EDLD 5362 Week 5 Final Project

http://youtu.be/o5b6Ww1uSbY

EDLD 5362 Week 5 Reading Reflection

This week’s reading on web filtering caught my attention. This is such an important thing.  “A district can take many steps to ensure that its students are protected from harmful, obscene, or otherwise unworthy websites. It can establish guidelines for appropriate Internet usage, create acceptable use policies, or provide training for teachers.” We have all of this in place from the web content filter to the acceptable use policy to the trained teachers. Yet last week we had an issue at one of our elementary campuses.  A student typed in lesbian and the filter let everything through.  The teacher was mortified when she walked past the student’s desk and saw the website the student had up.  She quickly had the student close the screen and she called the technology department and asked them how this could happen.  It did happen and it happened because the district web security product vendor ran an update several weeks earlier and the default had been changed when searching through Google on what to allow through. As soon as the vendor was called they told the district about the update and the district changed the default back to block specific things.  My question was why would a vendor do something like that and not notify its users.  If you can’t trust your web filtering vendor, who can you trust? We have to have web filtering because there’s just too much out on the web. Unfortunately several weeks went by while this filter didn't work and we can only hope that not many students were affected by this and we wouldn't know without doing much research.  We have to be more careful to be checking for things in the future.

Ullman, E. (2009, July 23). Web filtering that works. Tech and Learning. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from: http://www.techlearning.com/article/22092

EDLD 5362 Week 4 Reading Reflection

Wouldn’t it be sweet if we could all have a perfect technology classroom.  From this week’s reading, The Model of a Modern Technology Classroom, “Each year the program would recruit about 10 to 15 teachers, who would receive technology equipment for their classroom plus training on how to use the equipment and, most importantly, how to integrate technology use into the learning process.” The key to this statement is the ‘training’ that the teachers are going to receive.  Not every teacher is as literate in technology as every other teacher, but the training will be helpful.

Each teacher is going to have to embrace it and run with it.  I know in this reading they are talking about the program selecting the teachers and that’s great because the ones who yearn for the technology will stand out, but at some point, all teachers will need to be on this same page in order for them and their students to excel and keep up with other students.

Richard, V. (2007, April 1). The model of a modern technology classroom. Tech and Learning. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://www.techlearning.com/article/7146

EDLD 5362 Week 3 Reading Reflection

This week’s reading makes me think the words, what was and what is. I found this sentence, which is why it started, but no longer the only reason. “Distance education emerged in response to the need of providing access to those who would otherwise not be able to participate in face-to-face courses. It’s not really even called distance education anymore.  Back in the day you had a camera and a classroom and you did video streaming for distance learning.  Today this is more of a staple and it’s called collaboration.  Most of the video streaming isn’t done anymore and you have online collaboration for learning like the blackboard system.  

Blackboard certainly isn’t the only vendor offering this service, but is one of the largest. Students from all over the world are taking classes nowhere near where they live.  This is something else that has spread like wild fire and the days of everyone meeting in the classroom is nearly archaic. I am excited to see what it’s going to be like in another 20 years.  Will kids even meet in the classroom.

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance education trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27.2, 139-153.

EDLD 5362 Week 2 Reading Reflection

Data warehousing is a pet peave of mine.  It seems like we never have the data we want or need when we want or need it.  In this week’s reading a quote popped out at me, “But we were never quite sure we were collecting the necessary data, had no appropriate storage system to house the vast amount of information and had no acceptable way to connect our data sets to determine relationships and trends. Further, data were not easily readable and usable by staff, parents and students. Without a functional data system, we were unable to use our data to make the instructional and program decisions necessary to raise student achievement.” This is very true and not only do we need the information to keep our children safe, but we also need the information to make sure our students are getting the instructional programs based on their needs. 

We need all three tiers of data the state is asking us to collect and we need to make sure it’s warehoused in a system where all district officials needing access to the data can find the information they need in a timely manner.  This is not always the case and school districts need to get better about it. The data can be secure and given out to those with proper credentials and this is still important to remain in effect, but we’ve got to get the information to those that need it in a more timely manner.

Thompson, T., & Gould, K. (2005, April). A homegrown design for data warehousing. School Administrator, 62.4.

