The Computer as a Teacher's Tool

             

         

 In this lesson, we shall again look at the computer, but this time from another perspective, the computer as the teacher’s handy-tool. It can in fact support the constructivist and social constructivist paradigms of constructivist learning.

            Constructivist was introduced by Piaget (1981) and Bruner (1990). They gave stress to knowledge discovery of new meaning/concepts/principles in the learning process. Various strategies have been suggested to foster knowledge discovery, among these, is making students engaged in gathering unorganized information from which they can induce ideas and principles. Students are also asked to apply discovered knowledge to new situations, a process for making their knowledge applicable to real life situations.

            

           The psychologist Vygotsky stressed that learning is affected by social influences. He therefore suggested the interactive process in learning. The more capable adult (teacher or parent) or classmate can aid or complement what the learner sees in a given class project.

               Dewey sees language as a medium for social coordination and adaptation. For Dewey human learning is really human languaging that occurs when students socially share, build and agree upon meanings and knowledge.

Learning Framework	Constructivism	Social Constructivism
Assumption	Knowledge is constructed by the individual.	Knowledge is constructed within a social context.
Definition of Learning	Students build their own learning.	Students build knowledge influenced by the social context.
Learning Strategies	Gather unorganized information to create new concept/principle	Exchange and share from ideas, stimulates thinking.
General Orientation	Personal discovery of knowledge.	Students discuss and discover meanings
Example	8*5-8+8+8+8+8	Two alternative job offers option 1-8 hrs/day for 6days/week Option 2-9 hrs/day for 5 days/week

FIGURE 7 SUMMARY OF THE TWO LEARNING PERSPECTIVE

The Computer’s Capabilities

               Without the computer, today’s learners may still be assuming the tedious task of low-level information gathering, building and new knew knowledge packaging. But this is not so, since the modern computer can help teacher-and-students to focus on more high level cognitive tasks.

Based on the two learning theories, the teacher can employ the computer as a/an:

· As an information tool

· A communication tool

· A constructive tool

· As co-constructive tool

· A situating tool

Informative tool

             The internet itself provides and enormous database from which user can access global information resources that includes the latest news, weather forecasts, airline schedule, sports development, entertainment news and features, as well as educational information directly useful to learners. The internet on education can be sourced for kinds of educational resources on the internet.

      It is not enough for learners to download relevant information using the computer as an  information tool. Students can use gathered information for composition or presentation projects as may be assigned by the teacher.

Constructive Tool

                The computer itself can be used for manipulating information, visualizing one’s understanding and building new knowledge. The Microsoft Word computer program itself is a desktop publishing software that allows uses to organize and present their ideas in attractive formats.

Co-constructive Tools

                 Students can use constructive tools to work cooperatively and construct a shared understanding of new knowledge. On ways of co-constructive is the use of the electronic whiteboard where students may post notices to a shared document/whiteboard. Students may also co-edit the same document from their homes.

            
               The Computer-Supported International Learning Environments (CSILE) is an example of an integrated environment developed by the Ontario Institute for studied in Education. Within CSILE, students can enter their ideas in notes and respond to each other’s ideas.

Situating Tool

             By means of virtual reality (RS) extension systems, the computer can create 3-D images on display to give the user the feeling that are situated in a virtual environment.

             
          Multi-User domains or Dungeons (MUDs) MUD Object Oriented (MOOs), and Multi-User Shared hallucination (MUSHs) are example of situating systems MUDs and MOOs are text-based virtual reality environments on the Internet. When users log on to a MOO environment, they may interact with the virtual reality (such as by writing on a notice board) through simple text based commands.A school-to-school or classroom-to-classroom environment is possible whereby the user can choose to talk around the campus, talk with other users who are logged to the same site.

To caution users, the computer as a situating tool is news and still undergoing further research and development.


