Constructivism and Technology:
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Technology has dramatically revolutionized the world
within the past twenty years permeating every area of society. To adequately
address the vast applications and uses of technology, I believe the instructional
technique of constructivism can facilitate the knowledgeable student learning
of english. Constructivism's basic intent is to facilitate student growth
and learning through knowledge construction. Constructivism affords both
the educator and the student a structure conducive to higher level thinking,
cognitive flexibility, and intellectual development. The constructivist
theory applied to the study and use of technology within the classroom
enables the student to make hypotheses, test uncertain interpretations,
express an opinion, or argue a perspective.
Technology in a constructivist classroom promotes student discovery, experimentation, and a personal experience of technology. This experiential method facilitates knowledge construction and actively engages students in their own education The constructivist classroom enables student to work alone or within groups. Presently, I have implemented the technological constructivist teaching approach into my own classroom practices. I introduced technology during my student teaching at both Parkland High School and Nitschmann Middle School. At Parkland, I taught an Integrated English/History tenth grade class. Here I utilized the historical backdrop, the Great Depression, of Of Mice and Men to illuminate specific characters within the novel. Technology was again used for my Interdisciplinary unit at Nitschmann Middle School. Here I developed a WebQuest to explore the similarities between Fahrenheit 451 and Nazi Germany. Both exercises utilized both constructivism and technology to facilitate student knowledge and technological proficiency. |
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