Week 2 Reflection, Course 5364

Week 2 Reflection:

For the second week of the course much of the reading focused on how technology affects learning. The readings were all varied and offered insight on many of the facets of how technology can be a powerful tool in the classroom.

One of our assigned readings was heavily researched based and showed that technology in the classroom has proven to have a positive impact on students with low socioeconomic status, in both higher levels of achievement and self- esteem (Page). Another of our readings, “The Impact of Education Technology on Student Achievement: What the most current research has to say”, stated that the developers of technology are not focused on education when they develop technology. Yet another reading, “Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning”, showed us that technology can also be used as a tool to deliver an adaptive curriculum that benefits all types of learners. While the reading in the text, “Using technology with classroom instruction that works” gave a practical example with step by step instructions on how to use the software program inspiration to allow students to chart out their own assignments and use those charts to keep parents informed on what their children are working on in school.

All of this information shows that students like using technology; it helps narrow the achievement gap especially with students of lower socioeconomic standing and also has a positive impact on special education students. Technology in the classroom can help teachers make their teaching style more student-centered, since computers and software can help them make their curriculum adaptive and give students options on how they want to complete an assignment. Even though technology may not be developed for the school environment, we know that it is still relevant to our students; they need to work with software and technology that is being used by professionals in the workplace, so that they in turn are ready for the workplace themselves. Technology in the classroom also has other benefits that allows teachers to give parents a digital copy of the work their students are working on and allow for instant two-way communication between parents and teachers.

After reading the readings for week 2, it has me thinking about what we can do at our district to improve the utilization of the technology that we have to improve student learning.

Thanks!

Sandra Villarreal



Works Cited:
Page, M. S. (2002). Technology-enriched classrooms: Effects on students of low socioeconomic status. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 34(4), 389–409. Retrieved November 24, 2009 from the International Society of Education at http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Number_4_Summer_20021&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&ContentFileID=830

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Chapters 1, 15-38.

Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age: Universal design for learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Available online at the Center for Applied Special Technology Web site. Chapter 1. Retrieved on November 24, 2009, from http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/

Schacter, J. (1999). The impact of education technology on student achievement: What the most current research has to say. Santa Monica, CA: Milken Exchange on Education Technology. Retrieved on October 5, 2009, from http://www.mff.org/pubs/ME161.pdf.

Week 1 Reflection, Course 5364

Much of our readings for the week focus on the constructivism style of learning. One of this week readings included “Learning as a Personal Event: A Brief introduction to Constructivism” written by Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 1999. Traditional style or teacher led instruction is comprised of lectures from the teacher while students passively listen. In response to this teaching method, the article noted, “Truth be known, the teacher has done all the work and the students are a captive audience, waiting for the end of class” (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 1999). In other words students who are not involved in learning do not feel connected to the lesson plan and are not actively learning, but at best are only passively listening.
The way to adjust instruction from one of teacher led to constructivist teaching is to allow the students to be part of the learning process. Give them guidelines and find out what connects each student to the subject matter and allow them to research it and assist them in their search for knowledge. This way the students are involved, in the article, “If I teach this way, Am I doing my job: Constructivism in the classroom”, explains how this process is possible, “Constructivist teachers allow student responses to drive lessons, shift instructional strategies and alter content”. This does not mean that constructivism teachers only teach what students are interested in, “Instead, students’ knowledge, experiences, and interests occasionally do coalesce around an urgent theme” (Sprague, D. & Dede, C. (1999)). There are topics such as world news events or national events that may have a great appeal to students, adapting that information into the lesson plan can help students relate and cause them to make connections between what they learn in the classroom and in turn apply that to their framework of knowledge. This is the root of constructivism learning, expanding your personal framework of knowledge.


Works Cited:
Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, (1999). Learning as a personal event: A brief introduction to constructivism. Retrieved on November 11, 2009 from http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/intro2c.html

Sprague, D. & Dede, C. (1999). If I teach this way, Am I doing my job: Constructivism in the classroom. Leading and Learning, 27(1). Retrieved November 11, 2009 from the International Society for Technology in Education at http://www.iste.org/content/navigationmenu/publications/ll/llissues/volume_27_1999_2000_/september10/if_i_teach_this_way,_am_i_doing_my_job_constructivism_in_the_classroom.htm