EDLD 5362 Week 2

Click on the link below to view two networks that I use for teaching.
Network Prezi  

EDLD 5362 Week 1

Teaching Before and After the Internet

            The Internet has had both positive and negative effects on teaching.  Integrating technology in the classroom has come with ease for some teachers but others have had more of a learning gap to overcome.  Cheryl Swanberg has been teaching for close to thirty years and has experienced the introduction of the Internet in her classroom and seen the effects it has had on her students and her teaching. 

            Prior to having any technology in the classroom, Mrs. Swanberg noted that there was not a concrete way to define a child’s reading level or reading range for that matter.  With the addition of computers and the Internet, you have so much more data to use to describe a student’s ability.  However, because of the reliance on that data she states,  “your professional opinion doesn’t always matter without the data from the computer program” (C. Swanberg, personal communication, October 8, 2013).  This can be a difficult situation for a seasoned teacher.  Mrs. Swanberg did comment that technology has helped her with organization and extra time spent calculating grades.  She uses the Internet frequently on a daily basis for school related tasks.  She recognizes how it can captivate her students’ attention and how there are many ways to differentiate instruction.  Along with the differentiated instruction, she has noticed that her students are out of the classroom more and her teaching time has dwindled.  “We come into the room in the mornings for a short time then students start leaving the class to go to certain computer programs.  It’s not until later in the day before I have everyone back together again” (C. Swanberg, personal communication, October 8, 2013).  That aspect of teaching has changed drastically. 

            The students themselves have changed with the addition of the Internet in their homes and schools.  Prior to the Internet, students were reliant on textbooks and encyclopedias to get their information.  There would be no way for a student to have the most up-to-date information when using those resources.  Today students “cannot conceive of doing schoolwork without Internet access” (Levin & Arafeh, 2002).  Mrs. Swanberg has since realized many advantages of using the Internet.  She is currently teaching second grade and her students’ reading abilities range from Kinder to Fifth Grade.  This would not have been the case over twenty years ago because the students would be placed in a classroom with other students of similar ability.  The Internet has made it easier for teachers to meet the needs of all the students.  “Technology allows teachers to differentiate instruction more efficiently by providing a wider variety of avenues for learning that reach all learning styles” (Pitler, Hubbell, & Kuhn, 2012).  Mrs. Swanberg has seen students that would previously be unsuccessful in school turn that around with the help of the Internet.

            The way teachers teach has changed a great deal in the last twenty years.  The implementation of the Internet has changed the classroom from teacher oriented to learner centered.  Mrs. Swanberg stated, “I still introduce new information, but I facilitate more to help the students learn” (C. Swanberg, personal communication, October 8, 2013).  Classrooms were places for students to be told information then independently show they had retained that information on a worksheet.  At the end of the unit, they took a test.  The next day the teacher started a new unit.  Now we use more collaboration and students are learning to connect prior knowledge to new situations.  In a Constructivist classroom, computers “can support the variety of ways learners construct their own understanding” (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, 1999).  The Constructivist Theory has shown the many ways that teachers can utilize the Internet to meet all students’ needs and still accomplish the goals and standards for that grade level.  One thing that Mrs. Swanberg did see as a negative effect of the Internet is the amount of dependence we have on it.  “I plan my lessons and activities around it only to find out, at times, that there is no connection or my computers are not working.  I then spend a lot of time trying to fix the situation” (C. Swanberg, personal communication, October 8, 2013).  

            Many teachers like Mrs. Swanberg have realized the importance and helpfulness of the Internet.  They have embraced it even though at times it can be frustrating.  They are always looking for new ways to help their students and the Internet is meeting that need.

    

Resources

Levin, D., & Arafeh, S. (2002). The digital disconnect: The widening gap between      internet-savvy students and their schools. Pew Internet and American Life Project.      Retrieved on November 17, 2009, from http://pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2002/PIP_Schools_Internet_Report.pdf.pdf

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, (1999). Learning as a personal event: A brief introduction to constructivism. Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/intro2c.html