Chapter 7

This chapter is about how to evaluate educational technology. The evaluation of student software involves analyzing if it is appropriate when used to enhance the learning process. If technology isn’t helping students to achieve a better understanding of the material it’s not doing the job. You should always compare your students understanding of the subject matter before using the program and after use performance should improve. The program must also be motivational. If the student has no interest in how the information is presented, they won’t want to learn and will only perform to “get by,” not to learn. Lastly the technology should address the curriculum and learning objectives. Even if the technology works, if it doesn’t address the subject matter it shouldn’t be used in the classroom. Outside information, with no connection to what is taught in class will confuse the student and take away from what the teacher is teaching.

Since last week I have been reinforced in my belief that computers are unreliable. Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate the value of computers. My best friend lives in London, England and the only way to talk to her is on-line. I also love photography and the computer effects are amazing. I love the fast info, immediate and cheap advertising, and the worldwide individual expression….. However, the ease downgrades work done by hand, and the unreliability makes me nervous. Though I love to type my work because of the speed and immediate perfect legibility I hate it when my work is deleted and lost. I always print copies because computers make me nervous. I have always had trouble with work getting lost or files erasing, or my entire computer deciding to break one day. In the last class I realized even though computers can be great for learning they can also be frustrating for the teacher if something doesn’t work. I think I am more skeptical of computer use. I would definitely categorize myself as someone who would seldom use computers in the classroom, aside from brief visual presentations.

One thing I would like to do for my class is to use movies. I think that movies can teach a lot in a short amount of time. I also think they reach a different type of learner and help to capture the attention of all students. Another visual aid that would be helpful is power point. This would help students learn how to visually organize notes they take in class, and keep them focused during a lecture.