Assessing Meaningful Learning with Technology

Authentic and Performance Assessment

It is logical that in order to evaluate meaningful learning, there must be meaningful assessments. Jonassen proposes that we rid ourselves of the old, outdated forms of assessment and pursue authentic assessment that matches the authentic learning that is taking place. I would agree that it makes no sense to have a well thought out lesson, with authentic, meaningful learning, and then continue to have a meaningless list of questions for a student to answer. Traditional quizzes are in not necessarily bad, but they just might be inappropriate.

It is commonly known among educators, that proper assessment tests what the student has learned, and should be in a way that the student learned it. Just as it is illogical for a baseball player to practice, practice, practice his curve ball and then never throw it. If he just took a quiz on proper form at the end…what was the point? In the same way, a student should practice, practice, practice for the game! This might not be the best analogy…but it makes sense to me!

Technology-Based Assessments

With my first glance at this section I thought, “I hope this is more than just an online test or quiz!” I think that many teachers may look at a test on the computer as an alternative form of assessment. I would strongly disagree. Even though it may be slightly more enjoyable or even slightly easier (depending on the student this may or may not be true) to use a computer, this is definitely not an alternative assessment.

Jonassen addresses this specifically when he says, “the use of technology to support assessment has developed beyond simply placing traditional forms of assessment in digital format.” While I was happy at first to hear that he agreed with me, I realized that it was probably Jonassen who taught me to think of technology in these terms in the first place!

My Assessment of the Assessment for EME 4401

AHA! So this is the chapter where the learning artifacts came from! While I can’t say that I enjoy creating learning artifacts (mostly because I am a college student who sees them as just another obligation getting in the way of my Tuesday evenings ;)), I can say that I learn a lot from them. I am actually forced to think about the content and to create my own demonstration of learning. These are phrases that I have used before in describing assessments, but through the learning artifacts I feel as though I actually have some personal experience to support the statements. When I write my reflection I am actually mediating on the material at hand. I apply it to prior knowledge almost unintentionally. While it may not feel like I am learning a whole lot, the truth of the matter is that I am actually retaining knowledge. Instead of simply memorizing information for a test or answering a list of questions to get a check plus, I really feel that new knowledge is being assimilated into my brain. Even though my motivation to produce these artifacts is external, along the way I do, in fact, learn.

I agree that on-going assessment through electronic portfolios (which this blog kind of is) is a meaningful way of assessment. It provides students with the opportunity to present their best work, work that they have constructed and made meaning out of on their own.

I also appreciated Jonassen’s views on how E-portfolios offer teachers flexibility in terms of how they are implemented. Teachers can offer feedback along the way and even open up the floor for peer review. I am a huge advocate of ongoing assessment for students. This kind of assessment sets students up for success; it rids assessment of some of the misunderstandings that can come with communication of expectations for projects or assignments. If a student misunderstands part of the assignment, as the teacher gives feedback the student can be directed in the right way. Part of my job as a teacher will be to set my students up to succeed and learn.

As I analyze the format of this class, I can see the intentionality in the way that assessment takes place. The contracts set us up for success. We know exactly what will be expected of us to receive and A, B or C. This fulfills that consuming craving that has been deeply instilled in us to get good grades. Within the contracts, there are clear expectations for each assignment…but not in the form of a grading scale. Through our artifacts we are required only to demonstrate our learning. If the instructor feels as though we adequately demonstrated learning, then we receive credit for that learning. If we have not properly demonstrated learning, than we can try again.

I think that the types of assignments we are given foster meaningful learning, and that the assessment system matches the meaningfulness of the assignments. It is not busy work or mindless production, but real learning is taking place and then being demonstrated. Learning by doing and learning by reflecting. Even in the assessments, learning is taking place.

