The article that I read had a simple thought that it wanted the reader to think about. Simply put the article takes a look at two schools one school has a laptop for each school and the other has one computer for every three students. The later of the two schools couldn't keep up with the cost of technology. The thought of the reader is to figure out if technology makes a difference in education.
I chose this article because it seemed like a good place to start this course at. As we are about to study technology and the uses of it in the classroom it is important to know that we as educators must take full advantage of the technology and make sure to get as much out of it as possible. Sure it is possible to teach the curriculum with out computers and technology. But having it can make all the difference for some students and mean a passing grade and a better grasp of the concepts being taught, as opposed to failing and not understanding the materials. Technology needs to be seen not as a necessity of teaching the curriculum (books, lectures, and worksheets can do that), but a necessity of teaching to all children and giving every child the best opportunity to succeed.
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3 comments:
Hi Rick, I was wondering what the final results of the article was? Having one computer per child is nice but I often wonder about the social aspects tied to school technology. I know that individual instruction is great for the child but there is something to be learned from cooperative learning.
I know that the use depends on the type of software but for the cost I would cut the number of computers in half (2 students per) and use the extra money to buy some great (and often expensive) software.
Ken
Ken, I totallly agree with you and the article stated that both schools were doing fine acedemically. I also agree abouthe money issue, but I love working in stations (I believe it is great for the students) and so there needs to be some set standard for how many computers are in a classroom. My three computers for 25 five studentsis not quite enough to use programs in a timely fashion in my classroom. And that is with letting the students use my computer.
That sound like an interesting article. I came upon another article that I though that you might be interested in. In this article, two separate projects described have examined how teachers exploit computer-based technologies in supporting learning of science at secondary level. This paper examines how pedagogical approaches associated with these technological tools are adapted to both the cognitive and structuring resources available in the classroom setting. Four teachers participated in the first study, undertaken as part of the InterActive Education project in Bristol; all of them used multimedia simulations in their lessons. The second study presented was part of the wider SET-IT project in Cambridge; 11 teachers in eight schools were observed using multimedia simulations, data logging tools and interactive whiteboards. Teachers were interviewed in all cases to elicit their pedagogical thinking about their classroom use of ICT. The findings suggest that teachers are moving away from only using "real" experiments in their practice. They are exploring the use of technologies to encourage students to engage in "What If" explorations where the outcomes of "virtual" experiments can be immediately accessed, for example through using a simulation. The teachers in these studies used simulations, data logging, projected animations and other dynamic digital resources as tools to encourage and support prediction and to demonstrate scientific concepts and physical processes--thereby "bridging the gap" between scientific and informal knowledge. They also integrated technology carefully with other practical activities so as to support stepwise knowledge building, consolidation and application. Thought that you might be interested in this.
Hennessy, S; Wishart, J; Whitelock, D; Deaney, R; Brawn, R; la Velle, L; McFarlane, A; Ruthven, K; Winterbottom, M. “Pedagogical Approaches for Technology-Integrated Science Teaching”, Computers and Education, v48 n1 p137-152 Jan 2007
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