Lesson 10: The Computer As A Tutor

     
The computer is one of the wonders of human ingenuity, even in its original design in the 1950s to carry out complicated mathematical and logical operations. With the invention of the microcomputer ( now also commonly referred to PCs or personal computers), the PC has become the tool for programmed instruction.

    Educators saw much use of the PC. It has become affordable to small business, industries and homes. They saw its potential for individualization in learning, especially as individualized learning is a problem since teachers usually with a class of forty one or more learners. They therefore devised strategies to use the computer to break the the barriers to individualized instruction.

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI)

        The computer can be a tutor in effect relieving the teacher of many activities in his personal role as classroom tutor. It should be made clear, however, that the computer cannot totally replace the teacher since the teacher shall continue to play the major roles of information deliverer and learning environment controller. Even with the available computer and CAI software, the teacher must:

• Decide the appropriate learning objectives.
• Plan the sequential and structured activities to achieve objectives.
• Evaluate the students' achievement by ways of tests the specific expected outcomes.

 On the other hand, the students in CAI play their own roles as learners as they:

• receive information.
• understand instructions for the computer activity
• retain/keep in mind the information and rules for the computer activity
• apply the knowledge and rules during the process of computer learning.

      
During the computer activity proper in CAI the computer, too, plays its role as it:

• acts as a sort of tutor ( the role traditional played by the teacher)
• provides a learning environment.
• delivers learning instruction.
• reinforces learning trough drill-and-practice.
• provides feedback.

       Today, educators accept the fact that the computer has indeed succeeded in proving an individualized learning environment so difficult for a teacher handling whole classes. This is so, since the computer is able to allow individual students to learn at their own pace, motivate learning through a challenging virtual learning environment, assist students through information needed during the learning process, evaluate student responses through immediate feedback during the learning process, and also given the total score to evaluate the student's total performance.

    CAI Integrated with Lessons
       CAI computer learning should not stop with the drill and practice activities of students. In effect, CAI works best in reinforcing learning through repetitive exercises such that students can practice basic skills or knowledge in various subject areas. Common types of drill and practice programs include vocabulary building, math facts, basic science, and history or geography facts. In these programs, the computer presents a question/problem first and the student is asked to answer to the question/problem. Immediate feedback is given to the student's answer. After a number of practice problems and at the end of the exercise, the students get summary of his overall performance.

       The question arises: When and how can teachers integrate drill and practice programs with their lessons? 


The following suggestions can be made:  

 

• Use drill and practice programs for basic skills and knowledge that require rapid or automatic response by students (e.g. multiplication table, letter and word recognition, identification of geometric shapes, etc.)
• Ensure that drill and practice activities conform to the lesson plan/curriculum.
• Limit drill and practice to 20-30 minutes to avoid boredom.
• Use drill and practice to assist students with particular weakness in basic skills.

      In integrating computer programs in instruction, use tutorial software associated with cognitive learning. 


While practice, exercise or learning-by-doing is still the heart of each tutorial, the tutorial software should be able to:

• teach new content/new information to students (inasmuch as CAI provides practice on old or already learned content).
• provide comprehensive information on concepts in addition to practice exercises.
• can be effectively used for remediation, reviewing, or enrichment.
• allow the teacher to introduce follow-up questions to stimulate students learning.
• permits group activity for cooperative learning.

SIMULATION PROGRAMS

     Simulation software materials are another kind of software that is constructivist in nature. These simulation software:

• teaches strategies and rules applied to real-life problems/situations.
• asks students to make decision on models or scenarios.
• allows students to manipulate elements of a  model and get the experience of the effects of their decisions.

An example of such software is SimCity in which students are allowed to artificially manage a city given an imaginary city environment. Decision-making involve such factors as budget, crime, education, transportation, energy resources, waste disposal, business/industries available.

INSTRUCTIONAL GAMES

         While relating to low-level learning objectives, instructional computer games add the elements of competition and challenge.

          An example is GeoSafari which introduces adventure activities for Geography History and Science. The program can be played by up to four players to form teams. learning outcomes can be achieved along simple memorization of information, keyboarding skills, cooperation and social interaction, etc.

