A Catalyst for Teaching & Learning (class 13)

Technology is such an important facet of our society that we would never consider that the world would be better with less technology. So that being said, technology has only one way to go - forward. The key question is how will our growing society keep up with the demands that the business sector put on education. The business community grows at an exponetial rate as compared to the growth of technology of the education community.

We live in a technology age that demands that teachers teach students to colve complex problems and problem solve. No longer are teachers just simply teaching how to add or subtract but rather we are teaching student to think aout their thinkng.

Improve Student achievement (class 11)

Students today are of the digital age. They live and breathe their lives around technology. Most students use the Internet as a primary source for their school projects. The Internet has almost replaced the need for encylcopedias and library research.

There are many forms of technology that will aid in the teaching and learning process. From a basic tool of a word processor to laptops to handhelds, each form has it's place and it's purpose. Before we get excited about using tools such as handhelds, we must first have access to them. If your district does not support the application or the tool, then teachers must adapt and use something else.

When incorporating technology, teachers must look at two distinct pieces of the technology puzzle - learning with and learning from. Learning with technology is a way that promotes higher order thinking while learning from technology is a way to increase basic skills.

Technology Integration (class 9)

Students are more likely to be more motivated and learn more when they are able to share their ideas with their peers on a safe and secure instructional environment. There are programs that allow student to create, post and respond to others in their class and around the world. This form of learning increases critical thinking.

To aid in this learning process, teachers need to create collaborative learning environments that support peer teaching, and critical thinking. Ultimately, there must be a real-world connection - not only to their future workplace but to their current lives. Lastly, there needs to be authentic assessment. If you are going to teach using constuctivist teaching while integrating technology, then in certain cases a paper and pencil test does not adequately assess what students have learned when using real-world situations.

In order to use the Internet effectively, for instructional purposes school districts need to improve the quality of technology that is available for the students to use. This includes better connectivity to the Internet such as modems and more RAM. Some of the resources available are only able to be used when software or programs have been purchased. The difficulty lies in finding those resources that do not need such things. Our Internet Resources assignment is one way that we can do that.

3-D Web & Lead, Don't Leacture (class 7)

In the article Mapping the 3-D Web, there was a conference where educators spend an enourmous amount of time planning and discussion the concept of a more inteactive web. In the age of virtual games, online chatting, and MySpace.com the children of the future will not be satisfied with the same thing that the previous generation was used to having on the web. I think that this will one day be a reality for the furture. I can picture a Star Trek type of world but I know that I am not going to see it in my life time.

In the article Lead, Don't Lecture there was an overwhelming point to make about getting the students actively involved in their learning. I remember reading the article before because of the student being able to throw paper airplanes. The catch here is that the students can only throw them at a certain times and under certain conditions.

Standards in Math, Science, & Technology (class 5)

During the later half of the 20th century, the United States started a push to increase the knowledge of our society by promoting better and more concise standards for learning. In the 80's we were in a race with the Soviet Union to produce better and smarter scientists. This "battle" resulted in the current content standards we use today in our classrooms. The reality is that the standards have levels the playing field so that all teachers teach the same thing in a similar way.

Standards provide a stabilizing agent that should, in the end, enhance and improve the quality of education. Teachers today are using the standards everyday and in multiple ways. I use the standards to guide my instruction, not because my district requires it but rather because it is the right thing to do. All student deserve a good education.

Constructivism & WebQuests (class 3)

Constructivism is the practice of creating your own understanding and knowledge. The key component to this approach is the idea that each student must reflect on their own learning. The teacher has an active role and should encourage students to ask questions and explore. Problem-solving and inquiry based learning leads to spiral learning or scaffolding.


The benefits to using constructivism is that there is more learning and it is generally enjoyable for students. There is a focus on thinking and understanding which leads to ownership. There are real-world and authentic problems that lead to the learning being transferrable.

Reasearch has shown that there is no one model of constructivism in the classroom. For this reason students are highly engaged. Teachers are highly impacted by professional development and change happens when teacher confidence is increased.

The key characteristics of a constructivist environment are as follows:

1. real-world situations using problem solving skills
2. teacher acts as a coach
3. learning leads to conceptual interrelatedness
4. goals and objectives are negotiated
5. use a self-evaluation tool
6. provide multiple perspectives

Finally, WebQuests are a great way to promote constructivism. WebQuests are an interactive exercise that maximize learning with quiding steps. They incorporate cooperative learning and use reflection as an essential component.

All teachers strive for a classroom environment that is engaging and relevant to their students. In today's classroom, there is so much that students need to be taught due to high-stakes testing. The real trick is to find a way to teach all the topics for the "test" but still make learning fun and relevant for the students.