EDLD 5362 Week 1 Reading Reflection

This is something that I think is really important for us to learn from.  From our reading this week, I found this quote: “The single greatest barrier to Internet use at school is the quality of access to the Internet. Many schools confine Internet use to certain times of the day or certain places in the building (especially computer labs). It is also common, these students say, for schools to place further social and technological restrictions on their use of the Internet by, for instance, employing surveillance systems or requiring special teacher or administrator approvals.” We have to stop this and start making the internet and technology a staple product in our students hands.  I believe we are currently getting them access to the internet, but we are not getting all the current technology in their hands.  Once we start doing that, we are going to be flying high because it’s going to catch like wild fire.

The younger generation thrives on learning and technology and the teachers are really going to have to go outside the box in their learning style to keep up with the kids.  The kids are already teaching us so many new things.  Even technology savvy adults are learning from the younger generation.  It fuels them and there’s a need to learn and grow.

Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1). The internet and education: Findings of the pew internet and American life project. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2001/PIP_Schools_Report.pdf.pdf

EDLD 5362 Week 1 Teacher Interview

The “Then and Now” of Teaching English

Teaching English can be a challenge no matter what you do or how you do it. When I asked Mrs. Sherri Bell what she thought about teaching English then and now after the internet came in play, her reaction was “Wow! Do I have a lot to say about that.” What it used to be and what it is now, is completely different and the students are grasping this at a pretty rapid pace. When listening to Mrs. Bell talk about what she used to do and what she does now it’s apparent the internet in schools along with additional technology features has vastly improved the learning curve of today’s students.

She said when she first started teaching 40 years ago, they had typewriters and mimeograph machines. Any error meant careful scraping and praying that it printed. She is still nostalgic about that aroma. Then when the overhead projector happened, she said they all thought they were in heaven. What an improvement over the opaque projector. Of course, visuals in the classroom were still posters, filmstrips, and 16 millimeter film reels. Although we finally had our first computer in the English dept. in the late 80s, it had small capacity but made typing without errors a dream. Having a copy machine was divine.

To help her with the internet and technology today her room is equipped with an iPad cart containing 30 iPads and a Mac book. She also has available student response systems (no longer needed due to Insight 360) a document camera, a laptop, projector, and Apple TV. Two of the teachers in her department have the iPads and the department has a computer lab. She relates it to being in technology heaven and hell. When I asked why she thought that, her response was when it works, it is beyond wonderful but when it is glitchy, it is a nightmare. She said classroom time is so constrained that when things don't work the way planned, a teacher could lose an entire class period. She has a  rule of thumb and that is 10 minutes max. There is almost always a way to attack the assignment whether it is plan A, B, or C. Pen and paper still work, but it is much easier to read typed. One real drawback is cheating. Kids don't see much of an issue going to the internet to find information on a novel during a test. Their cell phones must be put on the desk face down during testing to try and prevent this. Many of her students turn in their work by sending it electronically and sometimes they have transmission issues. It is a modernized version of the dog ate my homework.  From the Pew Internet and Life Project, one of the things they covered was instant messaging as a homework helper. They said “For instantaneous help with vexing homework, online teens at times turn to friends, classmates, and teachers via instant messages or email. Forty-one percent of online teens say they use those communication tools to contact teachers or classmates about schoolwork. If we need help on homework, it’s great because you can get 3 or 4 people working on a really tough problem together.” Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1).

She loves having film clips, virtual field trips, and music at her fingertips. These kids have grown up with technology and far more advanced than she is. Sometimes she is the student, and they are the teacher and that suits her just fine. She said if she could have a wish, it would be to have  permanent IT help on-campus. She said without it, it teaches her something about patience. “According to the Pew and Internet, the most recent Pew Internet Project survey finds that 87% of all youth between the ages of 12 and 17 use the internet. That translates into about 21 million people.” Hitlin, P., & Rainie, L. (2005).

When asked if she had to go back, could she do it and she said, “Yes, but not willingly”. Technology allows students to create technologically developed masterpieces. It allows for collaboration among students, as well as students and teachers----especially during research. Technology enhances communication and creativity. 

