The two chapters we read this week in Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works (Pitler, Hubbell, and Kuhn, 2012) were full of fabulous strategies that truly exude cognitivism. I'd like to focus on one resource from each chapter to explore more deeply.
In chapter 4, Pitler, et al., introduce the reader to the idea of using graphic organizers as a tool for organizing and brainstorming. Using this type of a tool is a great way to build those connections and networks within the brain. The more connections a student has to a certain piece of information, the more ways he/she has to retrieve the information when need. A great free website for building online graphic organizers is from ReadWriteThink.org. There are also lessons below for teachers to use with the tool.
Chapter 6 focuses on note taking. This is a very applicable skill that students will need as they progress through school. I really liked the Rule-Based Summarizing table (Pitler, et al., p. 148). Those give some great tips on how to help students take effective notes. I especially like tip #3, "Replace a list of things with a word that describes the things in the list (e.g., use the word trees for elm, oak, and maple). This allows students to build connections with in words and vocabulary. I think a great strategy to for the use of technology with note taking would be collaborative note taking using a resource such as GoogleDocs, Evernote, or even a wiki. This would allow students to not only contribute, but to review the material that they have heard, thus elaborating on the instruction and notes they've already taken. The down side to this would be figuring out how to manage contributions. It would be important for the students to know that the teachers can track the changes made to the document and who made those changes and contributions.
Both of these strategies would be very useful when engaging students in a virtual field trip. I know our assignment is to use a graphic organizer, but I also think students could engage in collaborative note taking. It would be very powerful to see what kind of a summary students could build in a wiki after engaging in a virtual field trip that they may never have the opportunity to see in person. Building those experiences helps to strengthen the connections in the brain. I would have loved to have read what one of the groups from the virtual field trip that we watched in the second video segment could have come up with on Ford Theater and the assassination of President Lincoln (Laureate Education, Inc. n.d.). What an amazing experience.
To conclude, it is important for teachers to go to whatever lengths possible to increase the frequency of exposure to new information, by making sure it is represented in multiple ways. Also, it is important that students have the opportunity to connect their learning to prior knowledge and to elaborate upon that knowledge to create stronger connections and networks within their memory.
Resources
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Cognitive learning theories [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d.). Spotlight on technology: Virtual field trips [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
Hi, Amber! I enjoyed reading your post.
ReplyDeleteI giggled when I read your statement,
"I think a great strategy to for the use of technology with note taking would be collaborative note taking using a resource such as GoogleDocs, Evernote, or even a wiki."
Weren't you in our group for the last class when we all sprouted new gray hairs with that wiki assignment?
That was a learning experience, for sure! I definitely think wikis are an amazing tool for collaborative work - and would be awesome for note taking, however, I think it is very important to explore the wiki operation before hand and set up parameters for posting. I do believe that was my most frustrating grad assignment to date!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I hope your week is going well!
Jessica Burnette
3rd Grade - Math / Science
Woodruff, SC
That is funny, Jessica! Yes, I was in your group and yes, gray hairs we sprouted all over this great country on that one! However, I think this is where it would be important for teachers to model how to navigate a wiki. Whether that means a video tutorial if it is distance or a live lesson using the Gradual Release of Responsibility model. Just as Orey said in his segment, for the greatest chance of retention to take place, the use of multiple senses is the best. I am a visual learner, so just reading about something or listening to someone talk does not work for me very well. I want some one to SHOW me how to do it, then allow me to explore on my own.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment!
Amber
Amber,
ReplyDeleteI like your suggestion for having students participate in collaborative note taking. I think that using Google Docs would be a great way for students to take notes together. Students could be taking notes on the Google Doc during the virtual field trip. This way they have all their ideas recorded as they come across new information. I agree that virtual field trips are a great way for students to build their connections to new learning. Thanks for sharing many suggestions on ways students can take notes during the virtual field trip.
Erin Eickman
In review of a lot of our classmates posting it seems as though Google docs is being integrate by a lot of you however I have not used this. I was also in your last class where we examined wikis and I thought that it was amazing (after the first bit of confusion on what exactly a wiki was) tool that brought people from all areas together. I have been trying to plan out the best time to integrate this idea however after reviewing this and other blogs I feel i must investigate the use of Google docs. Perhaps this is a tool that can be brought in instead of wiki's. I do feel thought that collaborative note taking takes a lot of the responsibility of students away and leaves the door open for more students to fall behind. If you can get all students engaged in note taking that would be one thing however I can foresee a lot of my students relying on the "smart kids" to do the work as the rest coast.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Cody. There is definitely the potential for students to not engage in the expectation of contributing to the note taking. However, I think there could be ways to manage this using Google Docs. When students add something to the notes, you can require them to "highlight" their addition and then add a comment to it. Even if they leave the comment blank, it still time stamps it with their name. If the teacher were to set the expectation that each person must contribute a certain amount, it is possible to avoid the lackadaisical tendencies of some students to a certain extent. I would encourage you to give Google Docs a try. :-)
DeleteThanks for your comments!
Amber