Cooperative Learning

Cooperative Learning is a vital tool to use in today’s 21st Century classroom. Now more than ever students have an increasingly higher role in collaboration than ever before because of the demands society places on students today. Cooperative Learning is a strategy that encourages small groups of students to work together on a particular task in order to maximize student potential meanwhile gaining positive social interaction. Through the uses of technology teachers can provides a variety of opportunities where cooperative learning can occur. This week we explored the world of utilizing VoiceThreads. What an incredible way for students to create and share their information while utilizing some of the most up to date technology out there. This technology is also not limited to just one classroom. Because it is web based it can be shared across the globe. This is definitely an excellent tool to be used even with very young students like my kindergartners. With guidance my students can teach other students how to build something or maybe put something in sequential order. This can be shared and other classrooms and they can teach us something in return. Just the mere fact that my students can see their images and hear their own voice instantly gets them engaged. I think it also shows students that they can be leaders and teachers as well. I do not always have to be the only one teaching. They can teach each other many things. Dr. Orey did state that “Teaching others helps the learner develop a deeper understanding of the content.” Orey 2008). This is so true and even my kindergartners can participate in this valuable experience.

My Voice Thread

http://www.voicethread.com/share/661363/

Kindergarten Science Unit: Our Five Senses

Constructionist Theories and Technology in the Classroom

The instructional strategies described in the resources that I explored this week definitely correlate with the principles of constructionist learning theories and this was supported in the text, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction that Works. Chapter 11 introduces a variety of instructional strategies that are technology based that in fact support constructionist learning theories such as tools for collecting data, spreadsheet software, and a repertoire of web resources. All of these tools help students generate and test their hypothesis. As students begin to generate and test their own hypothesis they are then able to participate in higher level thinking and are able to become problem solvers.
As I have learned this week, constructionist theories are all about having students constantly building and constructing things with their own hands and own ideas. Now students can actually still do that while utilizing some excellent technology resources. Chapter 11 also touches upon interactive spreadsheets, and ways in which students can collect data. All of these amazing tools allow students to get information quicker and more efficiently so that they can spend their time generating their own ideas and testing their hypothesis, discovering patterns, and analyzing data rather than spending most of their time just trying to enter in the information they need to get started. That can be a very tedious task and it can waste away precious time that students should be using to think critically and be exploring their own hypothesis.