            She said of all the education courses that she took in the early seventies, everything--and she did  mean everything--came back to Piaget and the stages of intellectual growth. Bruner (discovery learning), brain theory, Vygotsky and zone of proximal development, Gardner's intelligences, and even a newer appreciation for Dewey happened later. There are obviously more, but she’s sure she hit the ones later that best fit her philosophy and style. As far as she was concerned Lev Vygotsky is an educational God. He understood that you have to know where kids are starting (zone of proximal development), build on that capacity, and stretch them to higher levels of success. The gradual release model that is so popular now is just a repackaged version of his research. What students can do with teacher guidance and small group effort can eventually be done independently. It is all about building capacity. Since the Internet has everything on the planet--good, bad, and untrue, students are not terribly discriminating. They also see no issue with lifting information and claiming it as their own. With that said, I do not think the Internet is all bad. Students have the opportunity to research anything that would like to know more about in a way that is far easier and more enjoyable than searching through the rows of books in a library. When my students research, we often find many of our sources on the Internet. However, students have to be taught how to discern quality from trash sources. That is paramount for their success now and in the future. 

One of the greatest things she said was, “kids are so plugged into technology that, for some, it is like drug withdrawal when they can't use it. One day before I retire, I expect a student to break out in a cold sweat, have the shakes, and scream "I HAVE to have my fix!" (of technology). They never go anywhere without their phones. It is almost like a pacifier for them. Weird! I like my cell phone, but I don't want to be chained to it.” According to a quote in our reading that stated, “Change may not be easy, but it is necessary, inevitable and often beneficial. Whether your students succeed or fail depends in part upon how well you leverage your full intellectual capital.” Arsham, H. (2002, March).

Mrs. Bell has had discussions about social network sites and what they post. She reminds them that some universities make a practice of viewing those. If they are being pictured in any situation that would be inappropriate, that university is going to think long and hard about offering admission, much less a scholarship. 

In conclusion, the days of paper, pens, filmstrip, typewriters and good ole research out of books is pretty much gone. Research is on the internet whether it be good, bad or indifferent. Student’s desire to be on the internet and in every aspect of social media. They love it, they embrace it.  Teachers who are proactive with their learning will be the teachers that survive this round of technology and their students will be the advanced learners of this society.

Arsham, H. (2002, March). Impact of the internet on learning and teaching. USDLA Journal, 16.3. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://www.usdla.org/html/journal/MAR02_Issue/article01.html

Graziano, M., Lenhart, A., & Simon, M. (2001, September 1). The internet and education: Findings of the pew internet and American life project. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2001/PIP_Schools_Report.pdf.pdf

Hitlin, P., & Rainie, L. (2005). The internet at school. Pew Internet and American Life Project. Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2005/PIP_Internet_and_schools_05.pdf.pdf

5364 Week 5 Final Reflection

This week we are to reflect upon our UDL lesson and book builder assignment. I think I was stuck in a rut with the UDL lesson builder.  I don’t think I totally understood the process.  I think I did a good job building the lesson and understanding the lesson and how it would work and what standards it would meet.  I don’t think I showed how the modifications affected the networks.  I know that my grade reflected that because it wasn’t there.  I do understand the importance of the networks and in making the assignment a success.  The lesson template was very easy to use and it helped organize the lesson. It was easy to paste information in and I think it would benefit any teacher.  I will definitely be sharing it with other teachers.

The bookbuilder lesson was a little tougher. It definitely wasn’t as easy to use as I thought it would be.  I thought it would be easier and I didn’t leave enough time to fully utilize its potential.  One of the things I do remember clearly is that there weren’t any graphics and it would be easier to use if there were.  It would be much easier than having to download them and rename them. If you didn’t have any technology in your background it would be more difficult to understand how to do it. I think with a little practice and some good thoughtful ideas this would be a great tool.  I looked at some of the samples and was really impressed. I do think if they had more tutorials in bookbuilder it would be another advantage to using it. I was able to grasp the technical concepts and therefore was able to get through the lesson successfully, but think I need to spend more time in it to be more successful. 

5364 Week 5 Web Conference Reflection

I am so glad I listened to the week 5 web conference.  First we went over week 3 and 4 questions.  It seemed that everyone had a pretty good grasp of what they were doing with their assignment. When we started talking about week 5, it got a little confusing. To me it was very confusing looking at the assignment document and reading the rubric.  They were both different. In the conference, we finally got clarified that we didn’t need to create a new UDL lesson but a reflection of our current UDL lesson and book. 

