Resnick

Computers and “finger paint” (Resnick 2001) is not the analogy that most of us would make. Most of us see computers as a tool used to accomplish specific tasks. In reality, they are both. They can be used for simple tasks like research or word processing. They can be used for making movies and as an artist’s canvas. They can be used to build new programs and new ways of accomplishing old tasks. The possibilities are endless when we talk about computers. It is our job as educators to showcase these possibilities and educate our children with the skills they need to make the technology work for them.

This may not be as easy as it seems. As we have discussed throughout this semester, technological advances come very quickly today. Quite frankly, we are struggling to keep up. Our technology teachers need to constantly be learning the newer products and systems so they can teach effectively. Alleviating this problem requires a constructivist approach to education. By putting our students in a situation where they can build their own knowledge, we lessen the pressure on our teachers. We move away from teaching literacy in a program such as Word or Excel, to teaching how to solve problems using the tools at hand.

When it comes to using technology in the classroom, the goals should be to incorporate computers into every curriculum (Ferguson 2001). By doing so, we allow our students to use the computer as a different tool each time. In a physics lab, the computer may have an integrated probe and the lab uses Logger Pro to measure the results of an experiment. In the math classroom, the computer may help with complex computations or better graphing as we saw in the presentation a few weeks back. A WebQuest might be a perfect activity for a class on ancient civilizations. We could allow our students to become archaeologists right in the classroom.

These examples show how technology can be integrated into any subject to allow the students to use the computer. I cannot think of one subject where technology could not be used as a constructivist tool. So many school districts are focused on putting the technology in the classroom but we fall behind when we are asked to utilize what we are given. The technology is here. We have supplied the tool. We now need to redesign our curriculum to use what has been provided.

References

Ferguson, D. (2001). Technology in a Constructivist Classroom. Information technology in childhood education annual. 45-55.

Resnick, M. (2001). Revolutionizing learning in the digital age. Publications from the forum for the future of higher education. Boulder, CO: Educause.Available online at http://www.educause.com/resources