Wouldn't’t it be nice if we could drill a hole in your students’ heads and pour green goop in and then cork and call them educated? Well…maybe not. Sometimes I wonder which technology and learning theory will work the best to teach our students. The trouble with that thinking is that not all students learn in the same way or at the same rate. “Seeing as individuals are unique in their construction, their abilities or challenges derived from learning or development are also unique” (TeAchnology). When placed in a classroom with 25-30 students whom would rather shoot paper balls in the trash can then learn something new, what do you do? I have learned to establish order by drill and practicing classroom procedures until perfected. Building a good repartee with your students is the next step. Establishing the relevance of why they should want to learn what you are teaching. Discipline without emotion based on rules established upon classroom and teacher recommendations. And finally dazzle them with what engages the student.
Technology and knowing the three basic learning theories (Behaviorism, Cognitivism and Constructivism) is a good place to start with engaging the students. Keeping current on new technology for the teacher translates into being able to function operating the technology while telling Johnny to pay attention and the office helper to wait just a moment. Functioning as facilitator aiding the student to come to their own understanding, I think is the ultimate goal in teaching students to use their brains.
The internet is one such technology tool that can be a very effective tool to use in the classroom. “In dealing with a generation that thinks of the Internet as an indivisible part of their life, there is no real way to avoid encountering it. It seems advisable for a teacher to embrace this reality and figure out ways to integrate it into the lesson plans for the year while keeping in mind that Internet use will require active monitoring” ( TeAchnology). Technology is a great tool to use in the classroom. Which technologies do you prefer to use?
References
