Ch 8 & 9

- When and how do teachers act as designers?

Teachers are always acting as designers. Teachers must design lesson plans, assignments and activities. The teacher assesses the student’s needs and creates a lesson that will meet their needs. A teacher can use several design tools such as computer programs to aid classroom instruction.

- Select one of the followings and explain what it is and how it can be used in classroom: SketchUp, Trebuchet Simulator, Model Car Design, Scratch, iStopMotion, Impromptu. 

iStopMotion is a computer program that enables students to create animated movies. The students can manipulate clay figures on the screen to create a story or they can record a video on a camera and use the program to edit the story. The good thing about this program is that it is easy to use and can be used by students in elementary school. Students can create a story a present it to the classroom.

- Explain "Digital Storytelling by Kate Kemker." What do you think it would work in your classroom?

Digital storytelling is creating a video in three steps. First the student makes an outline of their story on a piece of paper. Then they use a camcorder to shoot the video. Finally the student uses a computer program to edit the video. This project encourages students to use critical thinking and it is a fun and creative way for a student to share their assignment with the class. I could use digital storytelling in my high school Spanish class. I would tell students to draft a story in Spanish on a piece of paper and then create the video and share it with the class.

- Mathematics is one of the most abstract subject-matter domains. Helping students to visualize mathematical concepts is very useful in helping students make math real. What other methods suggested in the textbook will also help make math more real to students?

The book suggests using some technological tools for visual aid in mathematics. There are several computer programs such as Mathematica and Mathlab that show visual representations of the problem. I actually have experience with Mathlab and it is a very helpful program because it shows examples, videos and online lessons. The book also suggests using graphing calculators, data sets and statistics software.

- Is it possible to learn from TV alone?--that is, learn how to do something merely from watching TV instruction? 

I think that television can be a very helpful tool for learning but I do not think that someone can learn how to do something merely from watching TV. I think face-to-face instruction is very important because the teacher can tell when a student does not understand something and they can go back and explain the material again. Classroom activities and student interaction are also very important for learning.

Reference:

Jonassen, David H., and David H. Jonassen. Meaningful Learning with Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.