The constructionist learning theories described in this weeks learning materials state that students learn the best when they learn through an external artifact that they create. I believe that students will achieve a higher level of learning if they gather information and then transform it to make it make sense to them using certain tools. There are many different tools that technology has given us that students can take advantage of and learn through. It is extremely important to have these tools available in the classroom as much as possible to engage students and have them make more connections to what they are learning.
An example of a piece of technology that students can use to learn information by creating an artifact is making a website or PowerPoint. These tools can insure that students take information they are learning about and put it into their own words and ideas by creating something new. Students can also show their understanding by making these artifacts. A teacher would be able to see if a student is on track by viewing their website or PowerPoint. Another idea is making connections to students' lives. This is always important because if students can relate what they are learning to what they already know they will retain the information more clearly. A way to do this is by creating a KWL chart in which students create a list of things they already Know about the subject, what they Want to learn, and what they Learned. This helps students to make connections.
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Alicia,
ReplyDeleteHaving done both websites and PowerPoint with students, I can tell you they may not learn anything. I have found many students simply copy & paste information from around the web or off wikipedia.org as if it were all true and gospel. The first technology lesson I teach is use of references and plagiarism. However, without fail, I always get multiple plagiarized artifacts because the students are too lazy to look through and read, or too busy with other “make it pretty” features to bother with the actual information. If you really want quality learning from these types of projects, I suggest using multiple stages and steps to get the original quality work that demonstrates understanding of the concepts. This will lead to original PowerPoint and website creation, which really is project-based learning.
Alicia,
ReplyDeleteI too have used PowerPoint in my classroom as a tool for the constructivist theory. I find that my students learn lots of information on the topics they do research on. Like Marie, I too have had problems with students copying and pasting information they have found on the Internet and trying to pass it off as their own work. I stress to the students that their wording must sound like them in order for me to accept the work. I teach 4th grade so it is very easy for me to tell if it’s their work. However, I do still use this teaching tool because the students are applying their learning to an artifact that allows me to measure their understanding of the material.
Victoria
I like the idea of having students create their own websites. However, I also understand that some students will not learn much about the subject matter thanks to cut and paste. When it comes to creating websites, students will be learning valuable computer skills that will come in handy later in life. As for PowerPoint projects, I have my students teach a lesson using their projects. Then it becomes apparent who really understands the material and who just cut and pasted.
ReplyDeleteAlicia,
ReplyDeleteFor my 8th grader students I have them 8 weeks, twice a week for 45 minutes. It is not alot of time. However, everyday we learn two or three new skills within Powerpoint and then I ususlly have a 6 slide presentation where the jist of the material is there and then instructions are given for each slide, mostly reinforcing the skill for that week. For example, this week we learned about background color, text color, how to insert text boxes and customize bullets. There is a small group of students who faLL into Maries' comment about laziness but for the most part I think they enjoy the projects and by the end of the class have learned enought to present a professional presentation, with hyperlinks and sound bites included.
I agree with Jeremy on having students teach instead of just turning in the PowerPoint assignment. Since we know that some students may cut and paste from different sources from the web and not even paraphrase and cite the information, having them teach their peers is a great idea. This is a sure way for us teachers to really see if all of the students understood the lesson or they copied the information and then put it into a PowerPoint presentation.
ReplyDeleteI think PowerPoints are a good resource for students and it should be monitored when being made to prevent students from being lazy and doing a copy/paste from a different website. I also agree that students should present the PowerPoint after they make it because they can show that they understand everything they wrote about.
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