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9467 Technology to Enhance Learning
Course Description
This class explored how technology can be used to support meaningful learning in the classroom and be used to help students figure out how to think rather than what to think.
Reflections
During the course of this class I began to realize just how much constructivism really goes on in my art room. Students are constantly met with situations in which they have many choices to make. Sometimes making a choice can lead to a new problem that needs to be addressed. This especially was true of my older students whose projects were more complex and were structurally less rigid. There really is no “right answer” to memorize. Each art piece itself is a problem that they have to work out. How they choose to work it out is pretty much up to them as long as they are following the basic guidelines outlined in the rubric.
The class gave us the chance to spend some time analyzing some of our own lessons to see how we rated on each of the five dimensions of meaningful learning: active learning, constructive learning, intentional learning, authentic learning, and cooperative learning. Through these reflections I was able to see just how constructive and active art lessons could be. However, there were some areas that needed improvement such as intentional learning. I also had time to read and analyze case studies and rate how the teachers performed in the five dimensions of meaningful learning.
The Hyper Media and Microworld Product Review allowed me to explore interactive programs where students can control variables. By controlling variables in the program, students can spend time exploring cause and effect relationships on their own and build upon experiences to help them formulate concepts. In the program I analyzed, "Broken Calculator" the students were given the answer and they had to come up with the question. This helps the student use higher order thinking skills and is more meaningful than just rote memorization.
My last assignment was to create a concept map analyzing technology use in a lesson. I had to analyze learning goals, learning activities, teacher roles, and learning assessment. As a teacher I did most or all of these things without really thinking about them when I plan a lesson. However, seeing all of the thought processes and learning activities mapped out, showed me how complex teaching and learning activities can be. It really made me think about what I am asking my students to do and if the activities are really meeting the planned goals in a way that will be meaningful to them.