Ms. Abernathy clarified at the end that we were to follow the rubric and do the reflection on the UDL lesson and book that we created in week 3.  I think it was very clear on the instructions and the amount of points that would be awarded for this week.

This has been an interesting class and I think I learned a lot of things. I actually think it was probably one of the more difficult courses for me. I hope I will be able to take everything that I have learned and be able to grow as an educator.

5364 Week 5 Reading Reflection

In our reading this week, I continued to think about assessments. I found this quote “And using Web 2.0 tools the educators might also devise an interesting, authentic, and appropriate summative evaluation for the unit.” Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. This is an interesting quote because it makes for a way to assess the lesson as the lesson occurs which is important in the learning process. If you don’t have a way to assess the lesson the way you are told to teach it, why do the lesson.  Sometimes the testing is not fair to the students because it doesn’t follow the way the students are taught.  I think if the teacher can create the assessment with the lesson, then it’s going to be truer to the student when they take the assessment thus improving the validity. 

In today’s day and age, assessment is so critical and we have to equip our students with the right tools to pass these assessment.  Technology is key to doing that and we need to utilize our whole bucket of Web 2.0 tools whenever possible.

Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, new schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, 168-176.

Week 4 Web Conference Reflection

Week 4 Web Conference Reflection

Can't believe it's already week 4, but also glad it's week 4.  This class has been a tremendous amount of work, but it's been a great learning experience. We discussed about helping each other and collaborating.  Which is great because collaborating is a huge part of what we are doing. We discussed about doing one book as a team or doing one book individually.  Our team each created one because we didn't realize it was designed as a team.  Our team has been doing a great job of working together and talking about what we have heard in the web conferences and applying it to our group project.  One thing she talked about was making sure we shared everything with her so she could see our work.  She strongly stressed the working together and sharing with each other because that is the whole idea of the courses.  She said we would need to have 5-8 technology activities for the professional development.  After listening to this, I decided to go and do a tutorial about embedding the book lesson on the page. 

She talked about giving everyone editing privileges which we had already done, but something that came up was group ownership.  I went back and made us all group owners of the site so that we could all make site layout changes. All of our team members have been contributing so that has been good.  We have a group that really works well together. 

Week 4 Reading Reflection

In our reading this week, I was thinking about assessments and how all students are not the same and how can we assess properly knowing this.  I was reading Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age and came across the following statement:  "Generally, educators have interpreted "fairness" to mean that assessments are uniform in format and administered in a standardized fashion.  The same test is given in exactly the same way and under the same conditions for each learner. In some situations, and for some purposes, standardized administration is indeed appropriate, particularly if the format and circumstance of the test exactly match the requirements of a future task."

This is so true.  We have been worrying about our testing scenarios all being the same, but the truth is some kids learn differently than others and with our technology resources we have already found many ways to overcome the learning differences so that all students can excel. We need to embrace technology and find better ways of assessing and helping students excel in their learning environment. We as educators have a responsibility to make sure all of our kids are succeeding to the best of their ability and the best way to do this is to find ways to enhance their learning utilizing technology whenever possible.


Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Learning, Chapter 7, Rose, D., & Mayer, A. (2002),http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/chapter7_3.cfm

UDL Lesson and Book Builder

UDL Book Builder - Click HERE

CAST’s UDL Lesson Builder

 

