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Sunday, September 13, 2009

One to One Learning

I love that personal computing devices offer students a way to express their opinions without being called upon in front of the class. Incorporating a private learning space for students to get their thoughts down allows those who are uncomfortable with verbal participation to still interact with the class. I wish that I had a personal computing device throughout high school. As a student, I always take notes and think to myself, but when it comes to verbalizing my thoughts, I struggle. However, I have found that once sharing my thoughts with a small group, I am reassured that my ideas are valid, and have no problem sharing with the class. With a personal computing device, I would be able to organize my thoughts, validate them in my head, and then share with others. Using the "private space" would allow me to fit into the "public space" of the classroom much easier. My experience as a student is supported by Liu and Kao's study in the reading-- use the personal computer to do individual work, then share that work with a group and discuss your findings through large shared displays. I think that this way of learning and teaching promotes a socially supported learning environment (something I hope to have in my classroom).
Here's a parting quote from the reading to sum up my point: "Where individual computing devices succeed as private learning spaces, interactive whiteboards excel as public learning spaces. When paired with the necessary software and wireless connections, they can make transitions between individual or small-group learning and whole-class learning smooth" (6).

4 comments:

Ben D. said...

I completely agree with you Jessica. When both personal computing devices and Smart board are being utilized within a classroom, I do believe that a better learning atmosphere is created. However, I can't help but think about how difficult it would be to keep students on task if they all had personal computing devices. I understand it might be a worthwhile risk, but it makes me wonder if the students' attention level will increase or decrease. I feel like that would be a good study to do when finding how effective personal computing devices are in a classroom.

Klee said...

I never thought about the fact that some students are not comfortable speaking in front of the class. This technology would be the perfect way to accommodate these students, but on the other hand, is it really healthy to let students get away with not speaking? It is very hard to get by in today's world if you are not comfortable voicing your opinions. The small group suggestion is a good one. I do like the idea of students feeling more comfortable and sharing in a smaller group. I also like the quote that you closed with!

Jess Madigan said...

I don't think that personal computing devices would eliminate a student's voice. I think they would enhance it-- if used the right way. Obviously, it can be easy to use personal computing devices for individual work and only individual work. The way I would use it is to let students think about their own ideas, put them down in the personal computing device so they can see their ideas--and then SHARE the ideas through class discussion or small group work. Having ideas down on paper (at least for me) makes me feel a lot more comfortable voicing my opinion.

Katie Dietrich said...

I agree with you, Jess. I think that personal computing devices, when used appropriately, can actually give a voice to students who would normally be silenced by fear of failure. And I think your idea about letting students share their ideas after taking the time to think and write them down is a great one, especially after comparing it to your own learning style.