Chapter 4
DPK3:
Technology and media can facilitate learning. For this to happen, it has to be used
appropriately. In other words, technology and media has to be well selected to ensure
learning. Effective teachers know how to select the “right” kind of technology and media
well ahead of the time and day a class session takes place. It all depends on the
instructional strategy being used: presentation (teacher gives a PowerPoint presentation),
demonstration (teacher shows how to find a picture online), drill-and-practice (teacher
allows students to repeat a demonstrated action over and over such as how to navigate the
web to find a picture), tutorials (discussion session between individuals and teacher
functioning as a tutor such as it can be found in distance learning), discussion (teacher
provides guidelines and questions for an online class discussion about a topic of students’
interest such as found in distance learning), cooperative learning (teacher organizes group
activities such as peer review sessions during which students analyze their peers’ papers
in a word document that a projector reflects onto a screen so that a lot of students can
provide feedback at the same time), games (teacher reviews and installs games that
students can use to enhance learning), simulations (science teacher uses gizmos and
enables students to work with gizmos themselves to solve relevant problems that go
along with a unit’s topic), discovery (teacher prepares learning tools such as a computer
game without providing for specific guidelines in order to allow students to use this
device and engage in discovery learning), and problem solving (teacher prepares a word
document at home and asks students to open it in class and fill in the blanks). Each
strategy comes with a set of options in terms of technology and media. This makes
technology quite flexible for instructors to use according to their liking and personal
preferences. In addition, technology and media have to match with learning objectives in
order to make sense and result in constructive lessons that increase learning outcomes.
On the one hand, if the lesson is teacher-centered, the instructor is likely to select the
following media and technology to represent or teach data and knowledge: presentations
via PowerPoint, video clips via Camtasia or Captivate and Youtube, whiteboards and
clickers, and podcasts as well as free online tutorials. On the other hand, if the lesson is
student-centered, the instructor is likely to select the following media and technology to
represent or teach data and knowledge: presentations via PowerPoint, online discussion
boards, free online collaboration tools, computer software, real objects, online games,
videos, digital concept maps, internet, spreadsheets, and forensic labs. There is to note
that the lesson can also be a mixture of teacher-centered and student-centered strategies.
In this case, the teacher selects technology and media according to the nature of the
instructional strategy being used in the moment. As a result, a variety of media and
technology will be selected and used in class in a structured and well-sequenced manner.
DPK4:
In PK-12 schools, there are five main types of learning environments and settings to
encounter: face-to-face classroom instruction, distance learning, blended instruction,
independent study (structured), and informal study (not structured). First, face-to-face
refers to an instructional setting which both teacher and students are physically present in
the same location or room in which the teaching and learning occurs. In real life, this
setting describes a normal school day during which I as an ESL teacher am teaching and
learning together with my ESL students in our school’s ESL classroom. Second, distance
learning exists thanks to our rich technological achievements. Technological advances
and know-how enable human beings to create a teaching-learning moment or scenario
despite the fact that teacher and students are physically separated. In this scenario,
educator and students use technology such as the Internet to communicate information
over a distance. For instance, I am engaged in distance learning whenever I take an online
class at college. Third, blended instruction is a well proportioned or balanced mixture of
both previously stated learning settings. Here, teacher and students meet occasionally in
class while practicing distance learning during the rest of the time in order to complete
the course’s requirements, learning objectives, and activities. ELED 318 is an excellent
example of a hybrid course also known as blended instruction. Most work is done online
and we also meet occasionally for in-class sessions on campus. Fourth, an independent
study is a teacher’s educational creation specifically for students who prefer learning
independently at their own pace. The teacher plans the skeleton of the study program and
the student works hard to acquire knowledge needed to fill-in this rough roster. Both
parties can come together for assessment purposes. Last, there is the option of an
informal study. Students have to know how to use technology to their advantage. For
instance, with this know-how, they can learn independently while navigating the web in
order to look for any kind of appropriate and academically relevant or intellectually
stimulating information that interests them. This knowledge can be shared with peers via
online discussions or even in class.
DPS (Simulation):
SIMULATION REPORT
Simulation Name: Homeostasis (Grade 3-5_Life Science_Human Biology & Health)
Web Address:
http://www.explorelearning.com/index.cfm?method=cResource.dspDetail&ResourceID=
659&ClassID=0
Video Summary:
From this gizmo, I learned basically nothing. This gizmo did not work. The simulation
was incomplete and of poor quality. The athlete who was supposed to appear on the
treadmill in the gizmo was never there and never appeared on my screen. Note that I
made sure that all software was installed prior to using the simulation. From the gizmo, I
was supposed to learn that how to “Control a simulated person running on a treadmill.
