1. Kozma article (p. 10): Do you agree with Kozma that “students frequently have difficulty drawing on the knowledge that they have of situations in the real world. The knowledge of solution strategies that they acquire in school is frequently stored in ways that are not evoked by problem situations that they encounter outside of school.” ?
2. Kozma article (p. 11): Kozma gives two examples of how incorporating real world experience-type technologies into the classroom (ThinkerTools, Jasper Woodbury Series) help students better understand the material that they are learning. Students are always asking, “when will I ever use this in real life?” Within your chosen field, how could you incorporate more real world experience-type technologies into your classroom?
3. Kozma article (p. 16 ): Kozma makes the statement that, “Media must be designed to give us powerful new methods [of teaching], and our methods must take appropriate advantages of a medium’s capabilities.” So how do you choose the appropriate medium for a particular lesson? When is an audio clip better than a video clip? Why use a PowerPoint presentation when you can lecture? How do you make the best choices for your students’ learning when it comes to the use of technology?
4. Clark article (p. 22 ): Clark states that he believes that, “media is a mere vehicle that delivers instruction but does not influence student achievement any more than the truck that delivers our groceries causes change in our nutrition.” Do you agree with Clark or do you think a form of media can influence student achievement?
5. Clark article (p. 23 ): Clark claims that, “media not only fails to influence learning, it also is not directly responsible to motivating learning.” If this is the case, why have anything but lecture in a classroom?
6. Both articles: I noticed that all of the studies in the articles are extremely old. The most recent study in both articles was from the early 1990s, the oldest being conducted during the 1960s. Do you believe technological media’s influence or non-influence has changed since these studies were conducted? Do you think we would find similar or different results due to the fact that students today are more aware and involved with technology than the students ad instructors of when the studies were made?
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1. I think many students do have difficulty relating problems in school to the real world. I think that in many classrooms now that is changing and the problems are more focused on real life examples.
ReplyDelete2. I think it is important in a history classroom to bring in real problems and have students debate and solve them. Students should research problems using technology and put together presentations for their solutions to the problems. People research and present their findings all the time. Teachers need to make lessons relevant to students’ lives through real life problem solving using technology to do so.
3. I think with technology it is important to use a variety of methods in each lesson. Students respond in different ways and learn in different ways, so using a audio and video clip might be helpful to different types of learners. I don’t think teachers should choose between technology for each lesson, but incorporate a variety of programs into each lesson.
4. I believe that Clark’s statement about media being only a form of delivery and not influential is only somewhat true. I believe that the media does deliver information, but the people who control the media do influence learning. Teachers can use media in different ways in their classroom. Media can influence learning in a positive way that allows students to make their own opinions about tough issues or media can influence learning in a negative way that only provides one-sided opinions on issues. As teachers, I feel we need to provide forms of media that do influence student achievement.
5. They way teacher present information through media can motivate or discourage learning. If students receive information that is interesting and that leaves room for interpretation, students will be more motivated to learn more about the subject or issue. Students need more than just lecture in order to be motivated, because they have grown up in a media-centered environment.
6. I think the technology during these studies would definitely be a factor in their results. Students today are digital natives as opposed to the digital immigrants that the students from these studies probably were. Students today are definitely influenced by media, because that is all they have really ever known to some extent or the other.
1. I feel that in classrooms today that teachers are beginning to relate the concepts that the students are learning to real world situations which will helps students carry their knowledge outside of school.
ReplyDelete2.In elementary school when students are learning how to count money you could set up a store and give the students money to spend. The students can then buy items from the school store and practice how to count money and make change.
3.I feel that teahcers should use a variety of different technology devices in the same lesson. Teachers should figure out which technology devices work best for their students and incoporate those into their lessons.
4.I feel that a form of media can influence student achievement. The media form can present ideas in ways that make learning easier for students and in return increases achievement.
5.The way a teacher presents information can definitely encourage or discourage a student. If a teacher uses technology to present information in a fun way then students will be more motivated to learn. If a teacher presents information by lecturing all day long then the student will be bored and not excited about learing.
6.I definitely feel that we would find different results in a study conducted today. I think we would find that students' learning is influenced by technology.
