Constructivism in the Classroom with Technology

Constructivism deals with learning and teaching methods. One of the big methods that is used is Problem-Solving. Students are given a problem and then they are expected to figure out the solution and in many cases implement it to see what the result will be. Linking technology to this can be a great marriage. Taking problem-solving education and merging it with technology allows for linking students together from around the world, across the street and in the same room. There are also many applications that have been developed for the specific purpose of conferencing between people of distant locations to provide answers to problems and share information and ideas. Beyond that, students can share real life experiences with certain problems as they may actually be involved with the problem being solved. For example, a student from New Orleans, could have provided quite a bit of information on what was happening when the area was destroyed by a huge hurricane.

It goes beyond just the sharing of information. Students can organize ideas, plan steps to find a solution, and even run a test of the proposed solution to see if it would work. Last week's concept maps along with this week's structuring of lessons to find a solution to an existing problems. In the planning phase, students can use either another concept map or simply outline each step in the process and move along reporting results as they occur. While running this test, students can continue to perform the previous steps to modify and perfect the final answer. All these steps are capable of being done together and shared online or through such applications as Microsoft Outlook or other such office organizational tools.

So, it can be much more efficient, and flexible as the plan remains fluid, but the solution to any such problem must still be checked and rechecked to make sure that it will be operated correctly. Think of a computer program. Years ago, it could only be done by one person, now, they are done in modules and each module can be written independently by a separate individual perhaps in a different language.

Any suggestions????

Pre-fieldtrip post

I am now getting ready to do the virtual fieldtrip with the cognitive tools. It will be interesting to see what the new applications can do. We used a time line creator in school today. It was interesting, but it has a fault for sure. It cannot let you preview it. The final product is only seen once it is printed.

See you again soon.

Behaviorism and Technology

Just like children, many adults do not like or believe in repetition or "kill and drill" as it is commonly called. Unfortunately, it is a necessary evil in the development of student learning. Children should be exposed to as many things as possible in today's age, but they also must still be required to learn the basics of math tables, sentence structure, phonics and the rest. Technology can be a wonderful help in allowing students to learn both in increased exposure and continued repetition.

Homework is another animal that can be demonized to the point that teachers do not want to provide it or parents will not support the completion of it. It is a truly sad day when this happens. In disagreement with many of my classmates, homework is a requirement that can never be allowed to go away. Without the extended exposure of learning outside the school, students will separate their academic lives from their social and family lives at home. This can be a huge problem. Students must practice and include their parents and family in what they are learning. Without the support of the parents, students are left to develop a feeling of helplessness and even homelessness that will dramatically limit their academic abilities.

In other words, keep the worksheets coming and websites developed with interactive homework. Students must practice outside the school and the only way to insure that is to have homework that means something and will get the parents and family member's attention.