PROBLEM SOLVING SOFTWARE

           These are more sophisticated than the drill and practice exercises and allow students to learn and improve on their problem solving ability. Since problems cannot be solved simply by memorizing facts, the students, have to employ higher thinking skills such as logic, recognition, reflection, and strategy-making.

       The Thinking Things 1 is an example of a problem solving software in which the team learners must help each other by observing, comparing.

MULTIMEDIA ENCYCLOPEDIA AND ELECTRONIC BOOKS

           The Multimedia Encyclopedia can store a huge database with texts, images, animation, audio and video. students can access any desired information, search its vast contents, and even download/print relevant portions of the data for their composition or presentation. An example is the eyewitness Children's Encyclopedia.

      Electronic books provide textual information for reading, supplemented by other types of multimedia information. These are useful for learning reading, spelling and word skills. Examples are just Grandma and Me animated storybook which offer surprises for the young learner's curiosity.

Lesson 9: Computers as Information and Communication Technology

Through computer technology, educators saw the amplification of learning along with computer literacy. Much Like reading, the modern student can now interact with computer messages; even respond to questions or to computer commands. Again like writing, the learner can form messages using computer language or program.

          Some computer-assisted instruction (CAI) was introduced using the principle of individualized learning through a positive climate that includes realism and appeal with drill, exercises that uses color, music and animation. The novelty of CAI has not waned to this day especially in the basic education level as this is offered by computer-equipped private schools. But the evolving pace of innovation in today’s Information Age is so dynamic that within the first decade of the 21^st century, computer technology in education has matured to transform into an educative information and communication technology (ICT) in education.

                                                                           The Personal Computer (PC) as ICT

          Until the nineties, it was still possible to distinguish between instructional media and the educational communication media.

          Instructional media consist of audio-visual aids that served to enhanced and enrich the teaching-learning process. Examples are the blackboard, photo, film and video.

          On the other hand, educational communication media comprise the media of communication. For example, the distance learning was implemented using correspondence, radio, television, or the computer satellite system.

          Close to the turn of the 21^st century, however, such a distinction merged owing to the advent of the microprocessor, also known as the personal computer (PC). This is due to the fact that the PC user at home, office and school has before him a tool for both audio-visual creations and media communication.

Lesson 8: Higher Thinking Skills through IT-Based Projects

 In this lesson, we shall discuss four types of IT-based projects which can effectively be used in order to engage students in activities of a higher plane of thinking. To be noted id the fact that these projects differ in the specific process and skills employed, also in the ultimate activity or platform used to communicate completed products to others.

            It is to be understood that these projects do not address all of the thinking skills shown previously in the Thinking Skills Framework. But these projects represent constructivist projects.

            Key Elements of a constructivist approach:

a)      The teacher creating the learning environment.

b)      The teacher giving students the tool

c)      The teacher facilitating learning.

Now let us see four IT-based projects conducive to develop higher thinking skills and creativity among learners.

I.   RESOURCE-BASED PROJECTS

The teacher steps out of the traditional role of being an context expert and information provider, and instead lets the students find their own facts and information.

The general flows of events in resource-based projects are:

1. The teacher determines the topic for the examination of class.
2. The teacher presents the problem to the class.
3. The students find information on the problem/questions.
4. Students organize their information in response to the problem/questions.

TRADITIONAL AND RESOURCE-BASED LEARNING

Traditional learning model	Resource-based learning model
Teacher is expert and information provides	Teacher is a guide and facilitator
Textbook is key source of information	Sources are varied(print, video. Internet, etc.)
Focus on facts Information is packaged In neat parcels	Focus on learning inquiry, quest, or discovery
The product is the be-all and end-all of learning	Emphasis on process
Assessment is quantitative	Assessment is quantitative and qualitative.

II.   SIMPLE CREATIONS  

In developing software, creativity as an outcome should not be equated with ingenuity or high intelligence. Creating is more consonant with planning, making, assembling, designing or building.

Three kinds of skills/abilities:

·        Analyzing- distinguishing similarities and differences/ seeing the project as a problem to be solved.

·        Synthesizing- making spontaneous connections among ideas, does generating interesting or new ideas.

·        Promoting- selling of a new ideas to allow the public to test the ideas themselves.