1. I think students have a hard time relating school to "real life" but most teachers are trying to bridge this gap in some ways.
ReplyDelete2. One idea in an English Language Arts classroom is to have students write letters to the editor of a paper or write a college entrance essay (for older grades). Memos and other technical documents are a good way to incorperate "real life" writing into the classroom.
3. I read in another article for a different class that a good teacher will, in a sense, adapt their teaching to different learning styles within their classroom. This is very true when it comes to technology. You work with what you think will benefit and reach the maximum number of students. I think it's important to try and utilize different technologies so that lessons don't get "stale".
4. I think that media can have an impact on student achievement if used in the right way. For example, most rap music is poetry in action. Students don't want to be introduced to poetry through Walt Whitman, but if I used Kanye West's lyrics to introduce the concepts found in poetry, I've immediately captured the attention of everyone in the room and have opened the door to study Whitman later.
5. See my above point. If I use technology in a fun way to introduce a lesson, I've made a positive association with the material simply by having something "fun". I think using technology can be a good way to introduce a positive atmosphere in the classroom. Think back to the video of the wedding dancing we watched the first day...who wasn't smiling?
6.Students of today are definately influenced by media in every way. It's everywhere we look and it would be hard to not be influenced by it. Like Laci said, students are digital natives and because of that are bombarded with media daily.
1. I agree with Kozma here. Many students don't see how the connection between the information teachers present and the real world. I think this is why there has been such a push for Problem-Based Learning strategies recently.
ReplyDelete2. As a high school English teacher, I'm a big fan of having my students create something research-based that will be presented on our class website. Knowing that we will post their work online drives students to produce better work and adds incentives for students to make sure they are following rules for adding citations to sources to avoid plagairism. Also, posting accurate, reliable work online is a skill most students will need in the future, regardless of whether or not they choose to study English in college or in their careers.
3. I think teachers should, as Kozma encouraged, consider the desired effects of their lessons. As an English teacher, if I want students to analyze an author's word choice, perhaps putting the words on a screen and hearing an audio clip of an author reading his/her writing as it is intended to be read would be more effective than watching a video clip of how an expert has interpreted those words. I agree with the other comments, too; a teacher should use a variety of technology resources that he/she deems appropriate to best reach the desired effects.
4. I do think some types of media appeal more to students, thus influencing student achievement. Most of my sophomore students are music and film enthusiasts. I can definitely tell that they respond better to these types of media and are more interested in participating in activities when these media are involved.
5. clark argues that media is not directly linked to motivating student learning, but I highly doubt lectures are directly linked to motivating student learning either. Also, we should keep in mind that Clark's original study was done in 1983, and this article was written in 1993! Technology has come a LONG way since then. I would bet that if the same study were done now, the results would be different. Finally, we know students need variety. While routine can be nice, why not teach the material in a routine, proven format but use a variety of media to do it? Who says lecture and media can't go hand-in-hand?
6. I do think we would find different results regarding the effects certain media have on student learning, for there are so many new technological resources for teachers to implement. While I do think media can influence and motivate student learning, I agree with Clark on one of his points in his conclusion: I think teachers do students a disservice when we eagerly accept a new technology without really evaluating its true influence and efficiency before using it in our lessons. Clark points out that many teachers try to use media as a quick "solution" to our teaching problems, and I don't think true learning can occur with these "quick-fixes" (28). Learning takes time and problem-solving. We, teachers, should be selective in how we utilize the media we have access to.
1. I’m not positive if I agree with Kozma’s statement about problem solving. I think that it depends on the situation that the student is faced with outside of school and whether or not they have acquired those problem solving skills necessary yet for that particular situation. I am not surprised by his findings that the experimental group scored better with guidance from the teacher than the control group who solved word problems that were semi-related. The way the student is taught the problem solving strategy is what will evoke their response in a real world situation so it all depends on the teaching method and storing method of each individual student.
ReplyDelete2. For the early childhood classroom including real world experience –type technology would stem from the project based learning activities. As a facilitator of knowledge, it is my job to teach the student how to become autonomous and find information on their own so researching is a big part of the curriculum. The computer and internet are a great resource for research and the most used technology in the early childhood classroom besides a SMARTboard if it is available. Researching on the internet is as real world as it gets so it is something that should always be taught and encouraged in the classroom.
