Whew! Now I know why Dr. Wallace placed this podcast after everything else on the agenda. Of course I still recognize the value of listening to podcasts, but the interview session with Steve Hargadon and Michael Russell was quite informative; an extensive one too - if I may say so. Maybe I should have emulated Michael, and listen to podcasts while exercising. Naturally, I would be burning calories, and at the same time my critical thinking skills would still be functioning.
But since this is a listen, contemplate critically, then compose your thoughts on the blog type of assignment, it would be unsafe and impractical to work out and listen to the podcast, then stop every so often to capture my thoughts in writing. Exercise will surely do my body a whole lot of good, but I doubt if listening to podcasts would motivate me to exercise. Honestly, I need motivating music to inspire me to exercise.
Just like finding the magic to motivate someone to exercise, teachers too can tailor instruction to inspire students to learn by means of technology. As maintained by Michael during the interview with Steve Hargadon, “…Computers hooked up to the Internet is a toolbox with a whole world of opportunities. Children have the potential to personalize learning by opening up these opportunities. Children are able to experience the writing process. The writing process is a transformation which allows students to write more. Writing more translates to better writing skills.”
I am so grateful that I am able to utilize technology as a means of capturing and expressing my thoughts, and then storing it in a secure place. Having the knowledge and experience to operate a computer is such a convenient skill to possess. Not only do I have the capability of editing my entire document, but I also have the option to research more about a particular topic at the click of a mouse. When I decide to take a breather away from the computer, I can rest assure that when I come back, my work would still be in tact on my screen. There’s no need to search for the most currently edited version from loose pieces of paper lying around somewhere.
At any rate, as I navigated around cyberspace in search for additional information, I found an article in the Northwest Regional Education Laboratory website http://www.netc.org/earlyconnections/pub/sec3.pdf entitled “Meeting the Needs of Diverse Learners”. This article highlights some of the learning skills that the Internet offers classroom access to primary source material and other resources previously unavailable to most researchers. This article draws attention to the fact that, “…Teachers are finding that technology can support and enhance effective classroom strategies to build language and literacy skills for students with a variety of needs, including English language learners, struggling readers, and students who would benefit from more varied assessments of their learning… The use of technology adds to the motivation and interest, as well as to the quality of the final product.”
Clearly the value of technology in education if tailored to students’ needs potentially can open up a whole world of opportunities. But if the institution is unable to provide the essential tools to enhance the opportunity for transformation, even new teachers have no choice but to resort to traditional means of instruction.
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