The five key task to develop creativity:

1. Define the task- clarify the goal of the completed project to the student.
2. Brainstorm- the students themselves will be allowed to generate their own ideas on the project. Rather than shoot down ideas, the teacher encourages ideas exchange.
3. Judge the ideas- the students themselves make an appraisal for or against any idea. Only when students are completely off check should the teacher intervene.
4. Act- the students do their work with the teacher a facilitator.
5. Adopt flexibility- the students should be allowed to shift gears and not follow an action path rigidly.

III.  GUIDED HYPERMEDIA PROJECTS

The production of self-made multimedia projects can be approached into different ways:

1. Instructive tools- such as in the production by students of a power point presentation of a selective topic.
2. Constructive tools- such as when students do a multi-media presentation (with text, graphs, photos, audio narration, interviews, video clips, etc. to simulate a television news show.

IV. WEB-BASED PROJECTS

Students can be made to create and post web pages on a given topic. But creating new pages, even single page web pages, maybe tool sophisticated and time consuming fort the average student.

            It should be said, however, that posting of web pages in the Internet allows the students (now the web page creator) a wider audience. They can also be linked with other related sites in the Internet. But as of now, this creativity project maybe to ambitious as a tool in the teaching-learning process.

Lesson 7: Evaluation of Technology Learning

This lesson talks about change of standard student’s evaluation. Evaluative are the tools for essential in teaching – learning process. Evaluation must be geared to assessment of essential knowledge and skills so that learners can function effectively, productively and creatively in a new world. It must use evaluative tools that measure the new basic skills of the 21^st century digital culture; the solution fluency, information fluency, collaboration fluency, creative fluency media fluency and digital citizenship. This involvement of digital instructional materials and digital learners into digital world are also part of the lesson. The lesson also gives an emphasis about the effectiveness of assessment for the learners. The content is about the evaluative tools for 21st century. This lesson focuses on how future educators developed the effective and efficient way of teaching using appropriate and updated evaluation tools. The teachers must adopt a new mindset of instructing and evaluating the learners.  

The lesson also reviews the six basic digital skills that are connected to the achievement of the highly competent way of evaluating. Apart from discussing the evaluation process for the 21st century, the lesson also defines the mass amateurization.

Mass amateurization 

is the change of evaluation approach, from the amateur creator of outputs to professional creator of outcomes and products. It gives an impression to the teachers and learners that high technologies are very essential for the learning and evaluating process. In this lesson, it emphasizes the role of digital instructions in the modern times especially in evaluating student outputs. As efforts are exerted to go digital in instruction, we need to also go digital in learning. Today, students are expected to be not only cognitive, but also flexible, analytical, and creative. 

Lesson 6: Developing Basic Digital Skills

 

With the boost of technology in education as we call it today our learners is the new digital world of information and communication technology (ICT). Teaching need to be equip with the sic fluency skills. Basic literacies will not replace the 3 R’s (reading, writing and arithmetic), but they will be complemented by six essential skills to equip students for success in the millennial world. The fluency skills are the solution fluency, information fluency, collaboration fluency, media fluency, creativity fluency and digital ethics.

a.       Solution fluency. This refers to the capacity and creativity in problem solving students define a problem, design solution, apply the solution, and assess the process and results.

 b.      Information fluency. It involves 3 subsets of skills, the ability to access information, retrieve information, and to reflect on, assess and rewrite for instructing information  packages. 

 c.       Collaboration fluency. Refers to teamwork with virtual, real partners in the online environment.    

 d.      Media fluency. This refers to channels of mass communication/digital sources.

e.       Creativity fluency. Adds meaning by way of design, art and storytelling to package a message.

f.       Digital fluency. The digital citizen is guided by principles of leadership, global responsibility, environmental awareness, global citizenship and period accountability.
These six fluencies reflect the process skills. In reading for example single text reading becomes less important with the empowerment process of being embedded by varied informative educational and recreational literature, textual, audiovisual, and digital. As students engaged in the problem-solving process, assessment will also need to focus on the 4 D’s (define, design, do, debrief) that empower students to solve problems using higher-level and practical learning. In media fluency we were able to use the social media. We also able to post our own BlogSpot dealing with the topics on Edtech2.