Software in education

We have looked at three very different types of computer software used in education (drill/tutoring; teacher-directed inquiry; and constructivist, student-directed inquiry). How do you see possibly using them in your classroom? Do you gravitate to one type versus another? Why? Or how might you coordinate the different types of software?

Generally speaking all types of software can be used in a classroom. What is, more important is the teacher and the students. This is the concept of what the teacher thinks is important, what the teacher is comfortable with using, what administration approves of, and what is available. The student perspective is as important if we want to use the software to enhance the classroom environment the student must be capable of using it and ideally be engaged while using it. I do think that all of the types of software could be used in the classroom and I think that I have the potential to use them all, but that would all depend on the type of students I have as well as what I am trying to accomplish. Although, I think that I would be more likely to use and more successful with using student directed inquiry. I can say this for a few reasons. The first being, if I am going to use technology I am going to involve and actively engage the students. There are so many positives of technology, but the biggest one is not to have the teacher doing all of the work or presenting. To integrate either option into the classroom well would mean that one would need to do enough online research or lesson preparation to determine if what was available was really what was needed for the students or if what is available could be altered for that purpose. If the students can be involved in the learning process then it should enhance the lesson. There are enough lessons that actively engage the students, if I am going to create something the students will be involved and inquiring on their own.

Reflection on Kaiser Family Foundation Study

Since there are 24 hours in a day and students are at school for 6-7 hours. That leaves 17-18 hours for other things. My students regularly have other outside of school activities that can take up anywhere from 1-4 hours a day, depending on the student, activity, and time of year. This leaves 13-17 hours, according to the study from Kaiser Family Foundation in 2009 students use 7 ½ hours for media use. This leaves 3 ½ - 9 ½ hours, in this amount of time students need to get to the places that they need to be, eat, hopefully check in with a guardian of some sort, complete any homework, and of course sleep. As the study mentioned this did not include talking on the cell phone or texting, which total about another hour and a half. I will say that some of the time used with media could include time spent working on something academic, but there is no categorization in what the media is used accomplish. (This would be a really interesting fact to get accurate data on.) This alone tells me that technology use is increasing by students and that using technology is a route to reach them. From another angle students are finding out more and discovering more on their own. As students are using media sources they are taking in and absorbing what they see, hear, and find. From an educational standpoint the goal seems to me that it should be how can we increase the amount of usefulness of the students use of media. The students are going to use media and we need to find the best way to tap into their use of media for educational purposes. I know that I am not aware of the best solution for this. Reality is also that students access to forms of technology is still not equal, which is what will really need to be addressed in order to monopolize the opportunities of students desire to use technology for educational puposes.