3. Choosing the appropriate media needs to take into consideration the grade level of the students, the knowledge they already have, and what they can manipulate themselves. Each lesson will benefit from different mediums in different ways so taking the time to choose what will be most helpful to the students is the best way to choose. An audio clip may be more beneficial than a video clip when you want the students to envision something for themselves and not be influenced by outside media. Powerpoint provides that visual aide for students who may need it to concentrate better when lecturing goes in one ear and out the other. Making the best choice for your students really comes down to their individual learning needs and adjusting your teaching to match that. Technology can be used with every student, picking the right medium for each individual is what will make the difference.
4. I do not agree with Clark when he says that media does not influence student achievement. Experimentation is huge part of learning and that can occur through media and technology and most children need that extra tool. Kozma showed statistically how in his article that media can aide in learning, the experimental groups scored higher than the control. The greatness of achievement will depend on the student’s effort as well but media can do no harm, only help.
5. Clark’s idea about media failing to influence learning is crazy to me. He is not thinking about individuals but rather the class as a whole. The motivation comes from the teacher and encouraging students to experiment with the media and get the most out of it. The reason lecturing is not the only medium for teaching is because it has been shown that students need to learn by doing. Especially early childhood students need to experience things for themselves, this theory can be traced as far back and the 1800’s and Froebel. So obviously if this theory of learning by doing has been around and successful for so long that is the reason that lecturing is not the only way to teach.
6. I definitely believe that technologies influence has changed since the studies in the articles were conducted. A lot has changed even since the most recent study in the early 1990’s. Technology is more prevalent and available in classrooms and educators are more aware of how to use it. I think very different results in terms of opinions of technology would be found today. Also students success in using technology over not would be similar if not greater in test scores today than the studies.
1. I definitely agree with this point. Because school is a contrived environment, students take what is delivered there and store it in parts of the cerebral cortex separate from other areas. It is then difficult to access when real-world problem solving is needed. Learning occurs through association, and students must have learning linked to real-world problem solving so that they can answer the ancient question of, “Why do I need to learn this?” Problem Based Historical Inquiry, the method of social studies education taught at Auburn University, focuses on students using content exclusively for the purpose of solving real problems they encounter in the world.
ReplyDelete2. Again, the method of social studies education utilized here is focused on using content to help students solve problems. Technology is also used to help students solve real-world problems. Students are taught to use technology with a purpose, not for the sake of using it. Instead of technology as a means of presenting content, students are taught to use it as a tool of discovery. Instead of simply “using the internet,” students are taught to evaluate content and authorship, and critically discern between what information is legitimate and useful.
3. That is a very solid question, and one that is difficult to answer. While I would like to write that I can always match the proper technology and content, the truth is that I often simply choose technology based on novelty. In other words, if I have used one type of technology recently, I use another and try to mix it up. Some history units, such as U.S. expansionism, lend themselves to Google Earth and GPS technologies. However, many topics can be used interchangeably with different types of technology.
4. I think media can influence student achievement simply because technology tends to hold students’ attention more than an old-fashioned lecture. If students are not engaged properly, they can achieve. Any technology that interests the student leads to greater achievement by virtue of novelty.
5. While I believe that there are some teachers that are so natively engaging they can motivate students without a bit of technology present, most of us need technology as an aid to content delivery. I disagree with Clark that there is no link between technology and motivation. Anecdotally, my students are always more excited and motivated when we are using technology. Technology is no longer “new,” but an integral part of the world we inhabit.
6. I think it goes without saying that the results would be different if newer research was utilized. While this is true of every body of research, it is especially true regarding technology. Because technology is ever-involving, we now have a host of technology specially designed for educational use, and much more effective in motivating and guiding instruction and learning.
1. I agree with Kozma, not because I have first-hand experience with students yet, but because I know that my friends and I used to ask the same questions of our teachers. I think the strategies are there, somewhere in students' minds, and it is the reponsibility of the teacher to make strategies apparent and relevant to students. The need to problem solve on a day-to-day basis, I think, supports certain schools' moves toward Project Based Learning.
