Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Development Theories

The human development starts as soon as a baby is born and ends later on as an elderly person. In the early years child development was seen as another set of hands to help with the chores. No emphasis was placed on the child's cognitive abilities.Development of the mind continues on in an orderly fashion.A topic that has been debated over time is the nature vs nurture debate.On one side we argue that an individual from an earlier age starts maturing and learns as they grow up. The other side argues that learning is major part of growing up and thus needs to be emphasized.So does heredity or environment come into play in either one of this sides? Bruner's theory recommends that students go back and reexamine material studied earlier and study it again thru a process called spiral curriculum.We as technology instructors need to match the correct training and tools to the appropriate student.As a technology instructor we need to apply the right tools and applications so a student can learn correctly.What are some tools that you have used in your classroom?

6 comments:

  1. Can I ask first who's Blog this is? Name? Thanks

    I agree with your statement on matching training and tools to the appropriate students.

    As far as technology in the classroom. This is something that our EMS Program uses on a daily basis. We have computer run simulations where we use what is called a Sim-Man to run scenarios with our students in the back of a Ambulance training unit we have in our lab. This manikin does everything. It can talk to the student, breathing, has a blood pressure and can be placed on a cardiac monitor. I am not a technology teacher but believe strongly that it is a positive move forward and should be used as much as possible in the classroom.

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  2. This is Ernie (got it) thanks!

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  3. I work entirely in online education. We have several learning management systems that we use to communicate to our students. We find that using and LMS that has simple modern technological advancements is best for our students. Having the ability to discuss classroom assignments using the message board or view a video of their instructor teaching has created a gateway between the traditional and modern classroom environment. I am not a teacher but being a student and a mother I can see how technology has advanced me and my family’s ability to learn.

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  4. When I was in a classroom, I used technology for enrichment. Now, I am an AVID tutor, and learning logs are used for core classes. With the logs, students have to tell what they did in class, what the point of the lesson was, what they found interesting, what question did they ask, and how does it relate to prior lessons. It is a good tool for the student to sit and analyze what was taught, and how it relates to what they already learned. When I do get back into the classroom, this will be another tool I will implement beside my technology.

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  5. I'm not a teacher so I can't give you any specific examples but I really liked the way you explan this issue. I found that learning in some instances can be a part of a person's heredity but it is not always the case. For example, if a person has a photographic memory and reads something only once and can automatically remember it; that in my opinion can be considred something they may have inherited from a family member. I hope I'm understanding the concept correctly!

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  6. Nature vs Nurture is an age-old dilemma. I agree with the text (pg 330) regarding the implications for learning regarding this issue. If learning is heredity (nature), it will occur naturally and at it's own pace regardless of what we do. If learning is a part of the environment (nurture), then we as educators can structure the environment to promote and enhance learning.

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