Week 3- Constructivism
The first reading talks about meaningful learning and how to achieve this for your students. Basically meaning drives a particular task to be completed. It is believed that learning for tests is not meaning for the students, as many will forget what they learnt or memorized after the test is completed. Technology is a tool that can be used in order to engage students and make learning more engaging. Active learning involves hands on and getting the children involved. It is in human nature to adapt to the environment, therefore to be actively involved in ones learning. Constructive learning involves students articulating what they have learnt. new experiences may lead students feeling puzzled and confused, it is this thats drives the student to make meaning. Intentional learning is being goal-directed. When the student is actively trying to achieve a goal. Authentic learning involves the students learning being embedded into real life. Learning tasks should be situated in meaningful ‘real-world’ tasks so that the students can better understand them. Cooperative learning requires learners to collaborate and work together connecting the learners through conversation.
I tend to agree with all these methods of learning. Authentic learning is an important one. Students can more easily understand what they are know and understand. New concepts and information may be hard for children to grasp or visualise, however, when it is being compared to a siutation that they have previously witnessed or know they will be able to understand and apply this information to the new tasks. Cooperative learning, i believe is another important method. Howeer, as learners become older they may tend to travel off task. The mehod is still important as other students may not have come up with the same ideas and therefore allowing students to think in different ways.
Here is a video on constructivism
Which learning style/s does this ICT support? Videos would support children who learn visually. By choosing the right video, these students would be able to watch an explanation and/or demonstration of the topc or task. For example if the students were learning about the rules of netball, the teacher can find a video of a professional netball player explaining the rules of netball and anyother information that the students require. The students can visually see the a player contacting or stepping, allowing them to understand the rule.
How could this ICT be implemented as a good cognitive tool within the learning environment? Any implementation of this into a classroom would be a positive step. This would be a fun lesson were the children are learning and taking the information without this fact being obvious to the students. The students can visually see what is happening without having it just explained to them. For example if the students were learning about the settling of Captain Cook, they can see the the costumes and the ship and the settlement visually.
How is this ICT enabling the development of creativity? The is expanding the students creativity as they can see things that they normally would not have imagined or thought about previously.
