LL 11 - Instructional Strategies and Technology Integration

6. Cooperative Learning - I feel that one of the biggest problems with group work for students is the difficulty in getting groups together outside of the classroom. Another problem occurs specifically with papers, in that it is difficult for all students to work on them at once. GoogleDocs is a great tool for groups. Whether students are working on a research paper, graphs, or a powerpoint presentation, all members of the group can access their assignment via this online resource. In fact, I am using GoogleDocs in a business writing class in order to write a proposal as a group. We each take a specific part of the proposal and edit it on our own time. Then, as a group, we will edit it and make sure it is complete. The only drawback to this approach is the possibility of a lack of continuity in the project if it's split up and lack of interaction with group members.

7. Setting Objectives and Providing Feedback - I think the most useful tool for this would be a class wiki. On it, students could make suggestions as to what they want to learn in a unit. Also, teachers can post what is expected of students in each unit before it is due, like a class calendar. Then students will know the objectives. Creating rubrics with programs like Rubistar and Excel is very easy, and they can be posted to the wiki as well, so that students know what is expected of them before they begin an assignment.

8. Generating and Testing Hypotheses - This could be achieved by using simulations. Students could formulate hypotheses, and then set up an experiment or project on the computer. This would work especially well with projects that either would take too long in real life or are too expensive. One example would be a trebuchet. We discussed in class how a student could set it up online before actually creating the real trebuchet. It would be too expensive to do a trail and error creation of such a big project.