Technology and Teaching: How Technology Can Improve Classroom Instruction

Technology and Teaching: How Technology Can Improve Classroom Instruction

Kevin M. Johnston

Director, MSU TA Programs

[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Teaching With Technology - 2007 ITA Orientation

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Workshop Goals/Materials

Today, we’ll be

Covering some basics of pedagogical theory and teaching principles

Working through examples of classroom presentation methods that inhibit rather than enhance learning

Taking a look at slide examples


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Technology and Pedagogy

“If Technology Is the “Answer,”

What Is the Question?”

Bates & Poole, xiii


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Get Out Your Pens!

Complete this sentence : “As a teacher, I hope technology can help me …”


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The “Larger” Continuum of Technology-Based Learning

(Are teachers disappearing?)

Face-to-Face Classroom Face-To-Face + Distance

teaching aids e-learning (mixed) education

No E-Learning Fully E-Learning

Bates & Poole (2003)


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Classroom Technology and Learning

What do we mean by Learning Theory?

Learning involves:

1) Acquiring knowledge of facts, principles, ideas, and concepts, events, relationships, rules and laws; and

2) Using or working on that knowledge to develop skills. (Olson & Bruner, 1974)


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Learner-Centered Teaching(Are we as teachers losing our “power!”)

Includes the learner in decisions about curriculum, instruction, & assessment

Acknowledges, respects and accommodates differences in background, abilities, styles, and experiences

Treats learners as co-creators in the teaching and learning process.

(Barr & Tagg, 1995)


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My Own Theories?

Reinforce traditional teacher/student relationships Inhibit rather than enhance student learning Make teachers and students less effective

communicators

Even with all the new bells and whistles, classroom presentational technology can easily:


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Power Point (or, whatever…)

General RULES:

1. Be Simple or simplify difficult material

2. Use it as a supplement, NOT the entire

presentation

3. Focus on Learning, NOT Technology


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More Important Power Point TIPS

BASIC RULES of USEAGE Humans see graphics first, then text Keep information in a logical flow 6 points or Less per slide/page Use large type Consistently –

Minimum 24 point Employ Other

Media/Board/Overheads if Possible


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Too Much Information?


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LGR – Global BenchmarkingTo leverage global lessons, XXXX has established a project career center that serves as the focal point for implementing common best practices at both its XXXXX plants and existing manufacturing facilities. Team Leaders with international manufacturing experience – both inside and outside XXXX – work with each program to implement common best systems in the areas of stamping, body, paint, general assembly, facilities, material, information technology, purchasing, finance, business case planning, people systems, and quality systems. Representatives from the XXX XXXX in all phases of the LGR Project. (See slide 46.)


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Have you ever thought…

Wow! Look at all those pictures I can use!

I can get the WHOLE equation up on the board!

(And all at one time!)

See how much MORE we can cover!

(With Less! Or WAIT! MORE!)


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Consider a random sampling process in which all the outcomes solely depend on the chance, i.e., each outcome is equally likely to happen. If the collection of all possible outcomes is U and the collection of desired outcomes is A , the probability of the desired outcomes is:

P(A) = number of A = n(A)

number of U n(U)

Since A is a subset of U (see Set Theory), 0 < n (A)< (U) , the probability of the desired outcomes is:

0 < P (A) < 1

Accordingly, the probability of an unwanted outcome Ā is:

P(Ā) = n(Ā) = n(U)-n(A) = 1 - n(A) = 1 – P(A)

n(U) n(U) n(U)

Statistics/Probability Theory

http://www.efunda.com/math/settheory/settheory.cfm


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Historically, three equations were of fundamental interest and exhibit distinctive behaviour. These led to the clarification of three types of second-order linear differential equations of great interest. The Laplace equation

2 2

d u + d u = 0

2 2

dx dy

applies to potential energy functions u=u(x,y) for a conservative force field in the plane. PDEs of this type are called elliptic. The Heat Equation

2 2

d u + d u = du

2 2 dt

dx dy

applies to the temperature distribution u(x,y) in the plane when heat is allowed to flow from warm areas to cool ones. PDEs of this type are parabolic. The Wave Equation (See Next Slide!)

Partial Differential Equations (PDE’s)


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2 2 2

d u + d u = d u

2 2 2

dx dy dt

…applies to the heights u(x,y) of vibrating membranes and other wave functions. PDEs of this type are called hyperbolic. The analyses of these three types of equations are quite distinct in character. Allowing non-constant coefficients, we see that the solution of a general second-order linear PDE may change character from point to point. These behaviours generalize to nonlinear PDEs as well.

PDE’s continued …


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“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”

Mohandes Gandhi


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The Linear(?) Learning “Syndromes” (How might technology contribute to these?)

Content Coverage = Teaching SUCCESS!

(The Hang-On-We’re-Gonna-Make-It! Syndrome)

Avoid Going Back! Don’t Slow Down!

(The You-Should-Have-Gotten-That-Earlier! Syndrome)

Always build upon existing knowledge!

(The What-Do-You-Mean-You-Don’t-Remember? Syndrome)

Never, Ever Retreat!Syndrome Two:

You-Should-Have-Gotten-That-Earlier

…The analyses of these three types of equations, elliptic, parabolic, and hyperbolic are quite distinct in character. Allowing non-constant coefficients, we see that the solution of a general second-order linear PDE may change character from point to point. These behaviours generalize to nonlinear

PDEs as well. Modern approaches seek methods applicable to non-linear PDEs as well as linear ones. In this context existence and uniqueness results, and theorems concerning the regularity of solutions, are more difficult.


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To PowerPoint, or not to PowerPoint?

What Works? What Doesn’t? Any Drawbacks?

What Do Our Students Want?

Do We Give It to Them?


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Teaching media provide us with other “voices.”

D. E. Levy, 2003.

University of Miami, Ohio.

Education

Technology and Teaching: How Technology Can Improve Classroom Instruction