an unorganized system. By creating a structured and rigid schedule, and organizing classroom materials effectively, teachers and administrators can increase the amount of time that students actually spend learning by cutting down on the time that they spend muddling through a messy and confusing system.
2) Circulate around the room. Teachers would love to be able to complete their work while their students work diligently on their assigned tasks, but this unfortunately isn't possible. When teachers do not circulate around the room and monitor students' work, their rate of work lags. By moving around the room, you will both make yourself readily available to students and encourage them to remain on task, as they know that their behavior is being monitored.
3) Provide more educational support. One of the biggest drains on educational productivity is the difference in working rates exhibited by high and low achieving students. All too often, educational time is lost because high performing students have to wait for their struggling counterparts to catch up. Use paraprofessionals and aids to assist these struggling students. This practice will help the struggling students complete their work more quickly, and allow teachers to work ahead with the students who have already completed the task.
4) Clearly separate work and play time. Some schools attempt to increase productivity by cutting down on the amount of play time that is interspersed throughout the day. This practice, while seemingly sound, has proven to be unwise. If students are not provided with adequate amounts of down time, they burn out and their productivity actually decreases. You do, however, need to make sure to clearly separate play and work time. This encourages students to play during play time and work during work time. If the play and work times are clearly separated and noticeably different to students, they will be less likely to engage in off-task behaviors that hurt productivity.
5) Encourage parent involvement in education. If parents value education, they will convey the importance of education to their students. Invite parents to participate in educational programs within the school. This will show students that their parents care about what they learn, and encourage students to work more diligently towards increasing their knowledge basis and expanding their learning.