Provide the appropriate tools to all students and teachers
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7) Provide the appropriate tools to all students and teachers
Highlighted by cburell
Our guiding principle for teaching methods requires that teachers "create instructional environments where students use higher order cognitive skills to construct meaning or knowledge, engage in disciplined inquiry, and work on products that have value beyond school." The choice of hardware and software must support this goal of reforming teaching and learning practice.
Highlighted by cburell
First, the laptop computer itself must be capable of the production demands of real world projects. It should be sufficiently powered to allow for video and audio editing as well as multimedia production. It must also have necessary ports (USB, FireWire, etc.) to connect to other digital devices such as video cameras or scanners. The screen resolution should be sufficient for productive tasks. The laptop should also be lightweight so that it can easily be transported around the school or to the students' homes and it should have adequate battery life.
Highlighted by cburell
Secondly, the installed software should be adequate to the task of content creation. A full range of software should be available that enables the student to do word processing, concept mapping, spreadsheets, audio, photo, and video editing, multimedia authoring, Web browsing, and communication. As much as possible, software should be chosen to allow maximum integration among the separate programs.
Highlighted by cburell
Third, the student should have access to the laptop whenever it is needed. Students who have access to computers at home and at school have shown an increase in writing skills, a better understanding of math, greater problem solving and critical thinking skills, ability to teach others, greater self confidence and self esteem, and more confidence with computer skills (Coley, 1997; Rockman & Sloan, 1995). To reserve the use of the laptop to the school setting is to waste more than half of its potential use by students.
Highlighted by cburell
Public Comment
on 2007-03-18 by cburell
I'm not "on Apple's side." I've compared the tools on PCs and Apples, have used both and learned them, and thus simply know from experience which tool is the better solution for student learning.
When this situation changes, when there are non-Apple products that offer seamless multimedia production software, I will "switch sides" to the new best tools. But right now, those tools aren't there.