Technology to Support Learning

The article is similar to many others that I have read. I agree that technology can enhance learning achievement but only if it is used effectively. Using technology to create an active environment in which students can solve problems is a good idea, but verbal communication could just as easily be used for some of the activities demonstrated in this reading. Classtalk, for example is not being used effectively in my opinion. Large group lectures are by far the most boring in any classroom. Giving a student a hand-held electronic device is a way to insure that they will not be paying attention in class. The reading states that using this sort of device to take attendance is ineffective in this type of environment, but I think attendance is probably the only way a device as such could be used in a large classroom setting without posing a distraction. This is the reason the graphing calculators are always taken from students after they’re no longer being used in class. It’s the reason art supplies and music instruments are put away at the end of these class. They all give students something else to focus on other than listening to the teacher.

Using technology for scaffolding is an excellent idea in professional education environments. Medical institutes that allow students to shadow medical staff are a great way for students to get hands-on experience while completing required coursework at the same time. Scaffolding is also extremely effective when showing students (at any grade level) how to use a computer or demonstrating how certain computer software is used.

Teacher Learning: The reason technology may be so intimidating for teachers is that there is a potential for students to know more than they will. I too am guilty of not introducing certain technologies in the classroom for this reason. I remember feeling that I could not learn from my teachers if I “thought” I knew more than them. There is a way for teachers to effectively learn technology while showing students how to use it at the same time. I was a student at the University of West Georgia briefly where I took an introductory technology course. The professor introduced the many ways to use Microsoft Office and I became a master at using a lot of the tools in Power Point and other Office products. Later in the semester, she introduced Macromedia Flash and told us that she too was just learning to use it. She thoroughly taught us what she knew and demonstrated ways in which we could test our knowledge by adjusting the frames within the software. She encouraged us to experiment while using Flash so she could learn more about it. As students, we were able to learn so much more than we may have under normal circumstances. We were given the opportunity to share some of the things we learn with the professor and each other at the same time. As a result, she was able to share even more with the classes she taught after ours.