Changing the Way We Teach and Learn.

Over the past twenty years, information technology has transformed the society in which we live. It seems that, almost overnight, computers and the Internet have proliferated into every aspect of life, including how our youth is educated. “In most schools, blackboards and chalk have been replaced by interactive smart walls and pointers, while personal computers are nearly as important as a pencil and paper” (Ward). I can still remember when overhead projectors were considered “high-tech” and the chance to get to use a computer was almost non-existent in school, let alone directly in the classroom. Now students around the United States are learning through constructive applications of information technology directly in their classrooms, and in many cases, even having access to their own computers. Let’s take a look at some statistics. The national average ratio of students to instructional computers in the U.S. was 4.9 to 1 in the fall of 2000, and 98 percent of public schools had access to the Internet (Reading Today). This shows that students in the U.S. have greater access to information technolo

Another example of constructive teaching through technology is how students at Seaside High School in Seaside, Oregon used Geographical Information System software and the Global Positioning System (as well as a $17,000 grant) to map the city’s environmentally sensitive watershed, which hadn’t been updated since 1964 (Drake). Here, students are aware that they are learning because they are actively involved, and these constructive uses of technology help develop creative thinking, problem solving, collective team work, and organizational skills all necessary for real world applications later in life.

“Instead of simply absorbing ideas spoken by teachers, or somehow trying to internalize thoughts through endless, repeated rote practice, constructivism suggests children actually invent their own ideas. They assimilate new information and modify their understanding in light of new data. In the process, their ideas gain in complexity and power, and with appropriate support, children can develop insight into their own thinking process.” (Freguson)

How is this being done, you might ask? Well in many schools, abilities are taught and learned through the constructive use of technology discussed above. Teachers must develop new comprehensive projects involving technology that challenge students to embellish themselves in every possible solution to a problem, or creatively evaluate every path to complete a certain task. The proliferation of technology into the classroom has produced an insurmountable amount of resources available to teachers in order to facilitate constructive learning and has taken ‘learning by doing’ to an even higher stage.

There are many new and innovative technologies now emerging that are specifically tailored to assist educators in this digital age of teaching and learning. Teaching has often followed a structured curriculum that not always recognizes different needs among students. However, innovations in software have produced programs t

Some topics in this essay:
PR Newswire, Freguson Educators, Teach Learn, Positioning System, Internet Reading, Drake Web, School Assessment, Station Texas, Columbus Ohio, information technology, TI-83 Plus, real world, lesson plans, constructive applications, teach students, teach learn, student’s abilities, pr newswire, information technology enhance, abilities using, teaching learning, skills real world, pr newswire 2, tailor lesson plans,