Sunday, September 24, 2006
Reading Reflection
Getting the Mix Right Again: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction
By Terry Anderson
Athabasca University – Canada’s Open University
October 2003
I thought that the theory presented in our reading this week was kind of obvious, but it made me aware of how important it is to be prepared to teach web-based classes and to learn how to maximize student-content and student-student interactions in both online and face-to-face classrooms. I agree that educational opportunities need to be economically available to as many students as possible, and educators play a key role in developing ways to make it affordable.
The greatest challenge I find in implementing the above strategy is in engaging unmotivated students. I think that technology could play a great role in this, both because it provides ways to hold students more accountable and because it can provide elements that will interest unmotivated students. The educational games that have been available for the last couple decades have been a great start. I look forward to investigating more ways that technology can meet the needs of today's students.
By Terry Anderson
Athabasca University – Canada’s Open University
October 2003
I thought that the theory presented in our reading this week was kind of obvious, but it made me aware of how important it is to be prepared to teach web-based classes and to learn how to maximize student-content and student-student interactions in both online and face-to-face classrooms. I agree that educational opportunities need to be economically available to as many students as possible, and educators play a key role in developing ways to make it affordable.
The greatest challenge I find in implementing the above strategy is in engaging unmotivated students. I think that technology could play a great role in this, both because it provides ways to hold students more accountable and because it can provide elements that will interest unmotivated students. The educational games that have been available for the last couple decades have been a great start. I look forward to investigating more ways that technology can meet the needs of today's students.
# posted by Janine @ 10:08 PM 
Comments:
<< Home
Hi Janine,
How would you implement these games or other computer resources with your classes? You'll need to consider the role that the resources will take, the role of the students, and your role.
What I'm trying to get at is...What is the proper mix? How do you best utilize games/edutainment while still retaining aspects of student-student and teacher-student interaction?
Dan
How would you implement these games or other computer resources with your classes? You'll need to consider the role that the resources will take, the role of the students, and your role.
What I'm trying to get at is...What is the proper mix? How do you best utilize games/edutainment while still retaining aspects of student-student and teacher-student interaction?
Dan
In answer to Christine's question, I think that teachers must try to find out what motivates students. For some it may be computer games, for others "live games," for others it's working in small groups, for some it's working individually with pen and paper, for some it's tangible rewards, etc. We know that people are motivated by different things.
I have seen educational computer games really motivate and engage students who would not otherwise be interested. And yes, I think that students will learn and retain more of any subject if they find it interesting and stimulating. I don't think we should just "sit them in front of a screen." As much as possible, it's good to give options. Some students may not actually want to work on the computer, and if more want to than there are resources, then we have to move people around. We do have to assess on an ongoing basis whether the type of instruction that students prefer is actually meeting their/our learning goals. It may be that they need practice in ways that they really don't prefer in order to gain proficiency.
One caveat is that I'm not sure there are a lot of good-quality programs for Spanish that students would actually enjoy. Another, of course, is that computers really cannot provide the speaking practice that "live" conversations can. Even if we use technologies such as Skype, it is much harder to understand a foreign language without physical context clues, so that could be counterproductive, especially for low-level students.
I have seen educational computer games really motivate and engage students who would not otherwise be interested. And yes, I think that students will learn and retain more of any subject if they find it interesting and stimulating. I don't think we should just "sit them in front of a screen." As much as possible, it's good to give options. Some students may not actually want to work on the computer, and if more want to than there are resources, then we have to move people around. We do have to assess on an ongoing basis whether the type of instruction that students prefer is actually meeting their/our learning goals. It may be that they need practice in ways that they really don't prefer in order to gain proficiency.
One caveat is that I'm not sure there are a lot of good-quality programs for Spanish that students would actually enjoy. Another, of course, is that computers really cannot provide the speaking practice that "live" conversations can. Even if we use technologies such as Skype, it is much harder to understand a foreign language without physical context clues, so that could be counterproductive, especially for low-level students.
To answer Dan's question, I think that using stations is a good solution. If students rotate to different activities, they will be exposed to all types of interaction. Also, this allows the teacher to work with smaller groups, thus maximizing the attention that students receive when they are working with the teacher and with other students.
Post a Comment
<< Home