My challenge is to use clothing, exercise, and sweat to maintain a constant body
temperature as air temperature goes up and down” (ExploreLearning: Homeostasis).
From this experience, I learn that no matter how powerful technology might be, it is still
flawed. Technology that doesn’t work can indeed frustrate individuals who possess the
knowledge and tools needed to access it but can’t do so because of technical problems
that lie outside of a technological user’s range of power.
Brief Description:
On the left hand, the simulation showed a water bottle, some food in form of a meal bar,
a hat, and a coat. In the middle of the simulation, next to the previously mentioned
objects, a treadmill and a jogger positioned on it were supposed to appear, but they never
showed up on the screen during several attempts. Therefore, the gizmo failed to display
the task’s most important component. On the right, I could see two tools to measure
temperature. One thermometer measured the air temperature whereas the other one
measured the jogger’s body temperature. Finally, on the lower half of the screen, there
was the control panel with the following buttons: “play”, “pause”, start over”; stand, run,
jog, walk; and a “sweat regulator”. Elapsed time and covered distance could be seen in
the form of numbers at the top left corner of the screen.
Learning Objectives Addressed:
This gizmo failed to address the following learning standards:
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“Determine how our bodies maintain a stable internal temperature in spite of
variations in outside temperature.
Regulate the body temperature of a simulated person using clothing, exercise, and
sweat.
Understand the consequences of letting body temperature get too high or too low.
Understand that food and water are necessary for the body to function.
Understand that drinking water is required for the body to produce sweat”
(ExploreLearning: Homeostasis).
Interest Level for Students:
If this gizmo would work, I am positive that K-12 students would like learning from and
working with it. Learning about one’s body and health is important for every human
being because it gives you the knowledge needed to become physically healthy and fit,
two traits that point towards a longer and more balanced life. This gizmo, if fixed, is
definitely something that would hold their attention and keep them interested in learning
the concepts, because it looks at a scientific issue from a different perspective. The gizmo
“ is an data-driven exploration tool that gives “immediate feedback” (ExploreLearning,
Teaching with Gizmos: Fraction Sense) to the student ensuring academic success through
vivid animations (jogger) that make learning fun” (ExploreLearning, What educators say
about gizmos). Student identify with this animated figure as if it were them who runs on
that treadmill. This gizmo has the potential to make learning fun. The gizmo represents
effective means of instruction via technology that makes active learning possible”
(ExploreLearning, Introduction to Explore Learning). As a result, gizmos, if intact, can
transform students into lifelong learners.
Ease of Use:
Accessing, maneuvering over, and working with this gizmo, at least with the features that
showed up on the screen, was fairly easy. Few buttons had to be clicked in order to
activate or the educating animation. Without the runner, though, all the data that the
screen showed was insignificant and not usable. Few instruction and explanation time
would be necessary for the teacher to get the students ready for the completion of this
task. Students can make sense of this exercise by listening to the teacher explain the
assignments as well as by reading the short, straight-forward, and precise or easy to
comprehend directions of the assignment provided by Explore Learning before activating
the gizmo’s simulation. Students who use these introductory and preparation steps will
have a great learning experience.
Usefulness for the Classroom:
In my classroom, I will probably not use ExploreLearning and its gizmos, especially
since I plan on working in Europe with adult ELLs who will not feel or experience the
need to deal with online simulations. The idea is great and it can definitely enhance
learning, but the gizmos’ mathematical and scientific nature will have only a limited
degree of relevance to English language lessons for adult language learners.
Nevertheless, I would consider using it in my classroom if I get enough time to practice
with this tool in the future in order to get more familiar to its power and quantity of
features. I would do so because topics such as health are general and valuable lessons that
can be taught in a high variety of settings to multiple or diverse audiences.
References
ExploreLearning. (Producer). Truelove, R., Walston, D., Rhoades, E., Washington, K.,
Campesi, K., & Dawley, E. (Narrators). (2011). What Educators Say About
Gizmos [Online video]. ExploreLearning Gizmos. Retrieved September 26, 2011
ExploreLearning. (Producer). (2011). Introduction to Explore Learning [Online video].
ExploreLearning Gizmos. Retrieved September 26, 2011
ExploreLearning. (Producer). (2011). Teaching with Gizmos: Fraction Sense [Online
video]. Help Center of ExploreLearning Gizmos. Retrieved September 26, 2011