Clickers and Rubrics

I have never been in a classroom at any educational level that has used clickers. I have heard about classrooms using them at the university level, but never at an elementary level. From what I have heard from peers, clickers are used for enormous auditorium classes to take attendance or short quizzes. I have never heard good feedback from them. After reading Jonassens take on them, I can see how they could be potentially beneficial in the classroom. I can see how assessing in real time can benefit a teacher's instruction and allow her to change instruction to meet student needs very quickly. It is hard to formatively assess the entire class all at once, but clickers can allow that to happen. Even when a teacher asks questions to check the entire classes understanding, it is often through a raising of the hand or some other visual communication. Students can easily read each other, and not really know the answers themselves. While this kind of "cheating" can still happen with clickers, I think it is a little less likely.

Rubrics are not all that new to me as an education student. I have created them a lot, and most things that are graded in my classes are done through rubrics.

Visualizing with Technologies

Visualizing Scientific Ideas:

It seems that many of these technologies are not necessarily suitable for use in the elementary classroom. While students can definitely take advantage of these types of programs…I see it being less likely that they create with them. Chemistry visualization tools, for example, are both not necessary in the elementary classroom and too advanced for young students to handle. Geographic Information Systems are good for supporting students’ spatial thinking, but would be used for the upper elementary students at best. Students may benefit from this program by playing with created projects, but designing and creating projects would be unrealistic.

Google Earth and Google Maps could be used to better understand geography concepts and directions. This could be beneficial to students are they learn about directions and how to give them. This could be a great way to make learning meaningful and put it in context. Teaching right and left and other basic special awareness concepts could be done in context of maps and Google Earth images.

Visualizing Mathematical Ideas:

It is well known in the education world that students need/should be provided with visual aids and representations for math. Every week in my Elementary Mathematics Methods class we go over a different topic in the realm of elementary math. For each topic, ranging from counting, to patterns, to fractions to geometry, there is an accommodations section. Something that always comes up in this section is the use of visual aids. It seems that almost any student with any type of learning disability can benefit from visual aid. Not to be politically incorrect, but I would agree with many educators in the idea that “normal” students can also benefit from these visual aids, and they should not be used solely for students with learning disabilities.

With all of that said, I will begin to address the different technologies mentioned in Jonassen’s section on visualizing mathematical ideas. He states that most of the research on these tools has been conducted in universities, and that because of their power and complexity they are seldom used with K-12 students. I would have hoped for more information on lower level technologies.

Jonassen first mentions graphing calculators. Having taken pre-calculus and calculus in high school, I have a very strong foundation in using a graphing calculator. I recall how helpful it was to actually see the graphs that I often charted out with numbers and symbols. It was, as Jonassen said, difficult to distinguish important features of functional relationships. While it was true that the picture/graph helped me visualize the equation, I still would say that my learning experience was not meaningful at all. Technology did its job in aiding understanding, but I think the gap came in the lack of context of the math in general.

TinkerPlots is one of the programs that actually address elementary school (grades 4-8). It is a very minimalistic introduction to statistics concepts, charting, and data analysis. I find this tool to have great potential in aiding meaningful learning in an elementary math classroom. The problem with most mathematics instruction is that it is not contextual in the least. A few word problems at the end of a drill and practice worksheet does not count as contextual learning. Learning is not relevant to the student, it is not constructive, and there is typically no collaboration whatsoever. I think that a program like TinkerPlots can throw learning into a constructive, relevant, collaborative process for students. By posing a problem, a question, or asking for a prediction, students become engaged and find purpose. When they are required to collect, display, and analyze their data, learning becomes constructive, and students partake in something meaningful.

In this case, I am not sure whether or not the technology is “worth it.” Meaningful learning for this type of mathematics could occur without TinkerPlots, albeit the program would make learning a little more exciting. Getting students excited about math is one of the biggest issues in my opinion, but often contextual learning can grab and maintain interest. I checked out the cost of this program, and for a single user it would be $89.95. The 1o-user lab is the next up on the list, and it is $299.95. If a school were to invest in a school-site license, the program would cost $999.95. I would say that it might be worth it to put this program on one computer in the math classroom. All students could still benefit from the program, students would just need to work collaboratively in groups, and different groups would use it at different times.

