Lesson 18: Tablets for Textbooks in Schools

                            

Today, books are still the primary medium of instruction in most schools. Already, there is a disadvantage of using books for learning that are being debated upon. The errors in public school textbooks have also been exposed, errors resulting from wrong information, technical mistakes and editorial lapses.

                                  

      Today, technology is being viewed as a savior because the students are enamored by computer games. By that, the educators have begun to think that the computer screen can very well serve as a power point educational medium.

      In general, tablets as a primary learning tool can be replacing the textbooks. Tablets are conducive to higher thinking, constructive and participative teaching-and-learning. By that, parents gave full support to the IT advancement. Technology itself may be a key to problem resolution and Filipino ingenuity is called to respond to the challenge facing the digital generation of the millennium.

Having something that can replace heavy bulky books is a good idea, the students will no longer suffer from carrying heavy books and if the only use tablets they can access their books anytime anywhere because it can be brought easily without hassle.

It is no longer impossible as what the students in La Salle were experiencing. Even ordinary college students were no longer buying books in the store especially now that PDF format copies of the books were already available and free to be downloaded.

In the near future this kind of events will be achieve by all levels of schools in the Philippines it may sound impossible because of the current situation in our country that cannot even provide good classrooms and equipment. But nothing is impossible, if there’s a will to become better there will always a way in achieving better and bigger things.

Lesson 16: The Internet and Education

                            

We are all familiar with the term internet because we are all experiencing using it in our daily lives –like by simply chatting or communicating, surfing different sites and specially for educational purposes. Although it contains a lot of information,  it has no comprehensive  online index to tell users what information is available in the system. Internet can be lot meaningful and essential if we used it in Educational purposes, it helps the teacher for updated references, trivia or for many important facts that the students must know. You can't measure the information that you may get from the internet, so it serves as a powerful medium in teaching. Internet can widen the scope study and even can share a lot of ideas in your mind... Because internet is widely used today and can really capture interest of many individual, it is good to take advantage of this to connect it to education to result a more quality of education and easy access of vast information....

Lesson 15: Understanding Hypermedia

                                         

Hypermedia is nothing but multimedia, but this time packaged as an educational computer software where information is presented and student activities are integrated in a virtual learning environment. Most educational IT applications are hypermedia and these include:

• Tutorial software packages
• Knowledge webpages
• Simulation instructional games
• Learning project management, and others

                                         

The presentation of information-learning activities in hypermedia is said to be sequenced in a non-linear manner, meaning that the learner may follow his path of activities thus providing an environment of learner autonomy and thinking skills.

                                        

Characteristics of hypermedia applications:

1. Learner control- the learner makes his own decisions on the path, flow of events of instruction.

2. Learner wide range of navigation routes- the learner has a wide range of navigation routes such as by working on concepts he is already familiar with. He may even follow a linear or logical path, even if the previous activity is half-completed. He may explore other sections opting to return or complete the previous activity.

3. Variety of media- Hypermedia includes more than one media (text, graphics, audio, animation and video clip) but does not necessarily use all types of media in one presentation. Since only virtual learning activity takes place, it is important from the standpoint of the teacher to optimize the learning process by identifying the characteristics of media application, as well as the advantages and limitations of such an application.

                                             

THE SOFTWARE AS AN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE

Software

Ø  is a program that a computer uses to perform  tasks.

Two Kinds of Software

1). Systems Software

2). The Application Software

Two Kinds of Software

1). Systems Software - This is the operating system that is found or bundled inside all computer machines.

2). The Applications Software - This contains the system that commands the particular task or solves a particular problem.

The applications software may be:

a).  A Custom Software - is made for specific tasks often by large corporations, or

 b). A Commercial Software - packaged for personal computers that helps with a variety of tasks such as writing papers, calculating numbers, drawing graphs, playing games and so much more.

MICROSOFT WINDOWS

Microsoft

Ø  Computer Software Company.

Windows

Ø  any of several microcomputer operating systems or environments featuring a graphic user interface.

Microsoft Windows

Ø  program

Ø  Microsoft Windows/ Windows

Ø  Shell

GUI

Ø  Graphic User Interface.

