Constructivism in Practice

There are many technology tools that can be used to support the constructionist learning strategies. These tools allow the students to learn by getting a firsthand experience of the knowledge so they can assimilate or accommodate the new knowledge into their understanding of the world. In this week’s resources there were several tools and ideas that would be very useful when using constructionist strategies.

The one example listed that I believe exemplifies using technology in a constructionist way is the example of the science class that set out to determine if the rain in their city was overly acidic. They began by making predictions of what they thought the PH of various water sources would be. Then they used technology tools to measure the PH at different locations and then to record and chart their data. They also used the internet to get information about acid rain and other resources to determine the acidity of rain in other places around the nation. This type of project based, real world data gathering is exactly what constructionist theory is all about.

Another tool listed in the resources was the use of Gizmos from Explore Learning. Gizmos are online simulations that provide an excellent opportunity for students to perform experiments in a virtual environment online. Last year I had my classes use the reaction time simulation to do a real world experiment to find out several questions. First, do people respond to visual or auditory stimuli faster, and second, do males or females respond faster to the stimuli? After making predictions, the students each ran the simulation that first shows something on the screen and as soon as the students see it they click the mouse button to measure their reaction time. They do that 10 times to get an average response time, and then they did the same thing with sound. The students then used a spreadsheet to record the data from each student in the class, and then they graphed the data. We were able to determine that in general, students reacted faster to the visual stimuli than the auditory, and that males were generally faster than females with their reaction times. It was really a fun project to work on and I think students really get a better understanding when they experience this type of thing.

I am a complete supporter of project based and inquiry based learning. The genuine, authentic learning that takes place when students are actually discovering things on their own is something to strive for as a teacher.

Cognitive Learning Theory

Cognitive learning theory is based on how we process and retain information. According to information in this week’s resources, technology should be used as an extension of our brain rather than as a tutor. We should be using technology in education as a tool to allow students to venture to a deeper meaning with their learning.

One example of this was when the 7^th grade teacher used a spreadsheet program to teach her students about population growth. The students created a spreadsheet and then, using formulas, calculated the percentage of growth in each of the 50 states. The reason that this qualifies as a cognitive learning tool is that the students can use a technology tool to perform the tedious task of calculating the percentages for them, thereby freeing up their thought processes to determine why the population in some areas is increasing or decreasing. The technology allows them to ask and answer deeper questions without having to focus just on the math calculations.

I really enjoyed the virtual field trip in which the students visited Ford’s theater and discussed the details of Lincoln’s assassination. In this case, students are using technology to actually see something that they could not otherwise experience. By viewing the actual theater where Lincoln was killed not only engages students, it also allows them to connect in their minds the real images of the chair Lincoln was sitting in with other facts surrounding the assassination. Students can see the dagger that booth had and the spurs that he wore that got caught on the flag when he jumped from the stage. The visual images are powerful ways of connecting the circumstances and events of the assassination with other facts about Lincoln. The more ways that a student can make these connections, the more likely they will be able to recall the information when they need it.

In both of these examples technology is being used as an extension or tool of the student. The spreadsheet allows the students to think more deeply about the causes of population increase or decrease, rather than dwelling on the math calculations. The virtual field trip provides students the opportunity to experience something they could not otherwise do. Both are good examples of using technology to support cognitive learning theory.

Behaviorists and Technology Tools

Behaviorists and Technology:

The instructional strategies in this weeks resources support the behaviorist learning theory in several ways. First, students used a spreadsheet to make a correlation of effort to performance in class. The resulting data and graphs created showed that the more effort a student gives, the better they perform on assessments. The feedback they receive is negative when they don't put in significant effort, and it is positive when they do.

Homework and practice is a way for students to practice and reinforce what they have learned in school. In some ways, homework is repeating what has been done already to reinforce the knowledge or skill that has been learned. Dr. Wolfe stated that rote rehearsal is the best method for learning procedural things, and this is often what is expected when teachers assign homework. The example of the battle graph powerpoint game that students could use to practice coordinates illustrates how technology tools can be used as homework to support extended practice of a concept learned in school.

We use BrainPop (one of the resources mentioned in the chapter on homework and practice) and I must say it is a great resource. There are hundreds of flash videos on a variety of subjects - and there are quizzes that go along with the videos. This provides the behaviorist element by giving positive feedback if they answer correctly and negative feedback if they do not. It is also a great way to make the students accountable for content. The videos explain many concepts in a very straight forward and easy to understand way.