Week 7

Task: One-computer classroom lesson

I have uploaded my technology-enhanced plan in a one-laptop environment on our wiki at http://sites.google.com/site/webskillssu2010/participant-files. Why technology will make the lesson more effective? Because this way I can address to almost all learning styles and this way I keep all my students engaged. Integrated multimedia content from a variety of sources helps students make connections and contextualize information. Active learning is promoted, high-level thinking is challenged and collaborative problem-solving makes kids want to work.


Discussion: One-computer options

Both students and teachers can use the computer for assessment, presentation, accessing information, communication, production and publishing.
I have used the laptop for my students to take assessments as a large group. Teachers can also check understanding as they work through a unit. I have used the computer to provide context, to provide information, to illustrate concepts, to stimulate discussion, to ask questions or to review the taught material.
I have used the Internet to search information for my own professional development and I came to an interesting article “That’s not a drinking fountain “ at http://www.ncrtec.org/tl/digi/onecomp/.
I like the idea of having small groups students print the resources they find because “Most people prefer reading a printed page rather than reading lengthy text from the monitor” (Great! I have not thought about that! ) . This way there is time and space for other small groups to search the Internet for their resources.
Another good idea for time-saving is using Delicious to directly access Web sites that you would like all the students to see.” Encourage students to make their own bookmarks and to share with others good Web sites that they find”.


Discussion: Learner Autonomy

Speaking about learner’s autonomy, in addition to classroom activities, I have provided personal and instructional supports meant to facilitate the developing sense of student autonomy. At some point I have told my children I needed 15 people out of a class of 30 to be part of a e-twinning project. I explained to them what I would expect from them and sent them via e-mail the first task and the deadline to all 30. Of course, not all of them responded to the task. Only 20. The next off-class task was also sent via e-mail together with a deadline. And only 15 remained. For the third and the last assigned task all of them responded in time. Between the second and the third task some of my students came with their own ideas of projects .I let them develop as many as they wanted , and they were rewarded accordingly .I think allowing students some decision-making role in terms of being involved or not in extra-curricular activities , in this case , and offering them choices about the use of different media to present ideas are ways of tackling autonomy in our children and cognitive autonomy support (e.g., affording opportunities for students to evaluate work from a self-referent standard.

Learning is an active process and our role as teachers is to help students become active participants in their learning. More than that, we have to pay attention to their confidence and give frequent, positive feedback to support students' beliefs that they can do well. We have to help them feel as valuable members of their community. We have to be involve in the process of teaching topics of interest for our children in order to find value in them. Last, but not least, we have to create an open, fun atmosphere for learning.