Windows Versions:

Windows 1.0, the first version, released in 1985

Windows 95, released in August 1995

Windows 3.0, released in 1990

The latest stable Windows release, Windows 7

Future of Windows

The Start Screen of Windows 8 RTM .

Windows is in itself a self- contained operating system which provides:

v  User Convenience - just click a file name to retrieve data or click from program to program as easy as changing channels in your TV screen

v  A New Look - fancy borders, smooth and streamlined text fonts.

v  Information Center - Windows puts all communications activities ( e – mail, downloads etc. in a single screen icon ); adapts/configures the computer for the Internet.

v  Plug and Play - configures the computer with added components, such as for sound or video.

INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE

Ø    can be visited in Internet or can be bought from software shops.

Ø  decide on the best computer- based instructional materials.

Guidelines in Evaluating Computer- Based Educational Materials

•       Be extremely cautious in using CBIs and ‘free’ Internet materials

•       Don’t be caught up by attractive graphics, sound, animation, pictures, video clips and music forgetting their instructional worth

•       Teachers must evaluate these resources using sound pedagogical principles

•       Among design and content elements to evaluate are:  

Ø  text legibility

Ø  effective use of color schemes

Ø  attractive layout and design

Ø  easy navigation from section-to-section

•                               Clarity in the explanations and illustrations of concepts and principles

•       Accuracy, coherence, logic of information

•       Their being current since data/statistics continually change

•       Relevance/effectiveness in attaining learning objectives

•       Absence of biased materials

Lesson 13: Cooperative Learning with the Computer

                                         

Cooperative or Collaborative learning is learning by 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. Common goal
2. Interdependence
3. Interaction
4. Individual accountability
5. Social skills

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

• Encourage active learning, while motivating students
• Increases academic performances.
• Promotes literacy and language skills
• Improves teacher effectiveness

In addition, there are studies which show that cooperative learning enhances personal and social development among students of all ages, while enhancing self-esteem and improving social relationship between racially and culturally different students.

Cooperative Learning and the Computer

Researchers have made studies on the learning interaction between student 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 Now this mythical fear has been

contradicted by studies which show that when students work with the computer in group, they cluster and interact with each other for adviceand 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,psychologists 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 something in communal.

Therefore researchers agree that the computer is a fairly natural learning vehicle for cooperative (at times called primitive) learning.

Educators are still wary about the computers' role in cooperative learning.Thus they pose the position that the use of computers do not automatically result in cooperative learning.There therefore assign the teacher several tasks in order to ensure collaborative learning.These are:

  

• Assigning students to mixed-ability

• Establishing positive interdependence

• Teaching cooperative social skills

• Insuring individual accountabilty, and

• Helping groups process information

LESSON 12: Information Technology in Support of the Student-Centered Learning

                                     


The Traditional Classroom

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

The SCL Classroom

         John Dewey has described traditional learning as a process in which the teacher pours information to student 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 kinds of learning outcomes.

     The problem with 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 the 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.

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

• Performing computer word processing  for text or graph presentations
• Preparing power-point presentation
• Searching for information on the internet
• Brainstorming on ideas, problems and projects plans
• As needed, the teacher facilitating instruction, also giving individualized instruction to serve  individual needs

LESSON 11: The Computer as the Teacher's Tool

                                                   
                                             

     Constructivism 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.

     While knowledge is constructed by the individual learner in constructivism, knowledge can also be socially constructed.  Social constructivism.  this is an effort to show that the construction of knowledge is governed by social, historical and cultural contexts.  In effect, this is to say that the learner who interprets knowledge has a predetermined point of view according to the social perspectives of the community or society he lives in.

     The psychologist Vygotzky  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.  In addition, 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.


The Computer's Capabilities

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

• An information tool
• A communication tool
• A constructive tool
• As co-constructive tool
• A situating tool

    

 Informative Tool

                                            

     Still Image             Video Footage              Animation               Text

    

 The computer can provide vast amounts of information in various forms, such as text, graphics, sounds , and video.  Even multimedia encyclopedias are today available on the internet.

Communication Tool

Constructive Tool

     The computer itself  can be used for manipulating information, visualizing one's understanding, and building new knowledge.

Co-constructive Tool

     Students can use constructive tools to work cooperatively and construct a shared understanding of new knowledge.

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.