     Reflection:

          Nowadays Computer is a great tool for Teachers. Me, as a student teacher, I can get information, data, photos and video through the Internet and Computer that I need  for my Mock Demonstration and Reports.
          It is true that Computer is a tool for future teachers and teachers, because through the use of it, teachers can give information to his/her students as well as, catch the attention of the learners.
          It is also important for a teacher to have a communication with their students, and through the Computer it is now possible  to communicate with their students.
          Like my Professors, I can asked them questions about our projects whenever I'm outside or inside the classroom or school.
          I have seen nowadays that teachers can create and share informations to their students through the use of computers by means of blogs, articles, photos and many other, where the students can browse it in the Net, as well as learn from it.
        

                

Information Technology in Support of Student-Centered Learning

The Traditional Classroom

             It may be observed that classroom are usually arranged with neat columns and rows of student chairs, while the teacher stands in front of the classroom or sits behind his desks. This situations is necessitated by the need to maintain classroom discipline, also they allow the teachers to control classroom activities through lecture presentation and teacher-led discussion.

               Noticeably, however, after spending so many minutes in lesson presentation and class management, students can get restless and fidgety. Often enough, the teacher has to also mange misbehavior in class as students start to talk among themselves or simply stare away in lack attention. To prevent this situation, teachers often make students take time to work individually on worksheets can help the situation.

              Another option is now presented and this is adopting the idea of developing students to be independent learners with the end of making them critical and creative thinkers.

 

The SCL classroom      

          John Dewey described the traditional learning process in which the teacher pours information to students learners, much like pouring water from a jug into cups. This is based on the long accepted belief that the teacher must perform his role of teaching so that learning can occur. This learning approach is generally known as direct instruction, and it has worked well for obtaining many kind of learning outcomes.

      The problem with the direct instruction approach to learning, however, is the fact that the world’s societies have began to change. Of course, this change may not be strongly felt in many countries in which the economy longer depends primarily on factory workers who do repetitive work without thinking on the job. The traditional classroom and direct instruction approach to learning conform to this kind of economies.

                  In contrast, industrialized societies we find knowledge based economies in which workers depends on information that can be accessed through information and communication technologies (ICTs). Desiring to gain effectiveness, efficiency and economy in administration and instructions, schools in these developed economies have also adopted the support of ICTs. Their students have now become active not passive learners, who can interact with other learners, demonstrating independence and self-awareness in the learning process.

    Generally the new school classroom environment is characterized by student individually or in group:

· Performing computer word processing for text or graph presentation

· Preparing power-point presentation

· Searching for information on the internet

· Brainstorming on ideas, problems and project plans

· As needed, the teacher facilitating instruction, also giving individual instruction to serve individual needs.

         Observably, there is departure from traditional worksheet, read-and-answer, and drill-and-practice activities. Students also no longer need to mark the test of peers since the computer has programs for test evaluation and computerized scoring of results.

     

             Given this trend in teaching-and-learning, it must be pointed out, however, that traditional classroom activities-especially in less developed countries-will continue to have a strong place in the classroom. In spite of this setback experienced in some countries, the option has now been opened for the modern teacher to shift gears to students centered learning.

 Reflection:

         I have seen that student-centered learning applied nowadays. During my Elementary years, I have experienced how my teacher provide information to us, while  we the students just accept what our teachers gave. We don't exert so much effort to search for information or answers because the teacher provide it.

But today,as an Education student, Students-centered learning is mostly applied in schools, with the help of IT, it makes the students use their Higher Thinking Skills on how to search the information through the Internet, so that they will learn and understand more. While the teacher acts only as a facilitator or guide.

It helps in individualized learning of every students, it also helps to developed the creativity of the students on how to solve problems, as well as it makes them an independent and autonomous learners.

The Computer as a Tutor

        Educators saw much use of the PC. It has become affordable to small business, industries and homes. They saw its potential for individualization in learning, especially as individualized learning is a problem since teachers usually with a class of forty or more learners. They therefore devised strategies to use the computer to the break the barriers to individualized instruction.

