Blog Prompt #6

I think that interactive white boards, Ipads and game based learning are three Educational tools that would work well together in the high school environment if used properly. I think one of the biggest issues I see with ICT being used in the classroom is that teachers are trying to use unconventional tools to teach conventionally. Interactive white boards do not function well when being used for long lectures with a lot of writing involved because they are slower and more complicated than a chalk board. However, interactive white boards are much more powerful than a chalkboard when being used for short well designed presentations. I don’t think that students today need hours of instruction anymore because of the amount of information that is available online. Students need taught how to access what is available to them and how to teach themselves. This is because learning this way is much more engaging than just copying notes but more importantly it is a much more valuable life skill to have.

I think these three tools would most effective if used together. For example if in a math class the teacher could give a short presentation about what exactly they will be covering that day on the interactive white board, then students could answer questions in groups using there Ipads to help them. After the work is complete students could display their answers and resources on the interactive white boards. To get the work more exciting for students it could be presented as a game or competition. This method could apply to many subject areas. One subject area I think would benefit from something like this would be the social sciences. For example history, students in a history class could all be given a section of an historical event to research. Questions could be posted on the interactive white board and as each student posts there answers more and more of the story could be filled in. students could then all save a digital copy of the entire presentation into their notes as well as having the a list of the resources used to make the presentation. 

Students to need use technology in a way that allows them to work independently but keeps them connected with each other. Making learning more independent and interactive will better prepare students for the way they will have to learn in the real world. The possibilities for self-teaching and long learning are endless and students need to be taught how to learn and problem solve rather than memorize content.