ReplyDelete2. I think students can learn to use technology in the English classroom to research, which is a skill every person needs to have at their disposal. Although my students more than likely won't be researching the effects of postmodernism on Latin American poetry, etc., they will need to know how to compare apartment/house prices, car quotes, job offers, etc. Also, students can learn to prepare for the job market through creating resumes and researching jobs they are interested in.
3. I feel like the effectiveness of these types of choices only come with experience and a willingness to try new things. I won't know which medium suits each lesson best until I get a feel for my class and my teaching style, as well as make some wrong choices, too. All in all it seems important to try one thing several different ways, until I can determine which was most effective.
4. I agree with Clark. Delivery through a particular medium does not change the material. If I am trying to explain the function of a verb, that verb's function does not change if I write it on the chalkboard rather than typing it on a computer screen. How the students see the message is less important than how I deliver it. The teacher, and his/her efforts are what makes the message/lesson understood, not the technology that it is presented on.
5. I disagree here--although the media won't make the message easier to understand--media can be motivating to students. Computers, movies, audio recordings, etc. are exciting compared to a lecture because they are different. This excitement can lead to engagement and learning so long as the lesson is not lost to "free time". If, perhaps, you told the students that technology would become more prevalent so long as their scores stayed up, I think technology could be motivating to them? Just a thought...
6. I noticed that, too! It really bothered me because technology has changed exponantially since these studies were conducted... I think new research is certainly needed, but I don't know how I think the results would turn out. Do students even realize some of the technology they use is "technology"? (cell phones, video games, etc.) I would be interested to see the results of newer studies, though.
1) I agree with Kozma that students have difficulty transferring skills and knowledge that they have learned in the classroom to real world situations. As a high school student, I had problems using my known mathematical facts to help me solve word problems. I believe, like the research in Kozma’s article shows, that students need the knowledge base as well as a teacher’s guidance to really understand how to apply book knowledge to real world problems.
ReplyDelete2) As a secondary English teacher I can utilize many of the tools that we have already studied in this class. I could have my students prepare and present power point presentations to the class, contribute to a class blog or even create a photostory dealing with a research based project that has been assigned to them. I could also assign an ongoing class project to develop and maintain a class website or wiki.
3) Most students are bored at school, so anytime I, as a teacher, can incorporate technology into a lesson I will because students will be more likely to pay attention and grasp the information that I’m offering them. I believe any type of technology that will make students want to pay attention to the teacher and learn should be incorporated into a lesson. If you are showing a map of Odysseus’s travels around the world, a picture would probably be more appropriate than an audio clip, but if you are reading a few lines of Middle English text in order to show the students how it sounds, then audio would be more helpful. A teacher’s choice of technology depends on his or her subject matter.
4) I believe that some forms of media can impact a student’s education and achievement. If students are more engaged in the lesson (perhaps because they are watching a you-tube video or listening to a popular song) then they will be more likely to learn. I don’t think media in general (such as advertising) has an effect on student achievement, but specific learning based media definitely influences student learning.
5) Lecturing is appropriate in some instances, but most students get bored and easily distracted while a teacher stands and talks to them. I disagree with Clark’s statement because if a student is paying attention to a lesson (even if it’s for a short time while they watch a video) then the student is engaged and learning. Some students don’t learn well from direct lecturing. They need visual aides and examples in order to grasp information and these can be provided through outlets other than simple lecturing.
6) We are definitely more technologically savvy now than we were 40 years or even 10 years ago. Technology is now impacting more lives than ever before, including students and teachers. The fact that students are now exposed to more technological media than ever before leads me to believe that students are also more influenced by that media than they have been in the past. I think results would definitely be different if those studies were conducted today, simply because we are now more connected by and involved with different forms of technological media.
1. I definitely agree students have a difficult "bridging the gap" between school and "real-life." But, I'm also coming from a special education background where we are always taught to teach students how to generalize things. It is very difficult, especially for those with disabilities, to generalize what they have learned in school and apply it to the world.
ReplyDelete2. For me, it depends on the type of student I am working with. If I have students who are performing at a higher level, then learning how to use the internet effectively to find, and teach themselves, new information, and also learning how to present the information (PowerPoint, photostory) is very important. With a population with more significant disabilites, a more functional route will benefit them best such as filling out an application online, researching jobs, and online phone directories will be important to their success.
