Using technology to increase achievement

The internet is becoming an necessary tool in ever classroom. This trend has sparked debate as to what technology is important and what is just fun to have. Teachers need to evaluate each piece of equipment they are using and make sure they can validate its use. Because vast volumes of information are easily available teachers need to teach students how to evaluate and use this information. By using technology teachers can easily differentiate between student ability. Teachers using technology to differentiate in a classroom need to pay special attention to make sure that the methods they are using are not becoming distraction to the user. Technology can be a catalyst for student achievement, to achieve this teachers must be competent in the use of the technology that they are using.

Week 2

Constructivism is an approach to teaching that removes the teacher as a knower of all knowledge to a guide. I feel that the key to a constructivist education is the ability to assess oneself. In order for students to gain a better understanding of new subject material they need to construct it in a way that it is connected to something that they already understand. I believe that this is done easily through hands on educational projects. Students are able to use their strengths as a learner in order master new content. Through authentic assessment students are engaged in what they are learning and can apply new strategies to solve future problems.

Measuring success

How do we measure student success? Since the creation of No Child Left Behind there has been an increasing movement for standardized results to measure how well our students are doing. This has created quite a problem for researchers trying to prove that technology has and is able to increase student achievement in core subject matter. No Child Left Behind states that by 8th grade students need to be computer literate. I often feel that because of NCLB stating that all teachers need to be qualified many districts are only worried about having a qualified staff. Schools need to make sure that they are finding ways to continue supporting and incorporating the use of technology in their classrooms. I feel that schools are now realizing that technology can be used to teach content throughout the subject areas. Inventions like smart boards, interactive lessons, and tracking software can impact a classroom in a meaningful and positive way. When teachers are trained and current technology is purchased and used I believe that it can impact the scores of standardized tests even though you may not be able to pin point which piece of technology is was.

Using Technology to improve math scores

Research has shown that technology can improve the math scores of current middle school students. Technology leads students to use higher order thinking skills leading to better comprehension. Technology also allows teachers to better instruct, track, and retake important content to students. It is important that teachers push for as much technology in there classroom as their administrators can provide. The article states that the more resources you can provide students the higher their achievement will be. With the increase of different varieties of technology it is important that teachers receive training in order to maintain and increase their knowledge. By using the most current technology we can capture student attention increasing our chance of retention.

Lead, Don't lecture

I found lead don't lecture and Mapping a path for the 3D web to be tied together in many different ways. I looked at how the talks were organized for mapping the 3D web. I was struck when one of the presenters said that they are looking for mountains in the distance and sending people out to see what's there. It is important in education that we continue to look toward the future to see what problems need to be tackled. During the presentations the organizers set aside time for small groups to break away and share their thoughts about how things should be created and organized. In Lead, Don't don't lecture it stresses the importance of letting the students help each other while the teacher is working one on one. I think that more teacher development and staff meetings need to be run was a model where teachers breakdown into small groups then report to a whole. I hope that in the future administrators see that doing things in small groups and letting students talk with each other is beneficial, not poor classroom management.

Math and Science Standards

I feel that many teachers do not understand that standards are not just an outline of content that they need to teach. Standards should be used as a measurment of what students are learning. Parents need to be envolved in knowing what their students are learning and at what level the are at. Are the children mastering each concept or are they only getting parts. Administrators need to understand that by grading and teaching in a standards based environment teaching styles are going to vary from ones they are use to. In math and science I think hands on learning is a must. There is no better way to judge if someone has mastered a concept then to watch them practice and apply it to a real problem. I think that we are coming around to a second wave of interest in math and science. Just like it was in the past with the race for the moon, science and math are now a leading part of our everyday life.