Lesson Overview

Title:	Who is Your Inspiration
Author:	Annette Reband
Subject:	Reading/Language Arts/Technology Applications
Grade Level(s):	6-8
Duration:	5 days
Subject Area:	Reading/Writing
Unit Description:	Students will: Explore different important figure heads in society Compose questions to generate research information Research using different technology available Write to learn more about a persons characteristics, likes, and dislikes, and important events Learn how to cite sources Compile a summary report to draw conclusions Use google drive to create document Learn how to use text and graphical features in google drive
Lesson Description for Day:	Students will research their favorite person and compile a summary report with relevant information including pictures.
State Standards:	(4) Writing/Inquiry/Research: The student uses writing as a tool for learning. The student is expected to: (A)  use writing to formulate questions, refine topics, and clarify ideas; (B) use writing to discover, organize, and support what is known and what needs to be learned about a topic; (C) compile information from primary and secondary sources in systematic ways using available technology; (D) represent information in a variety of ways such as graphics, conceptual maps, and learning logs; (E) use writing as a study tool to clarify and remember information; (G)  analyze strategies that writers in different fields use to compose. (8)  Reading/variety of texts . The student reads extensively and intensively for different purposes and in varied sources, including American literature. The student is expected to: (B)  read in varied sources such as diaries, journals, textbooks, maps, newspapers, letters, speeches, memoranda, electronic texts, and other media; (12)  Reading/analysis/evaluation . The student reads critically to evaluate texts and the authority of sources. The student is expected to: (A)  analyze the characteristics of clearly written texts, including the patterns of organization, syntax, and word choice; (B)  evaluate the credibility of information sources, including how the writer's motivation may affect that credibility; (13)  Reading/inquiry/research . The student reads in order to research self-selected and assigned topics. The student is expected to: (A)  generate relevant, interesting, and researchable questions; (B)  locate appropriate print and non-print information using text and technical resources, including databases and the Internet; (C)  use text organizers such as overviews, headings, and graphic features to locate and categorize information; (E)  draw conclusions from information gathered. (21)  Viewing/representing/production. The student produces visual representations that communicate with others. The student is expected to: (B)  use a variety of forms and technologies such as videos, photographs, and web pages to communicate specific messages; (C)  use a range of techniques to plan and create a media text and reflect critically on the work produced; ISTE Technology Standards (1)  Creativity and innovation. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology a.    Apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes b.    Create original works as a means of personal or group expression (2)   Communication and Collaboration. Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others. a. Interact, collaborate, and publish with peers, experts, or others employing a variety of digital environments and media b.    Communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences using a variety of media and formats (3)   Research and Information Fluency Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate,       and use information            a. Plan strategies to guide inquiry            b. Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize,            and ethically use information from a variety of            sources and media            c. Evaluate and select information sources and                 digital tools based on the appropriateness to              specific tasks            d. Process data and report results

Goals

Unit Goals:	Students will: Draw upon previous experience to research topic Correctly indentify major characteristics/events of a person Recognize proper writing techniques Recognize using technology properly to create report Use google drive to create document Learn how to use text and graphical features in google drive
Lesson Goals:	Students will: Learn about researching Learn about writing techniques Learn how to cite sources Learn how to use technology to create report

Methods

Anticipatory Set:	Share the lesson goals with the students Share a sample report Show how to use the technology properly to research and to write Brainstorm ideas for important features of report Who does your “inspiration” remind you of? Have you ever seen your inspiration in person? Why is this person your inspiration?
Introduce and Model New Knowledge:	Share a students computer screen with the class so they can show their work. Work in pairs to get simple ideas of project pages for report set up. Encourage class to participate in discussions about their inspiration.
Provide Guided Practice:	Have students go online to website to see basic research project developed so they can see finished product that is expected. They will see the types of information, pictures and work that they should be looking for.
Provide Independent Practice:	Students will have opportunity to collaborate online with fellow students. Students will research and type their paper. Then they will share their screen when finished to display their report. Students will use google drive to be able to work on project outside of class.

 

Assessment

Formative/Ongoing Assessment:	Evaluate each students individual work Participation in classroom discussions Correctly explain how they went about researching inspiration Correctly explain how to use google drive to save work
Summative/End Of Lesson Assessment:	As part of final project, students will use google drive to share report with teacher.

Materials

Teacher website

Research websites

Computer

Google Drive Account

Online spell check

Online dictionary/thesaurus

UDL Lesson and Book Builder Reflection

It was interesting using the lesson builder program.  I actually had fun doing it.  It was a lot of work, but it helped me understand some things about creating lessons and I enjoyed doing it.  It was a little time consuming to do it, but I think I did a good job.  I tried to make it a fun assignment and one of the great things was in looking at all the standards and making sure I accomplished them with the lesson.

It was great talking to my team members as well.  It was interesting to listen to their likes and dislikes of the program and how they went about creating their lesson and their book.

Book builder was kind of cool.  I would love to be able to spend more time on it and use it in the future.  I already have another idea for it.

I definitely think I will try to use both of them again in the future and will share them with others to help make their jobs simpler.

