Engaging Students Through Technology and Project-Based Learning

      Today's students don't remember card catalogues or understand the significance of that little blue and white square (a floppy disc) in the upper left-hand corner of most programs that saves their progress. Today's students, according to Business Week, use various forms of media for almost 8 hours a day. Therefore, if teachers want to reach their students, they need to reach them through technology, but don't take my word for it. Hear what these students have to say about the matter:

      The students from the video gave you their reasons for enjoying blog assignments, but technology in general provides many benefits to students that teachers and parents can enjoy. Before technology can really be incorporated into the classroom it needs to meet certain criteria. More specifically, it must support four key components of learning: active engagement, group collaboration, regular interaction and review, and connection to experts. The video has already displayed how students respond to technology and can become actively engaged with learning through technology. So, what about the other aspects of learning, how does technology help in those areas? 

      The answer lies in project-based learning. "Project Based Learning grabs hold of this idea and fosters deep learning and autonomy by using technology to help students engage in issues and questions relevant to their lives." In other words, project based learning uses technology in order to help students collaboratively and critically think through real world situations and problems. Students work together to research, create and present their solutions to actual problems that help them learn 21st century technical skills while they master different curricular concepts. For example, using math to develop a graphic image, or applying the laws of physics to develop a new wing design for airplanes. In project based learning the students take an active, excited approach to completing their projects. In order to complete those projects they have to learn the usual subject area content, as well as collaborative, communicative, problem-solving and critical thinking skills. The following link has a great video that can help explain some of the ideal ways in which this strategy, coupled with new technology has benefited students: Project Based Learning Overview. 

      Finally, this very blog incorporates both concepts of project based learning and integrating technology into the classroom and I am proud of my work and feel confident in my ability to use blogs and other communicative technology within a classroom setting to help my students.

Quote Source: http://www.guidetoonlineschools.com/online-teaching/project-based-learning#ixzz1RMKnVjxe

Building Communities and Nations

      My personal interest in using blogs in the classroom has focused on building a strong technical community around students, but it was not until this assignment that I began to understand the truly expansive scope over which the concept has some magnitude of effect. Perhaps because my focus remained on improving individual success, I failed to see the broad spectrum of ramifications associated with integrating technology into the classroom. The following paragraphs discuss the importance of building community as it pertains to the students' achievement and the broader national community.

      It takes more than just good teachers and hard work to instruct a student; it takes a community, and technology can help us build that community. The Harvard Family Research Project recently published some findings on its website that support my argument that students perform more strongly when backed by a supportive community: Reframing Family Involvement in Education. Although the work does not specifically refer to technology's role in rebuilding family involvement, the logical leap is small and many teachers have already begun to make the leap with blog websites such as Netvibe and Edmodo that make following classroom activities easy for interested parents. In a capitalist system, time is important and parents don't always have as much free time as they would like to devote to taking an active role in their childrens' educations. Communicative technology has the capacity to assist the construction of a community for every student with the least expense of time to every individual involved. This doesn't mean that face to face communication is cut-off, but merely complimented by online discourse. The following video shows an extreme example of developing an online community, but it does prove the concept's practicality in the modern world.

Blogs, classroom websites and instant messaging are tools that can bring teachers, students and their families closer together, as opposed to driving a dehumanizing cell-phone shaped wedge between them. Furthermore, these technologies can expand the academic community to include researchers, authors and other general experts in their fields. Ultimately, communicative technologies foster a stronger supporting system from which students can pull learning strategies, knowledge and life skills.
       Interestingly, the benefits of incorporating technology into the classroom do not end with, but begin with its ability to build online communities that foster higher student achievement. As student achievement and technological skills develop, the quality and efficiency of a country's workforce also improves; thus, integrating technology into education can gradually improve a country's economic status. Supporting the argument presented here is a study performed by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development which tracked correlations between member countries' expenditures on ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) in education and their growth in GDP (Gross Domestic Product): Are Students Ready for a Technology-Rich World? In summary, the research concluded that, in general, as expenditures for ICT increased, a country's GDP also increased. However, the increase in GDP was not proportional to the increase in expenditures and the authors suggest that the discrepancy in the relationship depends on how the technological investments in education are being used by students. It suggested that simply providing computers for web-based research did not integrate technology into a student's learning well enough for either the student or the country to see a significant improvement. So what types of learning activities that incorporate technology develop the greatest benefit for the student and ultimately the country? I believe that project based learning could be the most efficient use of technology in the classroom, but respond to this post with your comments about your own opinions on the matter.