For the first blog, I have decided to share my personal belief of about how people learn best. I believe that people learn best when the information presented is relevant to them. They must be able to see the application of such knowledge in their lives. This is applicable to every subject area. In teaching, the essential question is our link to real-world application. When lesson planning, we focus on how to hook multiple learning styles by providing real-world problems.
Educational technology (ET) is a blanket term that encompasses both instructional technologies and learning technologies with the purpose of providing interactive, individualized learning experiences that support the students’ personal learning styles. ET has moved beyond blackboards and overhead projectors to portable personal computers (Thornburg, 2008). Technology in an educational setting has been found to engage students thereby promoting student academic achievement. According to Driscoll, learning theories provide three basic components: results, means, and inputs (2005, p. 9). Understanding these key elements allows the educators to determine the appropriate environment to create to foster student learning.
Take a moment and watch this clip on learning styles.
Check out this great blog on various learning theories and the role of technology.
http://learningcircuits.blogspot.com/
Resources
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.
Learning styles video. (n.d.) Retrieved March 16, 2010 from ltscotland.org.uk.
Thornburg, D. (2008) Educational technology: A historic perspective. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=3341329&Survey=1&47=3774951&ClientNodeID=984645&coursenav=1&bhcp=1
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Angela I too chose the same question for my blog post. I think that it’s very important to determine the learning style of our students to understand the way they learn best. This helps us as educators to re-think the way that we’re teaching and strategize about the methods needed when planning. I enjoyed watching the video you posted as well as viewing the blog resource you gave. They were both very informative. Is there any particular theory that you tend to lean closer too, when planning for your students?
ReplyDeleteWandra
Wandra,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the feedback! As I prepare for my students, I pull from many learning theories. However, I tend to lean closer to Piaget's genetic epistemology because it supports the development of logical-mathematical knowledge. I am constantly pushing my students to think deeper about concepts. Additionally, I like it when we address their misconceptions.
Angela
Angela,
ReplyDeleteI agree that learning is much easier and more interesting to students when we are able to link it to real-world situations. They tend to put more effort into the discussions, projects, and other work when it is relevant to them.
Yes, educators need to understand the three basic components provided by learning theories, in order to set up the learning environment in a way that causes students to learn something. To me, the means and inputs are the most important of the three components because they are what cause the desired end result.
I also enjoyed the video.
Sharon McDaniel