Geometric Supposer appears to be a little more advanced than elementary geometry needs to be. Although it is not intended for elementary students, I think that they could still benefit from using the program. It allows users to create and test geometric objects, and even while learning basic geometry skills, elementary students could be aided in understanding geometric properties and relationships. I do not, however, think that this technology would be worth it for an elementary classroom. There are other ways to help students visualize and understand geometry at an early level. A big part of geometry in elementary school is keeping it contextual with shapes, patterns and other geometric concepts around them. I think that a program like Geometric Supposer might give the message that geometry is not practical or relevant in daily life. The program appears to lack any context or problem solving as it focuses solely on the creating and manipulating geometric objects.

Visualizing with Digital Cameras and Mobile Phones:

As we have discussed in our Technology class on multiple occasions, elementary age students are exposed to technology almost non-stop on every day. They have cell phones, digital cameras, text message, and so on. It is my personal opinion that instead of trying to keep that technology out of the classroom, it should somehow be incorporated inside the classroom. Mobile phone and digital cameras could be great fun for the students to learn with. Using their own digital devices, the mundane idea of “school” could turn into something relevant and exciting! These visualization devices could be used on photo scavenger hunts, for observing and documenting science experiments, for memorizing lists or vocabulary (used as a picture reminder), or for simple documentation of fun in the classroom.

Visualizing with Video:

This is something that could definitely happen in an elementary classroom. I think that I would be surprised at how well third graders could handle a camcorder. Camcorders are obviously a tool that can help promote meaningful learning in the classroom for any subject. Using a camcorder to make a video is engaging for students, constructive, collaborative, and very relevant. Students can work together to make a product. Video making could be used as a form of assessment in the classroom. Students could also make videos that teach the rest of the class part of a lesson or a topic that they teacher wants to cover.

I would say that investing in camcorders is definitely worth it! Their use in the classroom us limitless and they have great potential to foster student creativity and challenge students to think outside the box. They can be used by the teacher or the student; as a teaching tool, an engaging activity, or even an assessment. I am convinced that even if a classroom had only camcorder, it would be used over and over again.

I think that editing would be/is the most difficult part about video making. This is where elementary students would need the extra help and guidance. Classroom volunteers would be very helpful for the editing process, especially those who are computer savvy.

Designing With Technology

Drawing Design Ideas with Computer-Aided Design Software

• Drawings can be stored and used later by any person with access to the appropriate time-shared computer system
• Virtual drafting table to aid visualization
• Can flawlessly create figures from scratch
  
  Reflection
• My first reaction to this section was that CAD programs are far too advanced for the elementary classroom. It took me a while in order to simply understand what a CAD program was, let alone learn how to use one effectively. It is very obvious that this tool is not meant specifically for elementary ages. The programs remind me of high school calculus, and even then, I remember being overwhelmed. The example Jonassen mentions is in a high school setting for Tech and Design courses. I could understand how Tech and Design students could use technology like this to learn from and create.
• While I still see validity in my first reaction, as I think more on the matter I could see upper elementary students doing very basic things with programs like these. I can not speak too intelligently on the matter-due to my complete lack of expertise in the area-but I suppose that it is possible for upper elementary students to use these types of programs. While it may be possible, I doubt that it would be worth it. I think that there are other technology tools that can be used to adequately challenge a 5th or 6th grade student. On the other hand, I tend to underestimate students; I suppose I would need to learn more about CAD programs to really know. Even then, I would need to know about the students who would potentially use them.

