MIDTERM REPORT Lesson 11: COMPUTERS AS AID FOR TEACHING (DISADVANTAGES OF COMPUTERS/INTERNET AS RESOURCE MATERIALS) BY Wendy C. Pitallano

DISADVANTAGES OF COMPUTER IN TEACHING AND LEARNING

1. Computerized instruction is relatively expensive. Cost and benefits must be assessed to ensure optimal gains.
2. There is some lag in the production and design of computers for instruction. High quality direct instruction materials are not readily available and may require compatibility due to exclusiveness of some educational programs or software.
3. Creativity may be stifled if creative original responses are ignored by the linear, lock-step control learning process in the case of run-of-the mill computer instruction materials.
4.  The novelty effect associated with CAI may decrease as computer are made more easily available at home and in the workplace.

Indeed, with the computers the gateways of personal, educational, social and even economic progress has been widely opened. With it we can do most everything. In educational parlance, teachers and students as well only need to lift a finger to do research and present illustrations, pictures and graphics by way of animation to make teaching and learning more impressive, more interesting and permanent. They can also access up to date information across the world anytime by chat or email, thus enriching knowledge and information.

The internet as resource materials for teaching

      The internet is popular by word for both young and old alike. Everybody seems so indulge in surfing the net to satisfy their curiosity if not to get fresh information about certain topics. 

     Thus, we see the proliferation of computer centers and internet cafes. We see people spending a lot of time surfing, chatting or emailing at many internet centers.

 Todays, the internet has become an instant source of information from politics to war and peace; from music to dances to history, literature science and technology to sports and employment possiblities, banking, purchasing and others.Government  and non-government organizations have gone on line and many more are joining the net. 

     This make the information very rich thus providing the students and the teachers an expensive pool of resources which they can access for searching and for teaching purposes.Students no longer travel form one library to another to research on their assignment, they only have to lift a finger to access the information they need. 

      Aside from being a source of information, the internet is valuable medium for communication  One can enjoy benefit of an instant transaction with friends and relatives across the globe.A student or researcher can conduct an online interview with experts o a topic of interest.

MY REPORT(FINAL GRADING) Lesson 13: COOPERATIVE LEARNING WITH THE COMPUTER by Wendy C. Pitallano

COOPERATIVE LEARNING WITH THE COMPUTER

The creativity of the teacher will have to respond to the situation, and so cooperative learning will likely be the answer to the implementation of IT supported learning in our schools.But the situation may not be that bad since there are motivational and social benefits to cooperative learning and these can compensate for the lack of hardware that educators face.

What is cooperative Learning?

Cooperative or collaborative learning is learning small groups of students who work together in a common learning task.It is often called group learning but to be truly cooperative learning. 5 elements are needed:

1. a common goals

2. interdependence 

3. interaction

4. individual accountability

5. social skills

Therefore not every group work is cooperative learning since students working on their work sheets physically sat around a table may be working together without these features of cooperative learning.

From several studies made on cooperative learning, it is manifested that cooperative learning in its true sense is advantageous since it:

a. encourages active learning while motivating students

b. increases academic performance

c. promotes literacy language skills

d. improves teacher effectiveness

COOPERATIVE LEARNING AND THE COMPUTER

Researchers have made studies on the learning interaction between the students and the computer. The studies have great value since it has been a long standing fear that the computer may foster student learning in isolation that hinders the development of student's social skills.

Now this mythical fea has been contradicted by the studies which shows that when students work with computers in groups, they cluster and interact with each other for advice and mutual help. And given the option to work individually or in a group, the students generally wish to work together in computer-based and non-computer based activities. Reflecting on this phenomenon, psychologist think the computer fosters this positive social behavior due to the fact that it has a display monitor- just like a television set- that is looked upon as something communal.

Therefore researchers agree that the computer is a fairly natural learning vehicle for cooperative(promotive) learning.

components of cooperative learning:

1. assigning students to mixed-ability teams

2. establishing positive interdependence

3. teaching cooperative social skills

4. insuring individual accountability 

5. helping groups process information

These are in addition to assigning a common work goal in which each member of the group will realize that their group will not succeed unless everyone contributes to the group success. It is also important for the teacher limits learning group clusters (six is the ideal number of group) so that there can be closer involvement in thinking and learning.

 

WHY TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION.. OR WHY SHOULD WE INCLUDE TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN? By: WENDY C. PITALLANO

WHY TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION.. OR WHY SHOULD WE INCLUDE TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION OF OUR CHILDREN?

By: WENDY C. PITALLANO

     Nowadays, there have been a lot of controversies and issues whether integrating technology into the education of the children. Some says that students can learn without technology and others say that technology plays an important role in student’s learning. Technology is becoming a visible part of children’s lives.  There are reasons why technology became an integral part of learning of our children at present time.

Firstly is that technology can expand time and place. This is true that technology is available 24/7 or everyday. Compared to just a typical classroom teaching, students have access to their teacher for only 40 minutes in a day. And that information technology allows learning anywhere, anytime, not just in one particular carried on paper minutes a day. Second, students could have a depth of understanding or learning. Using interactive simulations and illustrations can produce much better depth of understanding of a concepts/ lessons. Example are the use of projectors that that the teacher can conduct onscreen demonstration/illustration of a certain concept for more easily than with words, voice and arm-waving. And students may access to the same tools over the web/internet that can broaden the ideas by experimenting with the simulations themselves, anytime and anywhere. Third, technology can allows students to learn independently rather than teaching them or pushing them to learn. Students can be given projects that require them to learn the necessary materials themselves. They could have the ability to get information/ learn anytime without the presence of the teacher. These makes learning more interesting for the student and there are lot of students nowadays that sometimes cannot wait to go out of their regular class to work on with the computers. Fourth, is that new media technology are becoming part of self-expression of students. Because in old days, students could write in a notebook and show it directly to the teacher but with the use of modern technology they can make powerpoint presentation, record/edit spoken words/videos, run a class newspapers, makes website and create blogs. Fifth, technology could allows students to be globally competitive and communicate around the world. And that could make sense to the development of personality of the students and improve their social attributes. Lastly, making use of new technologies paid lower cost. It can be less expensive than using so much papers, cartolina and manila paper. And there are lot of laptops, netbooks that can be bought in lower cost. 

Moreover, from classroom settings to home use, computers are now a part of how children learn, play, and communicate.   There is a clear mandate from the education community to question what technologies get made and how they are used with children. At the same time, technologists need to question what educational strategies their teaching tools promote.  Today there is an emphasis placed on learning models that support the active construction of knowledge and skills.  There has been a shift from educational environments which support the passive acquisition of isolated facts, to environments in which the learner actively explores the world and constructs their own internal models of understanding.  From an early age, children physically explore by building with blocks, digging in sandboxes, and drawing new ideas.  Activities such as these support the development of skills which include: creative problem-solving, collaborative learning, expressive design, and conceptual abstraction. 

But nevertheless, we must not forget that we should use technologies in a right way. We must be wiser and don’t let technology manipulate us, instead we are the one who should manipulate technologies.