   

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI)

            The computer can be a tutor in effect relieving teacher of many activities in his personal role as classroom tutor. It should be made clear, however, that the computer cannot totally replace the teacher since the teacher shall continue to play the major roles of information deliverer and learning environment controller. Even with the available computer and CAI software, the teacher must;

· Insure that students have the needed knowledge and skills for any computer activity

· Decide the appropriate learning objectives

· Plan the sequential and structured activities to achieve objectives

· Evaluate the students’ achievements by ways of tests the specific expected outcomes.

On the other hand, the student in CAI play their own roles as learners as they;

· Receive information

· Understand instruction for the computer activity

· Retain/keep in mind the information and rules for the computer activity

· Apply the knowledge and rules during the process of computer learning.

During the computer activity proper in CAI the computer too plays its roles as it:

· Act as a sort of tutor (the role traditional played by the teacher)

· Provides a learning environment

· Delivers learning instruction

· Reinforces learning through drill and practice

· Provides feedback

            Today, educators accept the fact that the computer has indeed succeeded in providing an individualized learning environment so difficult for a teacher handling whole classes. This is so, since the computer able to allow individual student to learn out their own pace, motivate learning through a challenging virtual learning environment, assist student through information needed during the learning process, evaluate student responses through immediate feedback during the learning process also give the total score to evaluate the student’s total performance.

CAI Integrated with Lesson

           CAI computer learning should not stop with the drill and practice activities of students in effect, CAI work best in reinforcing learning trough repetitive exercise such that student can practice basic skills or knowledge in various subject areas. In these programs, the computer presents a question/ problem the first and the student is asked to answer the question/problem. Immediate feedback is given to the student’s answer. After the number of practice problems and at the end of the exercise, the students get a summary of his overall performance.

         The question arises: When and how can teacher integrate drill and practice programs with their lessons? The following suggestion can be made:

· Use drill and practice programs for basic skills and knowledge that require rapid or automatic response by students (e.g. multiplication table, letter and word recognition, identification of geometric shapes, etc.)

· Ensure that drill and practice activities conform to the lesson plan/curriculum.

· Limit drill and practice to 20-30 minutes to avoid boredom.

· Use drill and practice to assist students with particular weakness in basic skills.

             In integrating computer programs in instruction, use tutorial soft ware associated with cognitive learning. While practice exercise or learning by doing is still the heart of each tutorial, the tutorial software should be able to:

· Teach new content /new information to students (in as much as CAI provides practice on old or already learned content)

· Provide comprehensive information on concepts in addition to practice exercise

· Can be effectively used for remediation, reviewing or enrichment

· Allow the teacher to introduce follow-up question to stimulate student learning.

· Permits group activity for cooperative learning

SIMULATION PROGRAMS

        Simulation software materials are another kind of software that is constructivist in nature. This simulation software:

· Teacher strategies and rules applied to real-life problems/situation

· Ask students to make decision on models or scenarios

· Allow students to manipulate elements of a model and get the experience of the effect of their decisions.

          

 An example of such software is SimCity in which students are allowed to artificially manage a city environment.

INSTRUCTIONAL GAMES

While relating to low level learning objectives (e.g. basic spelling or math skills), instructional computer games add the elements of competition and challenge.

An example is GeoSafari which introduces adventure activities for Geography History and Science.

PROBLEM SOLVING SOFTWARE

        These are more sophisticated than the drill and practice exercises and allow students to learn and improve on their own problem solving ability. Since problems cannot be solved simply by memorizing facts, the students have to employ higher thinking skills such as logic, recognition, reflection, and strategy-making.

The Thinking Things 1 is an example of a problem solving software in which the team learners must help each other by observing comparing.

MULTIMEDIA ENCYCLOPEDIA AND ELECTRONIC BOOKS

          The Multimedia Encyclopedia can score a huge database with text, images, animation, audio and video. Students can access any desired information, search it vast contents and even download/print relevant portions of the data for their composition or presentation.

