Constructivism and Connectivism
So, I just finished reading Chapter 2 in “Web 2.0: new tools, new schools” by Gwen Solomon and Lynne Schrum. The material in this chapter really wasn’t a surprise to me. They say that the students we teach today are the technology generation, well I must fall between them and the “do it the old school way” generation. I am very comfortable with technology, but I still learn some tricks from the younger generation!
Our kids today are constantly doing something involving technology, texting, IMing, playing video games, etc. All of these activities involve communication and interaction. So, how are we going to get our students interested in what we teach them??? Hmmm…I wonder!
The best way to teach our students and keep them engaged is by using a constructivist method. This allows students to take the problem/topic at hand and discover more about it in their own methods, wether it be using the internet, textbooks, or library and presenting it in any number of ways, videos, websites, paper-based, etc. In order to be able to use constructivism in the classroom, we must have connectivism. We have to have access to the technology that will support our students dreams!
The chapter closes by warning us of two dangers that we must be on the look out for(p.41):
1) Not measuring what really matters even if it will matter more in the future
2) Not narrowing the instruction to the exclusion of anything more than test materials
I love using constructivism in my lessons, because it allows for flexibility in all areas: disablities, learning styles, intelligences, and abilities. It allows for the success of all students and this is what we want isn’t it?