Chapter 12: Information Technology in Support of Student-Centered Learning 

               
Traditonal Classroom  

         From the traditional teacher-learning, the teacher stands in front of the very well arranged student chairs. This situation is purposed to maintain classroom discipline and also to allow the teacher to control classroom activities through teacher-led discussions.

     However, after spending so much time with the discussion that students get restless, they start talking to each other or simply stare away to lack of attention. Often enough, the teacher has to also manage these kinds of misbehaviour. One way of preventing this situation is to individually give them worksheets for them to work on.



The SCL Classroom   

       Desiring to gain effectiveness, efficiency and economy in administration and instruction, schools in these developed economies have also adopted the supports 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 groups. They perform computer word processing for text or graph presentation, prepare power-point presentation, search for information on the Internet, brainstorm on ideas, problems and project plans and as needed, the teacher facilitating instruction, also giving individualized instruction to serve individual needs.

REFLECTION:

 (a.) As we all know, in the traditional classroom, a teacher can discipline and manage his/her students. The teacher in that has always the first and final say in the lesson. But the difference is that in the traditional classroom, a student can sometimes feel intimidated and bored since it is always the voice of the teacher who echoes most of the time and leads the discussion. While in a SCL environment, it gives students the venue to interact with each other, be motivated as everyone can participate and enjoy. It can be as noisy as it is, but it gives the students independence and self-awareness. It does not mean that in a SCL, the teacher can no longer do classroom management. The teacher still is the one more knowledgeable than his/her students, but he do not anymore act as the teacher who do talking most of the times, but he/she is now a facilitator, open to ideas, problems and resolutions from his/her students.

 (b.)   Student-centered learning moves students from passive receivers of information to active participants in their own discovery process. What students learn, how they learn it and how their learning is assessed are all driven by each individual student’s needs and abilities.
    Also, through this SCL, students solve problems, answer questions, formulate questions of their own, discuss, explain, debate, or brainstorm during class. They work in teams on problems and projects under conditions that assure both positive interdependence and individual accountability and with this students are first presented with challenges (questions or problems) and learn the course material in the context of addressing the challenges.

Lesson 11: THE COMPUTER AS A TEACHER'S TOOL
                           

        The computer is an effective tool for teachers in teaching and for students to learn. There is a saying "A nail without a hammer is useless", and if you relate it in teaching, without tools the teacher may not be able to teach the students effectively.The computer have a lot of capabilities that a teacher can utilize. Effective use of the computer and proper integration of its uses in instruction changes the manner of teaching and learning. We know we can use computers, all we need is to treasure the benefits it brings in the educative process.

Informative Tool . The computer can provide vast amounts of information in various forms such as text, graphics, sound and video. The Internet itself provides an enormous database from which user an access global information resources as well as educational information directly useful to learners.
Communication Tool . Given the fact that the Internet can serve as a channel for global communication, the computer can very well be the key tool for video teleconferencing sessions.
Constructive Tool . The computer can be used for manipulating information, visualizing one's understanding and building new knowledge. The Microsoft Word is an example wherein it allow users to organize and present their ideas in attractive formats.
Co-constructive Tool . Students can use co-constructive tools to work cooperatively and construct a shared understanding of new knowledge.
Situating Tool . By means of virtual reality extension systems, the computer can create 3-D images on display to give the user the feeling that are situated in a virtual environment. A flight simulation program is an example which places the user in a simulated flying environment.

REFLECTION:

  (a.) -Teachers can incorporate technology directly into their practice and insulate their students from the deleterious effects of policy churn.
       -Teachers can choose from a variety of online portfolio providers tailored to the needs of their classroom. They also serve as a platform for students to demonstrate growth. Online portfolios have many advantages over paper based options because they cost less and allow for more robust outreach. Online portfolios are also amenable to a wider variety of formats including video, music or other interactive features.
      -Teachers write lessons that comply with district, state, and national standards. Having a single set of standards eliminates redundancy and conflicting guidelines. Furthermore universal adoption of common standards will support future technological innovations that aid teachers. From a technical perspective, standards facilitate the development of new technologies. Innovators can focus on developing tools that better serve students rather than solving technical challenges of interoperability created by multiple sets of standards.
    * Teachers should use education technologies that are inexpensive, easy to use, and improve student learning.

(b.)Using computer in the teaching-learning process is necessary because computers improve classroom learning. Internet access allows students to conduct comprehensive research and communicate with other education providers beyond the four walls of the classroom. Computers also run specialized software programs that enable teachers to provide tutoring or personalized instruction for students who need advanced or remedial educational resources.

    Computers provide a way for students to engage in project-based learning. It helps students access timelines, historical data, images, graphs, scientific findings, art, pop culture, current events and music that make projects come to life. Classroom computers also allow students to share files, work on group assignments and distribute knowledge quickly and efficiently.  

    Classroom computers make it easier for teachers to delegate their time and attention

Educational Technology 2

CHAPTER 10:
                 
                 The Computer as a Tutor

      The computer can be a tutor in effect relieving the teacher of many activities in his/her personal role as classroom tutor. It should be made, 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. The teacher also decide the appropriate learning objectives, plan the sequential and structured activities to achieve the objectives and evaluate the students' achievement by way of tests.   To function as a tutor in some subject, the computer must be programmed by “experts” in programming and in that subject. The student is then tutored by the computer executing the program(s). The computer presents some subject material, the student responds, the computer evaluates the response, and, from the results of the evaluation, determines what to present next. At its best, the computer tutor keeps complete records on each student being tutored; it has at its disposal a wide range of subject detail it can present; and it has an extensive and flexible way to test and then lead the student through the material. With appropriately well-designed software, the computer tutor can easily and swiftly tailor its presentation to accommodate a wide range of student differences.
      Tutor mode typically requires many hours of expert work to produce one hour of good tutoring, for any or all of several reasons. (a) As intuitive beings, humans are much more flexible than any machine, even a computer. (b) Creating a lesson to be delivered by a human tutor requires less time because it omits much of the detail, relying upon the spontaneous improvisation and performance of the instructor to fill in both strategy and substance at the time of delivery. (c) Computers are still relatively crude devices and the only means we have of programming them are awkward and time-consuming. (d) Human instruction rarely aims to accommodate individual differences because the normal classroom situation prohibits such accommodation; hence lesson preparation and design are simpler and swifter. Because such accommodation is possible with the computer as tutor, the substantive and strategic details needed to individualize the lesson tend to get included, thus often greatly lengthening lesson design and preparation time.

REFLECTION:
   
     (a.) Technology ushers in fundamental structural changes that can be integral to achieving significant improvements in productivity. Used to support both teaching and learning, technology infuses classrooms with digital learning tools, such as computers and hand held devices; expands course offerings, experiences, and learning materials; supports learning 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; builds 21 century skills; increases student engagement and motivation; and accelerates learning. Technology also has the power to transform teaching by ushering in a new model of connected teaching. This model links teachers to their students and to professional content, resources, and systems to help them improve their own instruction and personalize learning.

(b.)  Technology helps change the student/teacher roles and relationships: students take responsibility for their learning outcomes, while teachers become guides and facilitators. Technology lends itself as the multidimensional tool that assists that process.