EDTC 5010 Chapter 12

1. What can I do to "get ready" for a lesson in which my students use computers?

There are many things that a teacher must first prepare before teaching a lesson involving computers and they may vary dependent upon the content and method of computer use.  Before teaching a lesson, you must first make the instructions to the lesson available to the students through a hard copy they may refer back to as well as the verbal instructions given.  Instructions may be printed on handouts or posted upon the class webpage under the assignments tab.  It is also helpful for students to include a list of appropriate resources that they may use in order to complete the lesson.  Again this may be a printed handout or posted on the

class webpage.  You will also want students to understand how their assignment grade will be determined.  For this reason, it is helpful to prepare a grading rubric to share with the students.  When working with computers, it is important to maximize the student learning time and limit the amount of time that students spend on generic tasks such as finding sites, creating templates and folders to save their work in.  The teacher should do their best to maximize student learning time by creating or setting up things of this nature while still facilitating an independent learning environment.

2.  Where does the "computer part" come when I am teaching a lesson?

The "computer part" of a lesson is entirely dependent on the nature of the lesson and how the lesson is intended to engage students and by what means.  It may occur only at the beginning of the lesson, the middle, the end, or computers may be used throughout the entire lesson to deliver the necessary content.  What is most important about how the lesson is conducted is that it follows the NTeQ model which " emphasizes a student-centered environment.  The students are actively engaged in the learning process and assume the roles of researchers.  To engage them in this manner, the teacher must work with the students to create an atmosphere or culture that fosters and supports a high level of student involvement, not only with the information they are learning, but also with each other" ( Morrison & Lowther, 2010).  

3.  How do you ensure equal access for all students with only three computers?

When computers are a limited resource, it is best to create group projects.  Students will be placed into small groups and use one computer together to research, create, or develop what ever it is the project requires.  "Cooperative learning is effective for student learning"  ( Morrison & Lowther, 2010) as it allows students the chance to engage each other, share ideas and methods, as well as developing important social skills that are relevant to today's workplace environment.  "Cooperative learning experiences have also been shown to

improve the relationships among diverse students, when teachers are careful to construct groups of students from various cultures (Kagen, 1990) and levels of physical need and ability" (Stevens and Slavin, 1995B).  Just because technology resources may be limited in a school or classroom, it does not mean that the instructional environment is limited; it is just up to the teacher to find effective ways to use what is available.  

Bibliography: 

1.  Morrison, G., & Lowther, D. (2010). Integrating computer technology into the classroom: skills for the 21st century . (4th Edition ed., p. 30). Pearson.

2.  Cengage Learning. (1998). Cooperative learning. Retrieved from http://college.cengage.com/education/resources/res_topics/students/coop/index.html