 An example is the eyewitness children’s encyclopedia.

                                                        

            Electronic books provide textual information for reading supplemented by other types of multimedia information (sounds, spoken words, pictures, animation). These are useful for learning reading, spelling and word skills.

                Examples are Just Grandma and Me animated storybook which offer surprises for the young learner’s curiosity.  

                                           

 Reflection:

                      

      Computer can serve as a Tutor to some pupils and students. Based on my experience in my Biology subject, I used Computer as my Tutor. Our professor  give the guidelines on how to do our project. He give us to topic to do, but we are the one to find or search for information or data needed through the Internet.

      Even if we're free to browse all the sites, he still give us some sites we can also use to make sure that the information we can  get is correct. For me, Computer is a tutor that helps us to learn, but it is always the teacher who will facilitate and supply the information to us through the use of computer to learn.

              

Computer as Information and Communication Technology

                          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

                       Through the technology, educators saw the amplification of learning literacy. Much like reading, the modern student can now interact with computer messages; even respond to question or to computer commands. Again like writing, the learner can form messages using computer language or programs.                                                                     

                         Soon computer assisted instruction (CAI) was introduced using the principle of individualized learning through a positive climate that includes realism and appeal with drill exercise that uses color, music and animation. The novelty of CAI has not waned to this offered by computer-equipped private schools. But the evolving pace of innovation in today’s Information Age is so dynamic that within the first decade of the 21^st century, computer technology in education has matured to transform into an educative information and communication technology (ICT) in education.

THE PC             Communication media                          Audiovisual media                   (Internet)                                                (Multimedia)                       Email (text and video)                            Text, sound, graphics                      Chat rooms                                              chart, photos                              Blog sites                                                 Power-point presentation                           News services (print, video clip)                     CD, VCD, DVD player                         Music/movie/television room                         CDVCD, DVD player                                                                                     Educational software                                                                                    (Internet)                                                                                     Educational websites                                                                                              Software’s , courseware’s                                                                                                  School registration/ records                                                                                    Accounting

                             FIGURE 6 – USES OF THE COMPUTER AS ICT IN EDUCATION

THE PERSONAL COMPUTER (PC) AS ICT

                         Until the nineties, it was still possible to distinguish between instructional media and the educational communication media.

Instructional media consist of audio-visual aids that served to enhance and enrich the teaching-learning process. Examples are the blackboard, photo, film, and video

                        On the other hand, educational communication media comprise the media communication to audiences including learners using the print, film radio, and television or satellite means of communication.

                  Close to the turn of the 21^st century, however, such as distinction merged owing to the advent of the microprocessor also known as the personal computer (PC). This is due to the fact that the PC user at home, office and school has before him a tool for both audio-visual creations and media communication.

To illustrate, let’s examine the programs (capabilities) normally installed in an ordinary modern PC:

 Microsoft Office- program for composing text, graphics, photos into letters, articles, reports etc.      

            

Power-point- for preparing lecture presentations

 Excel- for spreadsheet and similar graphic sheets                 
                          

•  Internet–access to the Internet                              

            

•  Yahoo or Google- websites; email, chat rooms, Blog sites, news service (print/video) educational software etc.

•  Adobe reader- Graph/photo composition and editing                              

•  MSN- mail/chat messaging
                                         

•  Cyber link power- DVD player
  
                                  

•  Windows media player- Editing film/video
  
  

• Game house- video games

            Reflection:

              

             As a student, Computer is a great tool and an aid in learning. Through the Computer, it helps me to get data/information needed for my projects or assignments. It also helps me  to learned on my own from the news, articles, and photos I searched or browsed in the Computer.

             I can also communicate with my friends, classmates and even teachers trough the Computer. I can say that Computers nowadays is a source of information and a great tool for communication.