Being a social studies at the high school levels allows me to use many of the resources we discuss in these technology courses as Walden. I have learned so many great teaching skills that keep my students engaged in the material and really "buy in" to what we are doing in the classroom. They do this because how my students are learning in mainly through interaction and involvement in the class. Dr. Oley discribes constructionism as the process in which people are involved in the knowledge building process. Using technology can truly get the students involved and excited about learning if you are using constructionism theory.
Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works talks about working with spreadsheets and how even young elementary students can experience can learn by using technology and practicing constructionism theory. In the past, teachers who are education their students in testing hypothesis in different subjects would have to allocate a lot of time for the testing aspect of the lesson. By incorporating technology students can spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering the data-a process that can be tedious and error prone. (2007) This is what technology has done for us. It makes things happen quicker, more effifient and more accurate. These are the type of activities our young students so desperately need. The ability the create something from nothing but your own knowledge is key for students. It allows them to see the progression of what they have learned over time.
Aaron I would love to hear some of the ideas you have and use in your classroom that get your students involved in the learning. I don't teach high school, but I do teach social studies in my second grade classroom. It's hard to get it in everyday, but I want to make the lessons I do teach valuable ones. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteAaron, you make a great point when you said that technology has allowed us to be quicker when trying to figure out information. I too would love to know what types of lesson you teach to keep your students engaged.
ReplyDeleteI teach elementary school and there is a great website for elementary school kids that allows them to manipulate data into different graph forms. The program creates the graph for the student but they have to decide what kind of graph the kind, the intervals, the titles, and so forth. It allows them to play around the see the data represented in multiple different forms without the hassle of physically making all the different graphs.
ReplyDeleteI also think it is critical in middle and high school that we get kids excited about learning and what is happening in the classroom. I think students are getting burned out from school at such an early age now that we need to do something to get them excited again. I think that the constructivism method is just that ticket.
Hi Aaron, I teach middle school reading to kids that read ok but need some additional skills. Using different graphic organizers helps so much and all the more so if I use an electronic graphic organizer. Such cool stuff we have to draw from. Shayne
ReplyDeleteWe are in the process of purchasing "clickers" that can be used with a smart board that is the epitome of teaching with technology. Students are able to use a hand held device, like a remote controller, to answer questions, etc. We are so excited for this new opportunity.
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