Using VoiceThread in the Classroom- I have created a VoiceThread to use as a discussion board with my 8th-grade social studies class. I have been looking for more ways to encourage interaction and participation by using tools that relate to how they communicate amongst themselves in the real world. In Bermuda, teens enjoy sharing their ideas about regular everyday life information through voice notes. Additionally, I wanted to make a connection between historical events of the 20th- Century and the 21st-Century. The discussion is based on a topic we have been looking at in school. We are talking about Colonialism, imperialism, and their effects on various regions around the world including Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Africa. The VT discussion question is: Is there a New Imperialism in the 21st Century? VT- Discussion Question- Is there a New Imperialism in the 21st-Century? Google Slide- Document Assignment
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Constructivist Learning Theory, Teaching, and Learning According to Guzdial (2018), the constructivists learning theory states students construct their meaning in learning. It uses interactive strategies to create meaningful contexts that help students make meaning for their learning. Inquiry-based, problem-based, and cooperative learning are all learning strategies that incorporate the ideals of constructivist learning (Kurt, 2021). Technology is an excellent way to provide students with a learning environment that can bring meaning to their learning (Noel, 2015). Noel also notes that blogging is one example of how technology can facilitate meaningful learning in the constructivist learning environment. However, constructionism, while based on the theory of constructivism, focused on the fact that students learn more when they construct something like an artifact. Like constructivism, constructionism believes that learning must be meaningful. Additi...
Cognitive Learning Theory, Graphic Organizers, and Virtual Field Trips Many connections unite the cognitive theory, graphic organizers, and virtual field trips that work together to support and even enhance learning. The cognitive learning theory, according to Orey, focuses on how we process information (Laureate Education (Producer), 2015a). He noted three main parts, the sensory register, short-term memory, and long-term memory. Through these, we learn and remember. The key is to get to the long-term memory, where facts and information, procedures, and episodic memory or events are held. Images are one of the key factors to aid students in making connections as they are connected to the other senses such as smell, taste, and more. The graphic organizers and virtual field trips work related to the cognitive learning theory because they help ...
Behaviorist Learning Theory, Instructional Strategies, and Technology Tools Behaviorism, instructional strategies, and technology tools can work together to create environments and experiences to improve and enhance learning. Before discussing the relationship between behaviorism, instructional strategies, and technology tools, we must establish an understanding of the three. Behaviorism is the practice that suggests that learning and unlearning can take place through a system of rewards and punishments, an ideal that has been effectively adopted in education (Orey, 2010). Instructional strategies are simply the various techniques that an educator may use to create an effective learning environment. Finally, there are technology tools; these are the programs and items educators use to add variety and improve and enhance student learning (Laureate Education Inc., 2015). These tools can include but are not limited to blogs, Google Sites, Slides and Docs, EdPuzzle, Classroom Dojo, ...