My vision for the technology enhanced classroom – 3 important facets.

The term “Mindtools” and how they are used in a classroom setting described by Jonassen (2011) best mirrors my ideal vision of how technology can be used to enhance a learning experience in the classroom.

I believe that technology should enhance the learning experience in 3 ways. First, technology should be used to engage and capture the learner’s attention. Use video display technology to show videos to take students out of the classroom and spark interest in a new topic, or use technology to help perform demonstrations that capture the audience’s attention. Secondly, technology use can help students make meaning of the world around them. Technology can be used to give students different visual perspectives of scientific or mathematical concepts. The use of simulations and graphing devices can give students hands on experience and allow teachers a better way to engage in constructivist practices. Finally, technology in the hands of the teacher can allow for different modes of assessment, as adaptive learning technology improves, teachers can utilize technology to better determine student deficiencies and misconceptions and help the teacher plan strategies, or better allot lesson time to address student concerns and problems.

Jonassen, D. H. (2000). Computers as mindtools for schools, 2nd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/ Prentice Hall. Retrieved from Google Scholar: http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=Jonassen+mindtools&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Search

2 comments

  1. Hi Gary,

    I thought your response was great! I really enjoyed how the organization of your response (hook, student use, teacher use) demonstrates the way that you frame your lessons. I was hoping you could clarify the last part of your response which detailed how teacher’s use assessment to discover what students are still lacking in terms of knowledge. How do you use technology (or perhaps what technology to you use?) “to better determine student deficiencies and misconceptions and help the teacher plan strategies”?

  2. Hi Gary

    I like the fact that you explained how “technology should enhance the learning experience in 3 ways.”

    I wonder if you could give an example of each of the three ways.

    A good next step might be to give examples where technology would not be able to enhance the experience.

    Christopher

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