Chapter 15: Learning From and Learning With Technology

Chapter 15: Learning From and Learning With Technology

1. Learners Today and Technology

   • Nicknames for this generation
     • "Gen M"
     • "Gen Me"
     • "Gen Mobile"
     • digital natives
   • Surrounded by technology
     • use more often, skillfully, and in different ways than their predecessors
   • Do not see technology as complex addition to lives and learning environment
   • Providing greater technology integration helps to ensure a learning experience for students that is more authentic to their ways of approaching:
     • knowledge acquisition
     • interpersonal interactions
     • problem solving

2. Technology Evolution in Education

   • Three Stages over Three Decades
     • 1980s
       • saw opportunity to automate print
       • lessened a teacher's burden of correcting papers and provided students with immediate feedback
       • did little to promote student innovation and creativity
       • learning from technology
     • 1990s
       • educators shifted computer use from delivery instrument to productivity tool
       • word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation tools become staples
       • emergence of the internet
         • create content with sound and video
         • posters, documents, and web pages
         • opportunities for student creativity
         • collect data, analyze, and organize information
       • learning with techology
     • 21st century
       • data-driven virtual learning
       • data collection and analysis for strategic purpose in content area
       • expected to surge in the coming years
       • learning with technology

3. Teachers' Use of Technology Affects How Students Use Technology

   • Professional development
     • teachers must incorporate purposefully
     • teachers must feel comfortable
   • Three essential factors for success
     • administrative and technical support
     • adequate resources to support technology
     • teacher leadership to advocate for, demonstrate, and evaluate technology
   • Classroom roles reverse when students show teachers how to use technology
     • SWAT teams

4. What Technology Skills Do Students Need

   • Partnership for 21st Century Skills
     • As technology grows, the world shrinks
       • knowledge of the world is more important
     • use of technology develops "soft skills"
       • flexibility
       • initiative
       • adaptability
       • self-direction
     • must be savvy consumers of the information at their fingertips
       • must be literate in the information and media they are using
   • International Society for Technology Education (ISTE)
     • Has recommended a set of standards and performance indicators for students in a technology-driven society
     • Suggests all curricula reinforce ideas of creativity, communication, high-level thinking, digital citizenship, and technological capabilities
     • Encourages teachers to "facilitate and inspire student learning and creativity...; design and develop digital age learning experiences and assessments...; model digital age work and learning...; promote and model digital citizenship and responsibility...; and engage in professional growth and leadership."
       • Components of appropriate curriculum for the gifted
         • tasks often are differentiated to accommodate different skill levels and learning styles
         • content often is presented above grade level
         • a variety of creative and critical thinking skills are explicitly taught
         • emotional needs of GT students are addressed through group and individual options
         • curriculum often is built around general themes or "big ideas" which assists with differentiation
         • interdisciplinary curriculum provides for depth and complexity of thought
         • authentic methodologies and products enhance student learning and motivation

5. Using Technology Tools to Enhance Learning

   • Technology as an Information Resource
     • New literacies
       • Related to reading, comprehending, and learning from the Internet
       • Represent a growing field of study and research
       • Include facility with accessing, understanding, evaluating, and applying information from the Internet
       • Requires use of both their technical skills and critical and creativity thinking skills
       • Students should consider when evaluating web content
         • Has the web content been through any review process?
         • Does the site provide citations or references for print material that supports the information contained on the site?
         • Does the site provide links to other reputable websites? Is the site listed within other reputable websites?
         • Does the site provide contact information?
         • Are the author's credentials provided on the site?
         • Is the content on a personal web page, or is it on one that is associated with a reputable organization?
     • Creating conceptual space
       • If a student is freed from the logistical and basic skill details of answersing simple questions and finding foundational information, the student has more time and conceptual resources to think about the larger picture of a problem to be solved.
   • Technology as an Interactive Learning Tool
     • Online gifted program
       • students work independently
       • provides greater challenge
       • GT students will have their pace and level of learning matched by the curriculum
       • helps teachers increase rigor
     • Digital game-based learning (D GBL)
       • Lemonade Stand and The Oregon Trail among the first learning-focused digital games
       • Today's digital games have players communicating and collaborating with others around the globe
       • use critical thinking skills to develop means of solving complex problems and making complicated decisions
       • Many games not only have players developing complex environments, but also learning how key concepts in history and civics play into the development of civilizations.
       • Collaborative games have players learning to work together, often across great distances, to solve complex problems and make group decisions
       • students learn to solve problems using a method quite similar to that of scientists
     • Virtual learning environments
       • SIMS
       • Second Life
       • Active Worlds
       • Blackboard
       • Moodle
       • Renzuli Learning
   • Technology as a Communication Tool
     • Video conferencing
       • Ex. Skype
       • Students can talk with experts
       • collaborate on projects
       • hold debates
       • conduct book talks
       • visually experience cultures
     • Social networking
       • sites allow students to interact with others who possess similar abilities/interests
       • broadens a student's peer group and may help the challenges some gifted students face in finding friends in their school environment
       • provide opportunities for students to access information or join "groups" around particular areas of interest
       • Teachers and parents need to be aware of the level of openness and be conscious of student activi­ties online in general
     • Online publishing
       • teachers publish their own class web pages
       • blogs
       • wiki pages
       • YouTube
     • Telementoring
       • opens the door to a great number of possibilities; not only do more and varied mentors have the opportunity to assist students, but students in areas where mentors are scarce will be able to find someone with whom to work.
         • mentor experts who agree to respond to questions
         • mentors who are paired with a single learner
         • mentors who work in partnerships, usually have short e-mail interactions with students
   • Production Tools
     • Office Suite to cloud computing
       • more and more universities and employers expect that their appli­cants will be proficient in them
     • Video editing
       • students can develop and share their work in video format
       • promote problem solving and critical and creative thinking
     • Sound editing
       • edit existing music files and to create their own sound
       • create and edit audio for podcasts
     • Programming
       • writing computer code is an excellent exercise in problem solving
       • skills for writing com­puter code closely match many characteristics associated with gifted students
   • Tools for Classroom Instruction and Interaction
     • Chalk alternatives
       • SMART Board
       • Mirnio Interactive
     • Assistive technology
       • ReadPlease
       • Kurzweil 3000
     • Podcasting
       • Podcasts are on-demand audio recordings that students can play on their computers or mp3 players
       • students can revisit the lecture and be able to fill in the gaps in their notes, take notes, or just reso­lidify their understanding of the material
     • Online videos
       • teachers, parents, and other educators can post and watch instructional videos
       • students to post their own video projects
     • E-books
       • move away from textbooks
       • can be read online with a standard web browser or downloaded