Virtual Connections
The courses you teach may have several virtual connections that encourage students to think beyond the immediate material. How will you address that in the classroom in a way that will keep the students excited about the course and its objectives?
The course I teach has Internet connection and students have access to a computer at their desk. I use YouTube videos to expand on the subject I am teaching or to generate discussions on controversial topics. I also have students work in groups and create a PowerPoint during class time and then teach the topic they researched to the rest of the class. No snoozing in my class!
ILEANA,
Great use of varied media and I encourage you to include the same variety when asking students to "produce" work in the class. Great job!
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Depending on the subject matter, the student sometimes can hit different websites that we provide for them and they are allowed to go to them during the school hours to get the information for their lab projects. Sometimes they will find videos on their own time that pertain to the subject matter that we are teaching and they will share amoung themselves to help them understand the material alot better.
Ricky,
Can you think of ways your students could also generate the content themselves using the Internet and multimedia tools? This would help close the learning cycle.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
In some classes they have to be able to navigate through the web pages of specific sites to answer the questions.
The student i see are far more advanced with computer technolgy than i. this is a teach and learn enviorment. Most of the students are hungery for advanced techo learning
steve,
That is true for many instructors. In fact in any group of people, there are wide ranges of technology knowledge and skill. That is why establishing a culture of exploration and innovation in your class will help you and the students learn more.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Making students aware of how the class and real life relate can engage learning. On top of that we use sofware to bring the paper to life, this is key to most students and making them aware of this sometimes proves its weight.
brandon,
Good points - engagement and application can be heightened using new technology. Can you share some specific examples?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Can you say internet? Having this as a tool for say impacts some students more than words. I have been in the classroom now for two years and in that short time I have noticed some students almost lean on this option....I do not think that teaching should rely on virtual connections but in some situations this could be the answer for the student to grasp the material in general.
brandon,
The Internet is a tool that can support learning and provide more opportunties for research and exploration for students. Integrating this tool in the learning design, however, provides a richer context within which students can learn. How do you think you can move from just providing access to the Internet to integrating it within the actual design of instruction?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
what i have done is have them pull up things on the internet so i can show. with the class i teach lot of them read magazines and shoe me some new things i didnt know about and use my own personal items so they can see in action
james,
Great! So you create a learning community with your students. Student-initiated content development is central to the customization of the learning enviornment for each student.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
.During my class I express the point that the more they put into the school the more money potential. I also show some of the latest and greatest tools to perform their jobs with great success. I also explain that there are many recourses for them to obtain the information they will need.
Having students share different methods and what was found in the class room and lab and on the web. Then ask students what the drawbacks and advantage would be of using them are. Ask for examples from students and nothing like showing what takes place when doing a lab.
Joseph,
Good examples...how effective have you found these approaches to be with your students?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
First off,the instructor must be up to date on the material that is beyond the immediate! If your opening statement on the first day of class shows that you are passionate about what you are teaching and conveys the message that you are there to teach them as much as possible, then most of the battle is won. Students tend to view additional info as icing on the cake and can show them what is possible [if outside info is highly technical this can help] to achieve with some additional study. Some students will not care about extra info but some can't get enough! It is this type of student that really benefits from more material. One must be careful with this however, as it is easy to get carried away and end up teaching at a level that is too advanced.
bob,
I can tell you are an energetic and passionate teacher who loves it when his students do well :) That is great! Yes, some students always want more and others find even the minimum a chore. This is taken with them into the workplace, however, and some will then do better than others in a professional environment. As you say, our job as instructors is to try with EVERY student to help him/her reach his/her full potential.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Our curriculum uses several methods for virtual connections. The internet connections are used for service information and recent bulletins. We also use the internet resources for web-based knowledge training and testing. Out in the lab environment we use the manufacturer specific tools and connections to look up information, do diagnosis testing and test component functionality. Introducing and demonstrating these different methods in the classroom and lab keep the students engaged in the learning process.