Testing Designs and Building Mental Models with Simulation Software

Reflection

• “Simulations operate by running complex mathematical calculations in the background that generate a user-friendly view of predications of some rule-driven behavior in the real world. These programs can help students build casual links and explanations of how the system works and how elements within a system interact with one another.” (p.177)
• The above definition of simulations deepened my understanding of their purpose. Even though I think this concept may have been grasped in my mind, the way Jonassen articulated it brought me to a greater understanding. It never really clicked that “complex mathematical calculations” are what generate “user-friendly” views of “rule-driven behaviors.” My mind is not trained to see the equation behind what I am viewing, or the commands behind the actions I see on the screen. Using Scratch to design my Interactive Media Project gave me a taste of programming that I had never experienced. Each action and motion was specifically and meticulously scripted. But even with Scratch, the real “code” seemed hidden because of the kid-friendly, pictorial “code” off of which the program is based. The intricacies that go into creating a program or simulation truly blow my mind. It almost seems intangible.
• I think that the use of simulations in the elementary classroom may be limited to students learning from this type of technology. Students can benefit from seeing the simulation and interacting with it. Actually creating with the programs may prove to be more difficult. A junior high class created a gravity-powered catapult called a trebuchet. I can see how 5th and 6th graders could do this also. It may not be a project done as individuals, but designed and created as a collaborative effort. The creation of a simulation would foster even deeper understanding for students. They would then be learning with technology, instead of learning from it.

Developing Programming Skills While Designing in the Media Arts

Reflection

• After having used Scratch to create my own project, this portion of the chapter clicked in a lot of ways. Scratch is beneficial to teach elementary students the fundamentals in computer programming.
• I am not totally sure how I would incorporate Scratch into my classroom. It is such a neat, empowering tool that I feel as if I absolutely must use it! It is obvious how students could use scratch to learn FROM technology, and how it could be used to assess them. But I think that as children create their own games and simulations to communicate ideas and help each other learn, learning can become very meaningful.
• Creating programs on Scratch is definitely meaningful to students. This is unquestionably constructive learning (because they are creating a product), and it is also active. The students are engaged because they are at the center of the learning. Depending on the objectives, it should be intentional and goal oriented. Our Digital Interactive Media project was intentional in its requirements and objectives. Scratch can be collaborative as well, depending on how it is used. The only one of Jonassen’s criteria for meaningful learning that is not exactly met is authenticity. But Scratch can be authentic depending how you look at it. If a student is demonstrating knowledge, then I think the matter of authenticity becomes less of a factor. On the other hand, a student is essentially creating the context using this programming tool. Scratch has the potential of making learning authentic while demonstrating learning.
• I could see students having to create their own assessments using Scratch; the assessments could be used on each other and on the creator. I could even see myself using Scratch as an option that students can chose to demonstrate their knowledge to me. For example, after studying ecosystems, students could create different ecosystems using Scratch.

Designing Music with Composition Software

Reflection

• I personally found this section most interesting, and most pertinent to my life. For the last few months I have been doing a lot of work with recording equipment and software. All of the recording I have done in the studio has been with live instruments and voices, but no loops or pre-recorded segments of instruments; the only exception was a drum loop on one song in particular. I found the approach of Tuneblocks to be very interesting. It emphasized a student’s ability to work with musical chunks or groups of musical sounds, rather than individual notes on a five-line score.
• Grasping the idea of chunking music was fairly easy for me, as I have experience with the other end of music production. Suprisingly enough, it was a much more time consuming process than I had predicted. At first I viewed it as an easy, non-musical way to create. While this is partially true, there is still a knowledge and an ability to manipulate that are required to use these types of programs. I created a short song using GarageBand to test out such programs.

Communicating With Technologies

Discussion Boards:

They are a form of asynchronous communication. Because there is a lack of body cues, expression and pauses, students are forced to communicate clearly. More caution should be taken in order to get an idea across accurately. They give the chance for verbal intelligence to shine.
I don’t think that I really understood the value of discussion boards until just now. I appreciate Gardner’s beliefs on the multiple intelligences. Instead of asking “How smart are you?” he asks “How are you smart?” I am naturally a good thinker and communicator. I can communicate pretty well through print and in person, but I take it for granted. It doesn’t dawn on me that some students do not communicate well in person. In order for them to also get the full experience of collaboration and community in learning, they must have another way to communicate with each other. Like all tools in technology, some are designed to meet the learning needs of certain people; and I think that makes many of the tools worth it.
I think that the removal of bias is also something of value. The power in a post comes from the strength and power of the content, instead of from the popularity or appeal of the person communicating. Students can be given a voice to discuss things that they desire, and to contribute in a way that could potentially be just as valuable as face-to-face communication.
If I do end up using discussion boards in my classroom, I want to be very explicit in communicating to students why we are using them. The question that I always address in approaching technology is why. After asking it, some things make more sense and appear more necessary, while others lose their credibility altogether.
The biggest concern I have with discussion boards is this: how do I continue to foster critical thinking and meaningful learning through it? How do I keep it from becoming just another task for school? Jonassen advises that teachers be on the lookout for shallow conversation full of phrases like “I agree” or “me too.” But how can this really be done? On thing I thought of was to encourage, or maybe even require that students ask questions in response to each other’s posts. This would be in attempt to foster critical thinking. When students question each other and do not simply agree all the time, more depth in communication can follow. The teacher is often the one to think critically about student work, and ask questions; but the students should be actively involved in this process.