EDLD 5364 Week 3 Reading Reflection

This week I am learning about UDL. It is a set of principles for developing curriculum that will help all types of students learn. It allows you to create goals, methods, materials and assessments that work for all of your students not just an all in one cookie cutter type of instruction. It has flexible ways that can be customized to different learning styles.

In the reading, Center for Applied Special Technology: UDL Book Builder, it says “Individuals bring a huge variety of skills, needs, and interests to learning.” This is so true because every student in our classroom isn’t going to fit into the same mold.  They are going to have different internal and external influences that will change their learning styles.  I think it’s important that we try to find as many ways as we can to equip all of our students with the lessons they need to not only get through their classes but to get ahead in life.  They spend the majority of their time with their teachers and most of the time we best see “how” they learn and we know that every student doesn’t have the same motivations to learn so we have to find ways to make it work for each of them as best we can.  UDL breaks it down to the “what, how and why of learning”. We group what we see, hear and read.  It’s how we organize our ideas and then the why we get motivated to do the learning.  It’s an intriguing approach to learning.

 Center for Applied Special Technology: UDL Book Builder, Cast.org (2009) http://bookbuilder.cast.org

EDLD 5364 Week 2 Web Conference Reflection

In the week 2 web conference that I listened to discussed how week 1 and 2 were already busy and how the reminder of the class was going to be even busier. She said week 5 was going to be tough and to provide feedback in terms of standards. She said the comments will help the class improve. Ms. Abernathy talked about how important doing the reflections is for us.

Docs to go was talked about as an app that was used. It's a word processor and some of the visually impaired are using it and the group thought that was kind of interesting. They do have office for the iPad now. They do use dropbox in conjunction with docs to go.  I think it's pretty interesting all of the things we are able to do with ipads now.  Ms. Abernathy mentioned how co-ops are getting pretty popular now.

We discussed what wiki meant in our assignments and agreed it was our google site and our blogs.

We talked about the group reflection for week three and how it should be a conversation of how the week went.  We will add it to our google doc as a separate page from our planning doc.

EDLD 5364 Teaching with Technology

The saying goes "you get what you pay for".  That's so true with traditional teaching vs. teaching with technology. In this week’s reading from (Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Student Learning), it says “Instilling flexibility into methods and materials maximizes learning opportunities not only for students with identified disabilities, but for all students. We need to capitalize on teaching all students to their maximum potential.  Each student learns differently and we can’t put them into the cookie cutter mold of using a textbook and teaching traditionally. 

We need to have different ways for different students and reach out and find out which way each student needs to learn and get them what they need to learn best. There can’t be a stagnant learning environment.  The same old, same old isn’t cutting it anymore.  Once we get out of the cookie cutter mold of learning and branch out and use every piece of technology at our disposal to reach each student we will truly be maximizing our learning capabilities.

Teaching Every Student in the Digital Age: Universal Design for Student Learning, Chapter 1, Rose, D., & Meyer, A. (2002). http://www.cast.org/teachingeverystudent/ideas/tes/

EDLD 5364 Week 1 Teaching with Technology Reflectio

In week one of Teaching with Technology I learned about constructivism.  This is what is considered to be a learning and personal experience. Learners bring their prior knowledge, experience and beliefs to a learning situation. Our learning experiences are the basic foundation that we bring to the situation. It enhances and enforces how and what we learn. Constructivism shows how learning is internally controlled. It also discusses that our knowledge is constructed through tools, resources, experiences and contexts.

When we think about using technology in the classroom and how a learner brings their internal experiences then I think this is a great tool for students and why as we go through the century why students are learning earlier and earlier.  If you put a cell phone in a 8 year olds hand for any length of time, they begin to gain knowledge and experience of using technology.  Now send them to school and the teacher has an iPad for them to use, then this new tool already fits in with the learners existing understanding and they can process and move forward without much help.  This is discussed in Learning as a Personal Event A Brief Introduction to Constructivism. Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, (1999).

In the book, How People Learn, Brain, Mind, Experience and School, Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000), it provides information about bringing real-world problems into the classroom by connecting student with working scientists. In these partnerships, students collect data used to understand global issues.  Some companies support student researchers and use the internet to interact.  The technology advances we have in our classrooms today is making a huge impact on what we are able to do with not only society but also the knowledge our learners are able to gain from these experiences.