Empowering Students With Technology Chapter 4 and 5

Empowering Students With Technology

Chapter 4:

The amount of information on the Internet can be overwhelming to us as adults trying to find specific information on a relevant topic. When setting your students free in search of information it is likely that they will come across materials that may not be of a reliable source. Even when looking through primary sources students need to use critical thinking and be able to have an understanding of what they are looking for and how to make connections between sources they find.

Some questions that Alan November provided for using Primary Sources with students include:

·      Do students understand the definition of a primary source?

·      Do students have the ability to make meaning from the primary sources that they found?

·      Do different students have different strategies?

·      Are they using their imagination (e.g., asking “what if” questions)? (November, p.69)

Check out this resource I found on Primary Sources to use in the classroom.

Empowering Students With Technology

Chapter 5:

On-line learning is definitely a teaching tool that has increased in popularity over the years and now is utilized is so many ways for K-12 students and beyond. These programs were built up from scratch so they were tailored to the needs and interest of those involved.

On-line learning can mean more confidence for those who have insecurities in a larger group, it can be the push some ahead for some in order to graduate early, or utilized for younger students who want to participate in more challenging learning experiences (November, p. 90).

 Of course on-line learning must be held to specific standards and must also be just as rigorous as classes that would be taught in the more traditional sense. It also takes a certain person to excel in such programs; it might not be the best fit for every student. Below is small list of traits that are helpful in the success of going through such a program:

·      Motivation to take the class

·      Self-discipline and responsibility

·      The ability to work independently

·      Parental support (November, p. 91)

In order to make on-line learning successful it takes devoted teachers and students. When such programs are done right they can be a great learning experience for some who might not have been able to do so in the traditional sense of learning.