Lesson 11: THE COMPUTER AS THE TEACHER’S TOOL

      We shall again look at the computer, but this time from another perspective the computer as the teacher’s handy-tool. It can in fact support the constructivist and social constructivist paradigms of constructivist learning.

DISCUSSION:

1.      What do you say if teacher ask you to gather and memorize information from the Internet? The idea is to prepare you for objectives tests, which are the main evaluation tool of your teacher for his classes.

Ø  I will not do that such thing, because all we cannot gain knowledge if we just memorized the information that we gather I the internet. It is better if we browse the internet to gather information as our guide and conceptualized our own idea that will be presented.  

2.      What do you say if the teacher himself/herself shows students that he/she can most creatively construct multimedia learning packages, and students just listen to his presentations. The idea is to make learners simply listen and absorb lessons during classes.

Ø  It is better if the teacher will also let the student to create an activity so that they will know and experience how to construct multimedia package.

3.      Teachers are told not to use the computer as a Situating Tool if a pre-school child, for example, can actually play-and-build using actual Logo Blocks.Can you name other situation in which actual, physical and hand-on activities can be more productive than computer activities.

Ø  A field trip activities or using mock-up, picture and model for representation.

4.      Situating tools can put users in Africa, the North Pole or the solar system. How can interactive Situating Tool computer activity can be fun and exciting in these cases?

Ø  We can browse or surf the internet and download picture or video about the activity in Africa that can be presented in class.