Learning & Technology

za 15 oktober 2011 - Klaas-Wybo van der Hoek

Learn more & technology

Learn more & technology

ScienceGuide reports:

Teachers struggle with implementing new technology to create better learning experiences for their students. Darrel M. West from the renowned Brookings Institute points out a number of applications and how they significantly enhance personalized learning and real-time student assessment.

In his recent publication Darrel M. West puts forward ways that teacher can use modern technology and social media to create personalized learning experiences and real-time assessment for students. West works for the renowned Brookings Institute, a U.S. think tank conducting research into a range of social sciences.

He advocates learning in a "personalized and collaborative" environment. With the help of technology students could be assessed in real-time while having access to a wide range of informational resources through social media and digital libraries.

In this framework, teachers "take on the role of coaches, students learn at their own pace, technology tracks student progress, and schools are judged based on the outcomes they produce. Rather than be limited to six hours a day for half the year, this kind of education moves toward 24/7 engagement and learning fulltime

Personalized learning and real-time assessment

West proceeds by pointing out a number of cases that highlight how technology enhanced both the student's experience and outcomes. For her statistics course at Stanford, Professor Daphne Koller employed interactive online modules that include "video pauses and pop-up quizzes to gauge student progress."

According to her, "we teach classes in higher ed the same as the past 400 years. We are constrained by the number of students and classrooms, yet we are teaching due to constraints that are no longer relevant."

West also sees huge potential of technology changing the way students are assessed. Instead of taking a "snapshot" of student performance on one exam day, teachers should trace progress frequently. Measuring student progress more frequently would also give a better understanding of which material or teaching method is most effective for students.
 

See: http://www.scienceguide.nl/201110/us-lessons-teaching-with-technology.aspx