Interactive Chats and Messaging:

As a pre-teen and teenager, using AOL Instant Messenger was the cool thing to do. I am very familiar with IM, and still use it now to communicate with classmates and maintain long distance friendships. Before my parents let me get an AOL account, I would go to chat rooms to talk to people. Something about it made me feel very old and independent (even though I lied about who I was most of the time).
In order to better understand other kinds of chatting, I got an account with Tapped In. I first went to the Global Schoolhouse, and found a link to www.tappedin.org. The first chat room I entered was not very exciting. There were only about 5 people there, and none of them even talked to me. Over a short period of time, each one left the room. It was kind of amusing at first. In the end I had no luck getting anyone to talk to me. I am curious as to how many people still use chatting of that sort.

Building Community Through Technology

A question that I have been discussing in my educational technology class is this: Does technology help us do something that we couldn’t do before, or something that we could do before only better?

It is no revolutionary statement to say that technology is slowly taking over many aspects of our lives. Things that were once done well are now done better. It seems trendy to step things up to the technological level. One of those things is community. The online community grows as the frequent use of chatting, text messaging, blogging, Skype, and wikis increase. In David Jonassen’s Meaningful Learning with Technology, he dedicates an entire 36 pages to this topic of community building with technologies. In fact, my creation of this blog is in response to that very chapter.

Community is something to be valued in all realms of life. It is crucial to for students, teachers, pastors, board members, church-goers, parents, children, businessmen, athletes and even the homeless. As a pre-service teacher, I am beginning to realize the importance of building a positive, safe community for the students in my classroom. This is something that should be done with or without technology, and one can argue whether or not technology is beneficial for community building efforts.

There is great potential for technology to build community in the classroom. I intentionally use the word potential, and will explain my reasons later on in this post. Jonassen’s chapter entitled, “Community Building with Technologies,” discusses many ways that a teacher can use technology to develop the classroom community.

Knowledge Forum
The first tool that he discusses is Knowledge Forum. Knowledge Forums were birthed out of the dissatisfaction with the schools’ traditional ways of assessment and learning. Jonassen discusses how schools “inhibit rather than support knowledge building by focusing on individual students’ abilities and learning.” The focus is on individuals’ demonstrable knowledge, activities, and skills as evidence for learning. It seems that student knowledge is only valued as it is evidence for understanding of the curriculum. What students truly know and believe is unimportant, but the memorized curriculum is of value. While I think that this is a fairly accurate description of school assessment of learning, I am not sure how else to assess learning. What else can be measured other than demonstrable knowledge?

Knowledge Forums are said to be databases where notes, ideas, and knowledge are shared in a way that leads to growth and innovation. Students can collaborate and focus on ideas to build deeper knowledge and understanding of them, instead of shallowly developing a few basic skills. Students can problem-solve, hypothesize, research, collect information, and analyze together to create a positive learning community.

Jonassen and the creators of Knowledge Forum speak very highly of this program’s ability to foster genuine learning as opposed to measuring demonstrable skills. Jonassen claims that “learning is not a by-product of Knowledge Forum: it is a direct goal.” He continues to say that “students are encouraged to make school more meaningful and goal-directed in their pursuit of learning objectives,” Although they claim to change how learning is measured, I would say that Knowledge Forums only change the process of learning, and not the final assessment.

