Virtual Schooling

I think that virtual schooling can help students in numerous ways: it expands opportunities for learning, it can enrich discussions by having more than the traditional number of students or (homogenous perspectives) participate in class discussions, it moves away from the traditional lecture style class into a more participartory, constructivist approach, and it requires students to be disciplined and diligent about their work and participation. It is also another way to reach students which is always good in academics as we know that no two students are the same and everyone learns differently. Those who would benefit the most are perhaps those that do not feel as comfortable for whatever reasons or who do not do as well with the conventional modes of teaching.

I personally have never participated in a distance education course. They have not really been an option for me as my college and my graduate program would not count them towards my degrees. I also am one that favors the personal interaction with teachers and professors and does well in that type of environment.

With that being said, I do recognize their value. They do seem like a good alternative for some students for the reasons described above. I would imagine that virtual schooling is not for everyone. Similar to other courses or classes, there likely would need to be criteria or pre-requisites required before taking the class. For example, this type of environment would not necessarily be a good fit for a student such as a English Language Learner who benefits from more sheltered instruction including language and content objectives and the socialization of discussions with their instructor and peers. It would, however, benefit those who may be shy and not as likely to participate in a classroom discussion but would in an on-line course participate in discussions or projects.

In general, there are certainly pros and cons to virtual classrooms just like there are for lecture based classrooms. It really depends on the learner and the effectiveness of the program. I do believe that in the right contexts and for the right students, this could be a great option!

Smart Board

The Smart Board survey provided key insight on student's view of it's use and effectiveness in the classroom. Most students responded positively to the question "Has the Smart Board helped you understand some of the math concepts? How?" Their responses generally seemed to center around three themes: use of the Smart Board expands access, facilitates cooperative learning and is fun. With regards to expanding access, the majority of students that they learned more effectively from watching the teacher or other students solve a task or problem, modeling their reasoning and explaining their proof. It fosters effective cooperative learning better than working on individual computers and provides more effective visuals than using more conventional methods such as a blackboard or paper-and-pencil. It also makes learning math more fun. While this should not be the objective or starting goal when creating a lesson plan, it is an added benefit which helps to further engage students and keep them on task and motivated to learn.

However, as the survey shows, it does not work for everyone. There were several students who said that it has not helped them understand math better. These students may be better served with other meaningful activities such as centers or more direct instruction. As with any activity in math, it is important to diversify the tools and methods used to support all learning styles. I would certainly use a Smart Board in my classroom for interactive math games and cooperative learning exercises but would also ensure, perhaps through centers, that individual students are given ample opportunities to personally construct knowledge and understanding in ways that are most effective for them and support their personal learning style. The Smart Board could be used as review to demonstrate the various ways students solved a certain task or could be one of the centers with teacher guidance. I agree it provides more visual resources than the conventional chalkboard or overhead projector, fosters cooperative learning and allows students to have fun learning math. It also expands the resources and materials for teachers and can in many cases, allow teachers to demonstrate concepts visually that can not be shown otherwise.

EDLF 345 - January 31, 2007

This week, we were assigned to create a game in Powerpoint. I had never really used Powerpoint before this exercise and therefore, benefitted greatly from doing this assignment. I not only learned more about the mechanics of the program but also learned about its expanded uses.

My exposure to Powerpoint presentations in education began recently. None of my high school teachers used them and I don't remember my college professors utilizing them as often, if ever, either. Therefore, my perception of their use is limited to this year and I would definitely argue that they can be both a positive and a negative in the classroom. If they are long and full of information, students may spend the entire "lecture" trying to copy the information without necessarily comprehending it. In contrast, if they are interactive (which they can be in many different ways including featuring links, video streams, games, etc.), they are far more effective and assist students in actively constructing knowledge and understanding.

I think games such as the one created for class would be great for use in my classroom eventually. They could be a really great tool especially for teaching math and could even be leveled to accomodate different groups within a class. However, given the amount of time it took to create this game, I am not sure how realistic it is to think I will have the time to design games to supplement my lessons.

EDLF 345 - January 24, 2007

Center for Technology and Teacher Education (www.ctte.com)
I found this site to be very impressive. It not only details various applications or uses of technology in the classroom but provides evidence to support use of them and means to assist teachers and schools get the required equipment for their classrooms.

One interesting application that I learned about on this site was the Camerascope. Using this in a classroom truly enables teachers to bring the abstract into the classroom. In our science course, we saw an example of this with the life cycle of a Monarch butterfly. It was amazing to see this progression and for those of us who are visual learners, enhanced our understanding of this scientific process better than a lecture would. The cycle was also explained using proper jargon for those students who learn through more concrete and technical explanations. In this way, the teacher differentiated instruction for the various students in the class.

Reading: Teaching Every Student
Our reading for class supports the idea of maximizing each student's opportunity for learning through flexible methods and means. This can be done through the use of technology. However, it is important not to include technology just for the sake of using it or in cases where it undermines learning, but rather to use it to support learning. In math, for example, students need to understand how to add, subtract, multiply and divide numbers before being able to use a calculator, a tool that does this for them more quickly, when solving problems. The text supports this idea and details several examples of effective usage, which from the description, provided students with an opportunity to learn in a manner that was effective for them, when traditional means would not have been. If used effectively to scaffold learners, the use of technology seems to allow teachers to differentiate instruction while still meeting the high standards of learning that are required in schools today.