3. I think a technology should be integrated while planning a lesson. While planning a lesson, I believe teachers should be researching new ideas or things that can be used to effectively teach the lesson. I think there are a lot of effective technologies that can be integrated, but some teachers get in the rut of doing the same things year after year. I think an audio clip would be better over a video clip in the case of a reading where the words need to be listened to closely where a video clip may be distracting. I think PowerPoints are better when you can show pictures of things or connect to websites. PowerPoint, when used effectively, can also keep students more engaged in the lesson.
4. I think students have to be interested in a topic before media can influence student achievement. Students are able to master material that they find interesting and meaningful, and when you find out what makes your students "tick," then media can be used effectively to influence student achievement.
5. I think this goes back to my previous answer. Lecture is not very motivating, and media can inhibit motivation as well, but I think it goes back to what student's interests are. Of course not every lesson will be interesting to every student, but I think we are to go above and beyond when something is interesting, and then try to relate to other areas as well.
6. I think results would be different if these studies were conducted now. Media is such a huge part of culture now, that it is very difficult to get away from it, so it is hard for it to not impact students.
1. I feel like in the past teachers missed the crucial task of relating concepts students are learning about and putting them into a context that relates to their lives. However, I think that in today’s time though teachers are trying to better relate everything to real world situations. I feel like in every class I have had here it Auburn it has been drilled into us that we have to relate it to the students lives otherwise it is not meaningful to them.
ReplyDelete2. I believe that using the GPS is a helpful technology that students will use in real life. GPS’s can be used in Geocaching which can be used in teaching map and globe skills to students. Another helpful technology I believe is the IPOD. Whether they use the IPOD or IPHONE most students will come in contact with one either through school or outside of school. Teachers can utilize this technology and make a podcast of any lecture or activity they wish. Another technology that I find very useful is SKYPE. In the classroom students can communicate with penpals across the country or world. Students can take this back into their own lives as use it to connect with relatives and friends that live far off.
3. I believe that teachers should incorporate as many different types of technology into a lesson that is possible. Every student is different and will respond to things differently. An audio clip might help one student while a video clip resonates with another student. We shouldn’t limit ourselves to just one type of technology per lesson.
4.I think that technology can drive student achievement. I have seen through my internship that when students know they get to do something on the computer or use the ipods or gps’s that they were more willing to participate in the activity. I believe that having technology incorporated into a lesson will make students excited about what they are learning. In return, I believe that this will have a positive impact on achievement.
5. I believe that having lecture time is important but today’s students are growing up with technology at every turn and under every fingertip. That is what they expect. We have to change our views toward technology and realize that this is all our students know and without it they are lost. Not to mention technology gives life to most lessons. We forget that powerpoint is technology but think how boring a lesson would be without at least one thing to look at. I know in my case if I know technology is involved I am way more motivated to complete a task than if it is not.
6. With our society being so technology driven I believe that it goes without saying that technology has a huge impact on our students. Students are surrounded by it either by being at school or outside of it. The results I feel would be quite different from the past because of it.
1. In methods classes pre-service teachers are taught to teach students problem based issues that cause students to withdraw past experiences and apply them to real life issues. This will help them draw from their past and apply them to real world situations. Students in the past have had a hard time doing this and it is our job as educators to help them draw from this knowledge.
ReplyDelete2. Students can learn in a history class how to do research on-line and how to find good sources. They can use this when they are researching a problem or need to find information. It is very important to determine which sources are reliable and which are not. Learning how to use a power point can be very important in the business when putting together a presentation.
3. The best way to determine which technology to use is trying to put yourself in their shoes and see which one they would learn best from. Students learn differently so each class you could do something different depending on the type of students.
4. I think media is a form of delivering material, but it can have an effect on student achievement. Students learn best when they connect and are interested into the material. Students in the technology age learn best through media more than students 50 years ago. Presenting a lesson with technology can enhance the material enough where the students enjoy the lesson.