In the same way that a teacher would read an essay, grade a worksheet, or check for the completion of an assignment, a teacher would monitor Knowledge Forum. A teacher would check to see if students are posting and dialoguing with classmates; if they are hypothesizing, analyzing and collaborating. In reality this is the same thing as the “traditional methods,” it just appears to be a different medium. I said before that technology had great potential to build community in the classroom, but in the end it comes down to the pursuit and attitudes of the students and teachers. Do the students desire community? Do they desire to learn? If so, they will pursue these things whether they are in the classroom or even online. Knowledge Forum only prepares the way for community learning to happen. Technological community sounds revolutionary and as though it is inspiring learning and discovery; but in the end, I believe that learning is driven by student motivation. Knowledge Forum is merely a tool for those who already desire to build community and to discover treasures of knowledge. Students will reap what they sow; if they want to learn, they will (although as teachers we still have responsibility…but that is a whole new post).

I would say that most college students are not really engaged in their online forums and communities. To us, a forum or discussion post is just another assignment that we have to finish by 8:30am on Monday morning. For example, in this technology class we had to post about a game or simulation. Then we had to respond to three other posts. When I completed this assignment, the only goal I had was to get in there and get it done! I posted my example, and responded to three others. I wanted to check it off of my “To Do” list. I was not interested in learning, but in completing. One could read my posts and say that I learned or that I was engaged, when really I was not. I am not the only student who has learned how to cheat the system or put on the appearance of learning. It happens all the time. Trendy programs and revolutionary designs are rendered useless unless students are really in pursuit of knowledge.

Wikis:
Jonassen also discusses the use of wikis to develop community. I attempted to do the same. I then discovered that what I really wanted to create was a blog. While it would be ideal for community building if all of my classmates came to read and respond to my wiki, it is very unlikely. A wiki is a great way to foster community development, but as with everything else, it is an opportunity that must be taken advantage of.

In EME 4401 we have a few class wikis. I think that the way they are used is extremely practical for my needs as a student. I can use them to read about what was done in class and to build an exam review for the final. But the main reason that they are helpful is because their purposes align with my needs and desires. They pertain to my performance in this class and my final grade. If these wikis were for another purpose not pertaining to my grades or something else I desire to invest in, I would most likely not use them.

Jonassen mentions other resources that Wikimedia Foundation Inc. puts out. Wikis such as Wiktionary, Wikisource, and Wikiquote are examples. I have now visited these sites and added them to my de.icio.us site. I only went this extra mile because they appealed to my needs or interests.

Jonassen mentioned many examples of how teachers and students have used wikis, but the one I found most useful was a high school teacher’s use in an AP World History classroom. Students created wikis for exam reviews which created “constructive, authentic, enjoyable” methods for students to review and display material. While I think that elementary students are capable of creating wikis, I’m not sure that they would need a review method that is quite so elaborate. Like concept maps (and like we used in EME 4401), wikis could be used to display the content for the entire year. As chapters or units are finished, information on the wiki could be updated. On the internet, students and parents have access to this at home. Not only does this provide a good learning tool, but it is a way to build community and the home-school connection.

Interactive Blogs:
I think that blogs, much like wikis, have a lot of practical potential for the classroom. As a teacher, I like the idea of using a blog to allow students to explore information for which there is no time to cover in class. Blogs can be used as elaboration tools, to deepen student knowledge and understanding. I also like that they can be used to encourage participation from students who are too timid to speak up in class, or who need time to process before partaking in oral discussion.

There are many things that I could do with blogs that are based around different subjects. Sometimes it is hard for me to believe that students will actually pursue knowledge and elaboration above and beyond what I assign or discuss in class. Quite frankly, this doesn’t mean that I should not use blogs. If a student is interested in a topic, it would be my joy to help the student come to deeper understandings and revelations about it, as ridiculous or irrelevant as I may perceive it. For instance, if a teacher of mine provided resources on the music industry, recording, or religion, I would most likely take advantage of this. As a teacher, I just need to find out what students are interested in, and build on that.

