Read Online Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird by Michael J. Meyer - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael J. Meyer
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become critical consumers and creators of nonprint information, communication, and entertainment. By embracing media literacy-based tools and lesson plans across the curriculum, including the traditional English classroom, we can help students to better navigate the sea of information while growing as well as feeding on a wealth of knowledge.
Learning with Technology,
Not from Technology
Incorporating proactive multimedia and online research methodologies to teach To Kill a Mockingbird has great potential. However, technology alone is an ineffective teacher. For example, simply consulting one website for the definition of âJim Crow lawsâ or downloading the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird is not the most effective, efficient, or productive use of media in the classroom. These constitute passive learning from technology: that is, information is recorded through technological devices and the data is then delivered to the student, a passive recipient of technologyâs output. Unfortunately, this does not promote higher-level thinking skills, nor does it implement technology to the fullest potential.
Instead of students learning from the technology, they should be partnering with, or even âteaching,â the computer as they learn. Technology must be perceived as more than hard- or software. David Jonassen, Jane Howland, Rose M. Marra, and David Crismond, in the book Meaningful Learning with Technologies , identify the underlying principles of learning with technology:
Its designs, environments, and intellectual âtool kitsâ engage learners and build meaningful interpretations and representations of the world. It can be a reliable technique or method for engaging learning and encourage cognitive learning strategies and critical thinking skills. It encompasses any activity that engages learners in active, constructive, intentional, authentic and cooperative learning rather than passively conveying or communicating meaning. It fulfills a legitimate learning need. It is learner-initiated and learner-controlled. It fosters an intellectual partnership between learners and technologies. (8)
Technologies also foster learning by affording students the opportunity to convey ideas, understandings, and beliefs by creating and organizing their own multimedia messages. In this way, technology serves as a comprehensive information vehicle through which students assess information and compare/contrast perspectives, beliefs, and worldviews. Instead of consulting just one or two textbooks or library resources as in the past, students can now access and assess numerous information sources due to the power and speed of the Internet and other online tools. Students then can use this technology to create their own product or project. This supports students through learning by doing and by solving real-world problems.
Technology can also be used as a âsocialâ medium, allowing learners to collaborate with others in the same classroom, or around the world. This can enable global discussion in which arguments, consensus, and synergistic discourse can be developed. Hence, technology can be an intellectual partner to students, helping them articulate and represent what they know, allowing them to reflect on what they have learned, and support mindful thinking (Jonassen et al. 5). It can also foster critical thinking, helping students learn from thinking about their actions, their beliefs, and the actions of others. According to Jonassen et al., a wide variety of thinking processes are fostered by learning with technologies, including causal or prediction; analogical (using analogies and comparing something to an idea that is already understood); expressive (where learners express what they know); experiential (personal experience that results in the most meaningful and resistant memories); and problem solvingâwhat information to include, how to structure the information, and what form it should take
Learning with Technology,
Not from Technology
Incorporating proactive multimedia and online research methodologies to teach To Kill a Mockingbird has great potential. However, technology alone is an ineffective teacher. For example, simply consulting one website for the definition of âJim Crow lawsâ or downloading the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird is not the most effective, efficient, or productive use of media in the classroom. These constitute passive learning from technology: that is, information is recorded through technological devices and the data is then delivered to the student, a passive recipient of technologyâs output. Unfortunately, this does not promote higher-level thinking skills, nor does it implement technology to the fullest potential.
Instead of students learning from the technology, they should be partnering with, or even âteaching,â the computer as they learn. Technology must be perceived as more than hard- or software. David Jonassen, Jane Howland, Rose M. Marra, and David Crismond, in the book Meaningful Learning with Technologies , identify the underlying principles of learning with technology:
Its designs, environments, and intellectual âtool kitsâ engage learners and build meaningful interpretations and representations of the world. It can be a reliable technique or method for engaging learning and encourage cognitive learning strategies and critical thinking skills. It encompasses any activity that engages learners in active, constructive, intentional, authentic and cooperative learning rather than passively conveying or communicating meaning. It fulfills a legitimate learning need. It is learner-initiated and learner-controlled. It fosters an intellectual partnership between learners and technologies. (8)
Technologies also foster learning by affording students the opportunity to convey ideas, understandings, and beliefs by creating and organizing their own multimedia messages. In this way, technology serves as a comprehensive information vehicle through which students assess information and compare/contrast perspectives, beliefs, and worldviews. Instead of consulting just one or two textbooks or library resources as in the past, students can now access and assess numerous information sources due to the power and speed of the Internet and other online tools. Students then can use this technology to create their own product or project. This supports students through learning by doing and by solving real-world problems.
Technology can also be used as a âsocialâ medium, allowing learners to collaborate with others in the same classroom, or around the world. This can enable global discussion in which arguments, consensus, and synergistic discourse can be developed. Hence, technology can be an intellectual partner to students, helping them articulate and represent what they know, allowing them to reflect on what they have learned, and support mindful thinking (Jonassen et al. 5). It can also foster critical thinking, helping students learn from thinking about their actions, their beliefs, and the actions of others. According to Jonassen et al., a wide variety of thinking processes are fostered by learning with technologies, including causal or prediction; analogical (using analogies and comparing something to an idea that is already understood); expressive (where learners express what they know); experiential (personal experience that results in the most meaningful and resistant memories); and problem solvingâwhat information to include, how to structure the information, and what form it should take
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