5. Technology can have a great impact on the learning process in schools. If a teacher just stood up and lectured rarely using technology or any other aid, kids would turn that teacher off and not get anything out of the lesson. Students view technology as fun so why not use technology to make material fun. Clark just disagrees because the article was written in 1994 and he didn’t have near the stuff available to teachers now.
6. These studies that were done in the 90’s would be a lot different now. There are so many different tools that were not available back then. Technology is such a huge part of everyone’s daily life with cell phones, computers, and TV’s. In the early 90’s none of these things but TV’s were used by people and even then they were archaic compared to TV’s now.
1. I agree that students have difficulty applying what they learn in the classroom to real life examples. Teachers have to find ways to incorporate real life examples into their classroom so that students understand the importance of what they are learning. Coming from a special education background, my students have a lot of difficulty with generalization, so we often teach things through real-life situations.
ReplyDelete2. Because I am in special education, my students are often taught functional skills on top of the curriculum. For example, we may teach them to count to 100 using pennies, count by 10s using dimes, set up a token economy to help learn how to add and subtract money and allow them to keep a checkbook to keep up with their money (can do it through excel), they can learn how to type and find information on the internet, learn how to use a Smartboard, learn their letters/numbers through interactive games on the internet, etc.
3. I feel that sometimes one medium may be better for a lesson than another, and sometimes there are several different mediums that can accomplish the same thing. It is important for teachers to understand their individual students and choose the best medium and method combination that will help their students learn the most. For example, many of my students are visual learners, so a video clip or a slide show would be much more useful for them than an audio clip or a lecture.
4. I do not agree that the type of media does not affect student learning. I feel that some students learn better one way, and some learn better another way, and it is up to the teacher to figure out how to meet each student's needs. Many of my students would not learn anything from a simple lecture, but would learn if that same information was placed on a Smartboard and were allowed to interact and see the information.
5. I do not agree with this assumption. I think students motivation is greatly affected by how the material is presented to them. Many of my students would not pay attention to a teacher merely lecturing, but would get excited if the information was placed on a computer game or Smartboard. They want it to be engaging, and many of them need engagement to even focus on the material.
6. I think that today we would find that students' learning is greatly affected by the type of media it is presented through. Some students are more visual learners, and there are media that accommodate this, and some are hands-on learners, and there is technology that accommodates for this.
1.I will have to disagree. The students I work with adapt the problems I give them in class by using solutions they learned outside of school. This is primarily true when the assignment uses computers. The problem arises when their instructors are rigid in the belief that there is only one way to solve a problem. However, when the instructor makes an effort to allow alternative paths to achieve the same result sometimes both student and teacher can learn from each other.
ReplyDelete2.Special Education with regards to this situation is actually a simple answer. We teach our students life skills. How to operate a washer and dryer. How to count money. Everything we teach is preparing our students not for college but for semi-independent and independent living. They will use what we teach everyday of their lives.
3.“If a child can't learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.” ~Ignacio Estrada. This quote is the simple answer. You choose the medium that has the highest efficiency based on the student being taught. For example, I have always learned best from what I hear. So to me an audio clip is better than a video clip. The difficulty comes when the medium that is best for a particular student, is not available for a particular lesson. An example being no video or audio clips of a battle that occurred prior to the technology.
4.See above answer. Media form is crucial dependent upon the student.
5.The medium of the media is important with regards to the efficiency of the information retained. However, if the media itself is “boring”, it really doesn’t matter if it’s a lecture, PowerPoint, or video. Information retention will be low. We must make not only the correct choice in medium format but also make the media enticing and exciting to the pupil. The two must go hand in hand.
6.I would normally be quick to say your results would be that technology has influenced learning, but I have to say it would depend on the parameters of the evaluation. Back to my response in number one. If the evaluation only sees one method as being accepted than the results will be askew.
1. When it comes to making connections, like others have said, students seem to have trouble building bridges between learning knowledge and applying said knowledge. As teachers, we have to build the bridges between those two zones so that our students can succeed.
ReplyDelete2. Creating a Web site for the readings in an English class could prove interesting, especially if the students are allowed to have a carefully supervised message board system with the readings, allowing them to make comments and ask questions of one another much like we do here.