International Communities:
Like the push for technology, the push for global communication and understanding is also a current trend in the education realm. It does not surprise me that technology is trying to connect students to peers that are different from them or who can help them broaden their view of the world. I am very encouraged by this push for building international communities. It is obvious that technology can help this happen more efficiently because of blogs, chatting, wikis and the like. I would argue that community building technology is the most useful for the purpose of global community.

It was said that students enjoy writing when they are able to write to a “distant audience” of peers. This is especially true when the peers are from different geographical locations and cultures. If writing situations like these can increase the frequency and quality of writing, then I am that much more excited about using global communities.

Jonassen Chapter 5

Thoughts and Reflections of Chapter 5

Concept Maps:

Although I am sure that many of my teachers have used them, I can remember concept maps being most helpful in high school. My anatomy and physiology teacher would draw a concept map at the beginning of every unit. And as he taught he would walk us through the concept map each step of the way. When it came to the exams, he always encouraged us to create our own maps. When I actually did that, my learning was most meaningful.

I would agree with Jonassen that concept maps are most effective when they are created by students, not only prepared for them. They require the organization and true understanding of facts, concepts, and generalizations.

Systems Dynamics Tools:

Jonassen points out that Stella probably cannot be used effectively with elementary students. In all honesty, as a college student, and a pre-service teacher, systems modeling really intimidates me. This is probably because the examples given seem over my head. The good thing about Stella and Model-it is that they can be as complicated or simple as desired.

When it comes to using these modeling systems in my classroom, I don’t think that I would. This is partly because of the age appropriateness, and partly because I don’t know how I would use them. I am definitely not opposed to introducing these kinds of systems to my students; because I would not want them to be deprived on the account of my lack of understanding or creativity.

Spreadsheets:

When I typically think of spreadsheets, I think of Microsoft excel, keeping track of grades, finances, and displaying other quantitative data. I never used spreadsheets until the EME 2040. Even then, I only created one using grade book. When I think of spreadsheets I think of how they can profit the organization and facilitation of my classroom. They help behind the scenes but not really for the learning process. Jonassen recognizes that spreadsheets are most consistently used as management tools, but continues to emphasize their support of high-order quantitative thinking. I did not know that they could be used for simulation modeling tools.

In class our class discussion of different educational programs, my partner and I analyzed the Graph Club. While there were many great qualities of the program, students can easily use spreadsheets to do some of the same things. They can make graphs and charts, however kid-unfriendly they may be.

Like all of the Mindtools listed in this chapter, spreadsheets have the most potential when students use and create their own. There is benefit to using simulations and graphs that I develop, but when learning is made meaningful through the creation of a project, students experience great intellectual gain.

Expert Systems:

This was the coolest section to read. Although I feel that I am left with lots of questions about Expert systems. I am not sure about how exactly they are created or used. I understand that their purpose is to aid in decision making, problem solving and reasoning. I think I understand the interaction of facts, rules, conditions and decisions, but I still do not know how the programs work.

I think that this is so neat because I am a person who greatly values the counsel of others, and this just creates another way for me to solve problems and receive counsel. I am learning how crucial it is for children to develop problem solving skills, and these expert systems are a great aid for that.

The biggest flaw I see a flaw of these systems is that all of the outcomes seem to be pre-determined (from my understanding). Any solution that is given has been programmed into the system as an automatic response to a certain combination of calculations. Life is not that linear; and good decision making may not always be formulated. Often times the best solution has yet to be imported into a system.

On the positive side, these systems can help students see the factors and processes involved in problem solving. Also, when students become experts they engage in “deeper-level” thinking.

Databases:

As I read this section I kept visualizing my del.icio.us site. It is a database that I have created. I add materials, tag them and eventually organize them. While it is not the most in depth database, I think it is a great way that elementary students could learn to organize, categorize, index, and search. When I add a website, I experience a very mild dose of stress when I have to tag it. I am very much inclined to use many tags. I think that I may use excessive tagging, but I cannot think of the downside as of yet (not that I think that hard about it).

I never really thought of having students create databases in order to manage or organize information. I think that I would use del.icio.us in order to introduce students to databases.