Interactive classrooms allow for not only engagement with relevant materials but can also save time and money in that teachers can borrow items, such as flip charts, from online sites and re-use them, eliminating the trouble of having to copy endless handouts. These activities would also help in the ICT Competency Framework for Teachers, especially Knowledge Creation, which, according to Roblyer & Doering (2013), seeks ‘“to increase productivity by creating students, citizens, and a workforce that is continually engaged in and benefits from knowledge creation and innovation and life-long learning”( p. 21). Interactive classrooms achieve this goal by making learning both fun and engaging. According to Roblyer & Doering (2013), “Teachers say technology’s visual and interactive qualities can direct students’ attention toward learning tasks” (p. 25). Students need to be engaged and an interactive classroom can certainly keep their attention, as they are using tools that they may use outside the classroom, such as IPods or social media. It is becoming a necessity to integrate technology into the classroom, lest students become bored.
Constructivist vs. Objectivist
Any good teacher is going to use both constructivist and objectivist teaching strategies in his or her classroom, as evidenced by Robyler & Doering (2013): “Teachers will always use some directed instruction as the most efficient means of teaching required skills; teachers will always need motivating, cooperative learning activities to ensure that students want to learn and that they can transfer what they learn to problems they encounter” (p. 46). Thus, any technological aspect to a course would include both of these strategies, as one cannot merely do one or the other realistically. However, the hands-on nature of many of the technological tools we have discussed in class lend themselves more toward constructivism, defined in Robyler & Doering (2013) as the following: “Learning occurs when one constructs both mechanisms for learning and one’s own unique version of the knowledge, colored by background, experiences, and aptitudes” (p.37). Students should be challenged in the interactive classroom to figure out a problem by learning specific strategies related to the given technological tool. They should be continually scaffolding from one idea to another until they achieve mastery of a technology tool and learn to successfully utilize it for their academic needs.
Flipchart
I had difficulty finding a flipchart I would personally use in my classroom, for when I searched for English flipcharts on Promethean Planet, the results were overwhelmingly geared toward elementary students. Thus, I would need to perhaps make my own flipchart to fit my needs or eschew the idea altogether. I did find one that would fit my content area, however, in that it presented a problem that occurs in both elementary and secondary classrooms, that of using “tired words.” I would consider using this because students need to learn to expand their vocabularies and the flipchart is interactive, allowing students to come up with synonyms for the tired words they need to eliminate from their compositions. Students would work together to achieve their goals, which is important for collaborative and problem-solving needs in the classroom. Robyler & Doering (2013) write, “If students are conscious of the procedures they use to solve problems, they often can more easily improve on their strategies and become more effective, creative problem solvers” (p. 49). Once students realize that they have the power to expand their vocabularies, they will hopefully be encouraged to read and write more often in order to do so. I would include an activity like this as we were preparing for revisions for an essay and integrate it into my regular lecture. Robyler & Doering (2013) write, “Computer-based materials and strategies are usually tools in a larger system and must be integrated carefully with other resources and with teacher activities” (p. 10). I would ensure that if I used this or any other technological tool that I would be doing it for classroom enrichment and not merely as a way to keep students entertained. We as educators must learn to be both traditional and technological teachers, to meld the constructivist and objectivist strategies to become better teachers in the goals of our students becoming better scholars and people.
http://www.prometheanplanet.com/en-us/Resources/Item/154052/tired-words#.UnKd3PmkrU8
M5: Constructivism is helpful but not always necessary, according tot his article. Mix and match! http://t.co/KI8q5nffkC #ED527UM
— Jesse Cosper (@JesseCosper) October 31, 2013
