Some questions to ponder
- What is the Internet and why is it important for me and for my
students?
- How do the new electronic media compare to classical
information technologies currently used in schools?
- What can
kids do online?
- Will the Information Highway transform schools
and prepare students for the twenty-first century?
- Is there evidence
that networked computers really help student learning and performance?
What does the research say?
- Will the Internet make my job
harder, easier, obsolete, or more interesting?
Can Technology Help Teach for Understanding?
R. S. Nickerson (1995), in Software Goes to School: Teaching for Understanding
with New Technologies, Oxford University Press, 1995
Start Where the Student Is
- Don't assume background knowledge that students may not have.
- Discover and confront misconceptions and naive conceptions.
- Relate and connect new knowledge to what students already know.
Promote Active Processing and Discovery
- What students learn is what they construct from what they are taught.
- Students comprehend best what they discover for themselves
- Couple guidance and instruction with exploration and discovery.
Use Appropriate Representations and Models
- Find a qualitative representation before a quantitative one
- Use multiple representations at the same time
- Use simulations and "microworlds", especially student-constructed.
Provide a Supportive Environment
- Rich in information and in tools for discovery
- Atmosphere where students can express ideas without fear of ridicule
- Turn "failures" into useful learning experiences
- Publicize and reward success
Can Using Technology Improve Student Performance?
"... students with access to ... the Internet produced better projects than students
without online access.... Students with online access were more effective
in their ability to: present their work, state an...issue, present a full picture..., bring together different points of view, and produce a complete project."
"Students who used online access became more confident and students without online
access became less
confident, over the course of the study, in carrying out and presenting a research
project. "
"... students found information more quickly, drew resources from a larger number sources in a
wider variety of formats, and dealt with information in ways that made the material more relevant to their
lives."
"The experimental group had a
sizably greater increase in use of computers than the control group for gathering information, multimedia
projects, and creative expression."
"...Teachers with online access also reported more positive interactions
with parents...including: more effective teacher conferences, more
parents visiting the classroom, and communication with parents online."
The Maryland Plan for Technology in Education
"Basic skills can be acquired more thoroughly and quickly with technology"
"Higher-order skills can be improved with the aid of technology"
"...telecommunications is beginning to move beyond the project stage to demonstrate
on a statewide, regional and national level that such resources increase student
performance and teacher productivity."
Some reasons for failure of technology to produce expected results:
- Teachers did not couple the use of technology with changes in their teaching practices.
- Research design and/or data were flawed.
- There were no clear-cut objectives for the outcomes the technology was to produce.
- Loss of access to computers lead to loss of empowerment.
- Time spent on learning to use computers left less time for curricular subjects.
- Tests did not match what was taught.
A Brief Sampling of a Few Educational Internet Sites
Organizations
Magazines and Newspapers
Schools and School Systems
Personal Home Pages of Teachers and Students
English, Language Arts, Research skills
Social Studies
Science
Online Exhibits and Museums
Student Projects
Internet-Based Collaborative Projects
Articles about the Internet
Training Opportunities
Helping Your Kids Find Jobs
This page is maintained by Prof. T.C. O'Haver, the University of Maryland at
College Park. Comments, suggestions and questions should be directed to
Prof. O'Haver at to2@umail.umd.edu.
Created December, 1997.