While the internet and the World Wide Web offer the opportunity to explore the concept of globalization to the learning environment, there should also be the opportunity for hands-on exploration and investigation. Burniske calls it a “balanced diet” of the “media menu”. For example, while researching forest life on the computer, team this experience with a field trip to the local environment, to connect reality to the research material. “High tech and high touch”, a phrase used in the article to remind us to keep the learners connected to the real world, while still exploring the information available on the internet.
SheilaQuestion for discussion:
What is a “balanced diet” for the learning environment? Should it be one-to-one between technology and real world experience?
Check out these additional resources
“As with any innovation in education, the electronic field trip has the potential to address some learning issues while it raises others..”
http://commtechlab.msu.edu/sites/letsnet/noframes/bigideas/b1/b1theor.html
"Students who used the electronic field trips performed better on the unit tests than the students using only traditional methods,"
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showstory.cfm?ArticleID=5671
Critical Issue: Technology: A Catalyst for Teaching and Learning in the Classroom
http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/methods/technlgy/te600.htm
2 comments:
I think that a balance would be to use the technology for research and learning but then tp use what you have learned from the technology as a starting point and then apply it to real world settings. For example if you use the computer to research local plants once you have the background knowledge of what different local plants are take your students on a nature walk. This is so that they can apply what they have learned from technology into real world settings. I think that a combination of both technology and nature would be good to use in the classroom.
~Kelsey
I agree Kelsey, giving the students the opportunity to explore in "real life" what they have researched would be a great way to deepen their understanding.
.....Sheila
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