The
role of the teacher is to provide the adequate mediation in order to reach the
goals. Like I explained in class, teachers can use scaffolding (Bruner) to help
the students reach the outcomes. Technology is a tool teachers can make use of
as part of mediation. With it, the information can be presented in different
ways within the children's ZPD.
At
the same time, as mediation requires us to reach the students through their
learning channels (Multisensory learning), the use of a computer, for instance,
stimulates the visual, aural, and kinetic channels.
As
a matter of fact, Treichler (1967) (as cited in Ladam Shams & Aaron R.
Seits, 2008), points out that “people generally remember 10% of what they read,
20% of what they hear, 30% of what they see, and 50% of what they see and hear”
(Shams, et. al., 2008, p. 5). Here the importance of not relying in only one
sense, but in the combination of all three modalities. When using different
channels for learning, the teacher is helping the children with their cognitive
load, given that the information can be “chunked into short term memory and
used to build long term representation” (p. 5). Here is when the Knovio
presentation comes in handy.
The
good thing is that, depending on the devise, images can get enlarged and sounds
magnified. This specially important if we think about special needs and
inclusion.
Another
thing, it is important to guide the students (give clear guidelines, short,
simple), not leave them alone until they are able to master the skills. It is
advisable to work in pairs or groups, “group work generates interactive
language” (Brown, 2001, p. 179). And, at the end this is what we want from the
students!
So
there you have it!
(Google images)