3. It’s a touch-and-feel system, I think. Teachers need to target their instruction to be as effective as possible and be sure to accommodate the various types of learners in their classrooms. Some days, a lecture might work; some days, a Powerpoint might be best. Teacher judgment has to be the gatekeeper here, weighing what the greatest pedagogical needs are.
4. Media can be a factor in influencing student achievement, but it isn’t a force that can work by itself. The form of media used might help students create a better connection to the work being undertaken, but it cannot be the sole push to get students to do something. Left to their own devices, even if provided with appropriate media stimuli, some students would still just stand pat.
5. I agree with Holly in that Clark’s article is somewhat outdated. If technology and new media weren’t effective in instruction, why would we see the current pushes to include more technology and media in our classrooms? I would hope we wouldn’t be stocking our classrooms with useless materials.
6. Age is definitely a factor with some of the conclusions in these articles. They were written at the dawn of the personal computer era; we are more well-entrenched in this era now, and live in a society where knowledge about technological devices (especially computers) is a vital facet of everyday life in any capacity, much less education.
1.I think that students do have trouble relating things they learn in school to the outside world. However, the push for more authentic assignments will help students to make those connections.
ReplyDelete2.In English Language Arts, students can fill out resumes or submit essays online that would be similar to tasks they might have to complete after graduation. They could also participate in mock interviews using programs such as Skype.
3.I agree with other comments that the media used in a particular lesson depends on the desired results. It also depends on what aspects of an assignment you want students to focus on. In ELA, you could use audio technologies to emphasize an author’s word choice as Holly suggested. If you wanted to emphasize a work’s cultural role or setting, a video might be a more effective choice.
4.I think that if media presents an idea in a way that makes it more accessible for a student, then it definitely furthers learning. I think that media can be extremely beneficial in making a concept visual for students. In literature, some students cannot picture a setting based on words, but given an actual picture through means of media, a student could form a better understanding of a story.
5.I disagree that media does not influence learning. Articles that I have read for other classes are full of ways to incorporate technology in order to make lessons more appealing and engaging for learners. Technology can make a lesson that might seem dull come to life for students through visual and audio representations.
6.I, too, noticed that these studies were somewhat outdated. I think that the abundance of new technologies being used in classrooms at the present time might have an impact on Clark’s previous opinions. I do not think that students cannot grasp certain concepts without technology, but I do think that when technology is available, students are equipped with means for furthering their understanding.
1. I agree that students do not apply their knowledge to life situations, but that is due to instruction. If we are not presenting it in a way that is useful and connects with them, then they will not see the importance of it.
ReplyDelete2. As an elementary education teacher, I do feel that we are teaching them life skills. We teach them how to read, basic math skills that we all need, how to tell time, basic science skills. I feel that with hands on or project based learning that the students will be able to transfer what they learn in the classroom to their outside day to day lives. Giving them real life problems and situations will help them understand the importance and why they need to learn certain things.
3. I do feel that using technology will help them learn. First of all, it is more engaging for them. Second of all, it takes their learning up into a whole new level. They are not being thrown at facts, but it is helping more students in the classroom. They do not all learn the same, so by varying instruction and including different types of ways to present the same materials you will be reaching more students during the lesson.
4. I believe that is somewhat true, but it all depends on how it is used. Yes, we can incorporate media, but if it is not backing up the lesson or of interest to the students then it is most likely the same as a typical lecture. Using it in an effective way is key. I think if it is used effectively within the classroom then acheivement will improve.
5. I believe that the media does influence learning. I also believe it is responsible for motivating learning. It is not the sole reason, but it does influence and encourage learning. I know that I am more engaged in a lesson or speaker if they have some form of technology other than just a lecture. This may go back to being a digital native, but I believe that students need that extra technology or something to keep them focused on the lesson. A simple lecture will not be effective enough for all students.
6. I believe the studies would turn our differently. Back in the early 90's teachers were most likely not required or encouraged to take a class on incorporating technology in the classroom like there is today. Many teachers who would now incorporate it would do so in a more effective way. There are also many more programs and resources for students and teachers to use. All in all, I think generations from here on out will be way more dependant on technology than people were in the early 90's. They are more comfortable with it and are more interested in it.