This week’s readings highly focused on technology and the huge advancements that have occurred throughout the years. One aspect that was addressed was the phenomenon of the World Wide Web. In the article Programmed Instruction and Interactive Multimedia: A Third Consideration by Jason Cruthirds and Michael Hanna valid and interesting points were made about technology and how student success is affected. The article looked into program instruction and stated that such instruction was to teach by asking a series of carefully planned questions. To me this is interesting because based on the responses you give will determine if additional questions will be asked or if further explanation needs to be given. It seems that such type of set up helps students further advance in the subject being taught. Another interesting point that was discussed was the features and use of the computer. According to the authors one of the most powerful and important features of a computer lies in a virtually unlimited range of instructional control options. Being a computer instructor at a college, I could not agree more with this statement. It certainly is true that the more control you have over a program will result in greater student success since; you could mold the program to fit student’s needs.
The article goes on to discuss several different important theorists to the field of education. Bandura states that students process and weigh information concerning their own capabilities this in turn will affect their behavior towards learning. An interesting fact that is that people use four types of information to form such an expectation they are a) personal accomplishments, b) social comparison, c) rhetorical effect, and d) emotional arousal. I agree that computers are exceptionally well designed to provide the four kinds of interactive information.
In the article Technology in a Constructivist Classroom by Donna Ferguson, readers are given the opportunity to look into technology and constructivism. The article explains that technology has revolutionized American culture. However, that an entity of society still needs to catch up and that is educators and their use of technology in the classroom. On a personal note, I have noticed that many educators today are apprehensive to learn about technology. Many have stated that perhaps it is due to the feeling of intimidation and the barrier it creates in instruction between the teacher and student. The article states that technology use in the classroom offers endless benefits and provides a powerful set of tools, regardless of the subject being taught. As a computer instructor I agree and disagree, sometimes students are not willing to read their textbooks to find answers, instead they just jump to the web to find solutions. This in turn affects student’s ability to think critically.
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You made an excellent point that students today want everything at superspeed. They do not want to read a whole book when the answer maybe quicker to find if do a "google" search. They are not willing to wait for a response, but expect immediate feedback, information, and access. Computers are a great tool, but must be seen as a tool and not the end all solution.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the point you made about sometimes students don't want to go to textbooks to find an answer. They just want to get on the web and find it there. An added problem is that if they can't find the answer on the web easily, they give up and just say they couldn't find it. Using the web has made finding information so easy that students do not use critical thinking to figure out where the information is. Last year when my seniors were researching in the library, using computers, they easily gave up and the librarian and I were continually interceding with direction so they would continue their searches.
ReplyDeleteI do think technology is somewhat of a barrier to instruction. In college, we focus on our subject major, learning the material we need to in order to be an expert in our field (like in Scholar Academic ideology). Throwing in the computer just complicates the situation when it seems like we have too much to handle as it is. Only in the last five years have I begun to feel comfortable, but I doubt it will ever be second nature to me.
Hmmm. I like the points you make about the ease of use, control over programs and learning theory. You have me thinking about hte critical thinking piece. It does seem far more efficient to look up the answer online than to pour through a text, so I see the studnets perspective. I also see the things from an educators standpoint, that educators wnat them to internalize the knowledge and skills not merely regurgitate an answer in class.
ReplyDeleteI beleive that is the value of constuctivist learning and teaching in technology. As state the questions the studnets asks depends on where the teaching goes next. This knowledge building process is constructivist in nature and excellent to apply to teaching technology.