There are some great web-based tools currently which can greatly enhance the teaching experience. Take for instance Google Earth. This is a great way to learn many subjects that would include the earth in some way. One thing I like, in particular, about Google Earth is that it can be made into a game which is really fun but very educational at the same time. The game is called "Geo Guesser" https://geoguessr.com/ ("GeoGuessr - Let's explore the world!", 2019). The game uses Google Maps and drops you somewhere in the middle of anywhere in the world and the user needs to use street signs, addresses they see and Google Search to figure out where they are in the world. It is very fun and also educational. However, to use this as an educational tool, one would need to give the assignment with clear directives. An article regarding Google Earth said this; "Like other instructional strategies, technology use has the unfortunate potential of being ineffective if not paired with clear objectives and appropriate assessments" (Johnson, Lang & Zophy, 2019).
There is a method called the "Assure Method" (Karen, 2019), which gives good guidelines for using technology as a teaching tool. The following video provides a synopsis of the method:
There are five basic premises in the Assure Method. They are; Analyze learners, State objectives, Select method, media or materials, utilize media and materials, Require learner's participation, and Evaluate and revise (Karen, 2019). It is designed to keep students on track with learning and also to continue to evaluate the effectiveness of the technological material.
One issue that comes to mind when working with the internet is sites that impressionable minds (and don't we all have one of those?) can stumble upon. One way I see to overcome this is filtering. My household personally uses a site called, Covenant Eyes, https://www.covenanteyes.com/
("Screen Accountability™ | Covenant Eyes", 2019). It filters out anything that you would not want a child to see and also sends the teacher (or any designated person) a list of the sites that were visited while the students were on the computer. This keeps everything open and honest.
References:
GeoGuessr - Let's explore the world!. (2019). Retrieved 30 November 2019, from https://geoguessr.com/
Johnson, N., Lang, N., & Zophy, K. (2019). Retrieved 30 November 2019, from https://learn-us-east-1-prod-fleet01-xythos.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/5c2960be25208/1584295?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%2A%3DUTF-8%27%27Overcoming%2520Assessment%2520Problems%2520in%2520Google%2520Earth-based%252C%25202011.pdf&response-content-type=application%2Fpdf&X-Amz-Algorithm=AWS4-HMAC-SHA256&X-Amz-Date=20191130T142238Z&X-Amz-SignedHeaders=host&X-Amz-Expires=21600&X-Amz-Credential=AKIAIBGJ7RCS23L3LEJQ%2F20191130%2Fus-east-1%2Fs3%2Faws4_request&X-Amz-Signature=ff1dcbf941d32ce32f48f2e9b813abdecdc49a2fbdde6f5240b08e6e3acd10dd
Laura,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your blog post. Good information included here.
Thanks!