Home
 
Previous | Memories | Tell a Friend | Next
 
kristen39
kristen39
14 March 2008 @ 11:58 am
Week 7: Linking Meaning with Technology  

 

Chapter 1: What is Meaningful Learning?

I was curious about why this chapter was not read on the first day and after reading it I now know why. After learning about many different tools for learning through technology, connections can now be made in regards to meaningful learning. While reading this chapter, I thought about what meaningful learning was for me. I immediately thought about things I can remember doing to be something meaningful. Whether it is a good or bad experience, if I can remember it, it must have been meaningful to me somehow. Learning through many different experiences, helps me to remember and make a genuine connection to what it being learned or experienced. Technology is something that helps to me remember the experience, as I feel with every new experience comes something exciting, challenging or different. Technology opens many doors to opportunity and networks that help to form connections. Making connections is an important aspect involved in the learning process.

I was able to use the model for meaningful learning presented on page 3 to draw upon meaningful technology experiences. I think as an educator, it is important to be aware of what each of these characteristics is when incorporating technology into the classroom. This quote helped to solidify this view: “If schools are to foster meaningful learning, then the ways that we use technologies in schools must change from technology-as-teacher to technology-as-partner in the learning process”. It is important as a teacher to know why and how you are using technology in the classroom and set the ground rules. That is why classes such as these are imperative for educators. Learning how to use technology and engaging in the process yourself is necessary in order to encourage students to do the same. Part of being in partnership is to also take part in what the students are doing. Blogging helps to create a partnership through open communication where both students and teachers can share ideas and thoughts.

This class helps me to recognize the important learning opportunities that technology has to offer to students. It is so important to be aware of the purpose behind what you are doing and engage in the process. I think that a lot of the times people use technology to do things for them and not fully engage in the experience. With many of these programs offered in the text, students are able to take part in the experience. Partnership is stressed in meaningful learning. Taking part in something can create ownership and children can experience a sense of pride in what they have accomplished. Being able to communicate messages to others about there work can be both encouraging as well as beneficial to students learning.

Word Count: 454

 
6 comments | Leave a comment
 
( 6 comments — Post a new comment )
juliannrosizky[info]juliannrosizky on March 19th, 2008 07:24 pm (UTC)
hey kristen,
the way you broke down what meaningful learning, is the way you should teach children about anything new they are learning. for me, i believe taking this class is becoming a very meaningful learning experience. up till january, all i new how to do on the computer was to sign into facebook, write messages, and check my email's. this technology class has opened up a lot of new therories and concepts i did not know i could link to using a computer.
kristen39[info]kristen39 on March 22nd, 2008 08:34 pm (UTC)
Blogging has opened me up to new oppurtunities and has really made me realize the value of the internet. Learning experiences are endless with blogging as they offer the oppurtunity for creative expression.
meliwilson[info]meliwilson on March 24th, 2008 01:01 am (UTC)
Hey Kristen,
I love that quote that you mentioned. I think that was the most meaningful sentence in the book, for me. Mainly because it can be applied in so many different ways. I substituted the word technology for teacher because that is my main goal. That teacher's will work as partners with children instead of as "teachers".
kristen39[info]kristen39 on March 27th, 2008 09:43 pm (UTC)
Thanks Mel. I liked how you changed the word..I thought it was important to think about that quote and realize as teachers that technology is meant to be used in the classroom as a time-filer or looked upon as something meaningless for fun. With everything that is done in the classroom it is important to connect meaning to it. Technology needs to be better understood in my opinion. Teachers need to know why they are using it in order to implement it more effectivly.
lindsay_g[info]lindsay_g on March 24th, 2008 06:04 pm (UTC)
hey kris,
great quote, i think this helps me understand what i have been seeing in my placements over the past four years. Teachers often use computers as teachers and not as partners in learning. computer time seems to be something seperate from the rest of the learning going on in the classroom, and i now understand that it is possible to connect technology learning with other learning expereinces. In refelecting on our learning in this class so far, it seems that we have picked up on several of the strategies discussed and we often try to include our new learning in other lesson plans (for example using technology to enhance the project approach in alans class..using cameras on our city walk for example). From my own learning, meaningful expereinces are ones in which I remember can realte to, connect to and can reflect on. It seems possible now to create meaningful expereinces with technology, rather than falling into the same trap that I have seen in the past when educators use technology as the teacher. Hopefully we can create partnerships in our classroom and provide a good balance of meaningful expereinces for students.
kristen39[info]kristen39 on March 27th, 2008 09:47 pm (UTC)
hey linds...i agree, the things we are seeing at placement continue to come up in these blogs and its starting to become more and more apparent that instead of making technology, like you mentioned "seperate from the classroom"...it should be incorporated into strands in the curriculum..For instance, I loved it in science last simester when jason would pull up wikipedia when we didnt know something. It was quick, efficient, demonstrated that the teacher needs to research every once and a while to and we got the answers we needed.