Lesson 17

Tablets for Textbooks in Schools

                  

   Tablet for learning is still futuristic, but to day, books are still primary of medium of instruction in must schools. These will be replaced by digital technology reading tools, but there are now perceptions that virtual literary may very well ease out textual print literary, the disadvantages of using books for learning are being debated upon. the load of books and work books are backbreaking due to their weight and size. publishing and printing millions of books are just too expensive. The errors in public schools textbooks have also exposed, errors resulting from information, technical mistakes and editorial lapses.Technology is being viewed as a savior. Learning technology along with other audio-visual aids to teaching-and-learning.

      This lesson is trying to aid the inconvenience of having books as the primary medium of instruction wherein every day, students will bring a lot of heavy books. They are suggesting to have a digital-based medium of instruction specifically the use of computers or tablets for convenience. However, tablets-for-learning is still futuristic because of most common reason, finances.  Nevertheless, through both books and tablets help in students' learning, we cannot deny the fact that students nowadays would prefer those that are modern.

Lesson 16

  The Internet and Education

     

         The Internet also called the net, us the largest and far-flung network system of all systems. Everything in the internet is coordinated through standardized protocol called Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol.  The vast sea of information now in the internet, including news and trivia, is an overwhelming challenge to those who wish to navigate it. 

Today schools are gearing up to take advantage of Internet access, where they can plug into the library of congress, make virtual visits to famous museums in the worlds, write to celebrities, and even send questions to heads of states. 

        Educational software materials have also developed both in sophistication and appeal. There is now a wider choice from rote arithmetic or grammar lessons to discovery and innovation projects. But the real possibility today's is connecting with the worlds outside homes, classroom, and internet classes. 

Lesson 15

Understanding Hypermedia

        Hypermedia is nothing but multimedia, but this time packaged as an educational computer software where information is presented and student activities are integrated in a virtual learning environment. Most educational IT applications are hypermedia and these include:

1.Tutorial software packages

2. Knowledge webpages

3. Simulation instructional games

4. Learning project management, and others

     The presentation of information-learning activities in hypermedia is said to be sequenced in a non-linear manner, meaning that the learner may follow his path of activities thus providing an environment of learner autonomy and thinking skills.

The flight simulator used to train pilots is an example of a highly developed hypermedia program. Observe that it simulates an environment that allows student pilots to practice authentic (as is needed to be done in the real world) tasks while reducing the load of the cognitive mode of learning.

Characteristics of hypermedia applications

   There are two important features that are outstanding—among other features – that characterize the hypermedia software:

1. Learner control.

                 This means the learner makes his own decisions on the path, flow or events of instruction.

2. Learner wide range of navigation routes.

         The learner controls the sequence and pace of his path depending on his ability and motivation.

3. Variety of media.

    Includes more than one media (text, graphics, audio, animation and video clip) but does not necessarily use all types of media in one presentation.

      In the use of hypermedia the following instructional events will prove useful to the teacher:

1. Get the learner’s attention

2. Recall prior learning

3. Inform learners of lesson objectives

4. Introduce the software and its distinctive features

5. Guide learning, eliciting performance

6. Provide learning feedback

7. Assess performance

8. Enhance retention and learning transfer

Lesson 14

The Software as an Educational Resource

   

    This lesson is all about the software system that could be used in teaching and learning process. The computer is useless if the software is not installed in it. This lesson not just how to use computer or even know what are the parts that comprises a computer. We will begin our lesson by knowing what are the two kinds of software.

     

There are two kinds of software:

1. The system software. This is the operating system that is found or bundled inside all computer machines.

2. The application software. This contains the system that commands the particular task or solves a particular problem.

In turn the applications software may be:

(a) A custom software that is made for specific tasks often by large corporations,

(b) A commercial software packaged for personal computers that helps with a variety of tasks such as writing papers, calculating numbers, drawing graphs, playing games, and so much more.

Microsoft Windows

    - is a series of operating system produced by the Microsoft, it is an operating system between the user and the computer. 

Instructional software can be visited on the Internet or can be bought from software shops or dealers. The teacher through his school should decide on the best computer-based instructional (CBI) materials for the school resource collection. But beware since CBIs need much improvement, while web-based educational resources are either extremely good or what is complete garbage.

Lesson 13

        Cooperative Learning with the Computer

      The creativity of the teacher will have to respond to the situation, and so cooperative learning will likely be the answer to the implementation of IT supported learning in our schools. But the situation may not be that bad since there are motivational and social benefits to cooperative learning and these can compensate for lack of hardware that educators face.

Defining cooperative learning

    Cooperative or collaborative learning is learning by small groups of students who work together in a common learning task. It is often also called group learning but to be truly cooperative learning, 5 elements are needed:

1. A common goal

2. Interdependence

3. Interaction

4. Individual accountability

5. Social skills

  Therefore not every group work is cooperative learning since students working on their work sheets physically sat around a table may be working together without these features of cooperative learning.

From several studies made on cooperative learning, it is manifested that cooperative learning in its true sense is advantageous since it:

(a) Encourage active learning, while motivating students

(b) Increases academic performance

(c) Promotes literacy and language skills

(d) Improves teacher effectiveness

Cooperative learning and the computer.

     Researchers have made studies on the learning interaction between the student and the computer. The studies have great value since it has been a long standing fear that the computer may foster student learning in isolation that hinders the development of the student’s social skills.