Supporting Learning With Technology

First released in the Spring of 1999, How People Learn has been expanded to show how the theories and insights from the original book can translate into actions and practice, now making a real connection between classroom activities and learning behavior. This edition includes far-reaching suggestions for research that could increase the impact that classroom teaching has on actual learning. Like the original edition, this book offers exciting new research about the mind and the brain that provides answers to a number of compelling questions. When do infants begin to learn? How do experts learn and how is this different from non-experts? What can teachers and schools do-with curricula, classroom settings, and teaching methods--to help children learn most effectively? New evidence from many branches of science has significantly added to our understanding of what it means to know, from the neural processes that occur during learning to the influence of culture on what people see and absorb. How People Learn examines these findings and their implications for what we teach, how we teach it, and how we assess what our children learn. The book uses exemplary teaching to illustrate how approaches based on what we now know result in in-depth learning. This new knowledge calls into question concepts and practices firmly entrenched in our current education system. Topics include: How learning actually changes the physical structure of the brain. How existing knowledge affects what people notice and how they learn. What the thought processes of experts tell us about how to teach. The amazing learning potential of infants. The relationship of classroom learning and everyday settings of community and workplace. Learning needs and opportunities for teachers. A realistic look at the role of technology in education.

The climate of Higher Education is changing rapidly. The students are more likely to see themselves as consumers and have increasingly high expectations regarding teaching and learning. Universities are in part aiming to meet this need by increasing the use of technology; for example, whether to increase access to teaching materials outside the classroom or to make lectures more interactive. Although there is no illusion amongst Higher Education intuitions that technology is a panacea, it is clear that technology is a vital tool in meeting expectations and one that will be used more and more. Consequently the context of this book is one in which technology needs to be understood as part of an overall teaching practice. Technology continues to move on a pace and is used increasingly within Higher Education to support and enhance teaching and learning. There are books which are steeped in technical detail and books which are steeped in theoretical pedagogy with little discussion about the impact on learning and student/teacher behaviour. Using Technology to Support Learning and Teaching fills a gap in the market by providing a jargon free (but pedagogically informed) set of guidance for teaching practitioners who wish to consider a variety of ways in which technology can enrich their practice and the learning of their students. It integrates a wide range of example cases from different kinds of HE institutions and different academic disciplines, illustrating practicable pedagogies to a wide range of readers. It is full of advice, hints and tips for practitioners wanting to use technology to support a style of teaching and learning that is also built on sound pedagogical principles. It will provide a quick user-friendly reference for practitioners wanting to incorporate technology into Higher Education in a way that adheres to their learning principles and values . This book is primarily for teaching practitioners, particularly those who are new to the industry.This book would also prove useful on training courses for practitioners; such as the Postgraduate Certificate for Higher Education. The authors also intend that the book be of value to newer teachers (perhaps taking teacher training programmes) who wish to see where recommended approaches link to pedagogy.

This is the eBook of the printed book and may not include any media, website access codes, or print supplements that may come packaged with the bound book. The author has written a new and unique text for courses in Computers in Education or Instructional Media and Technology. The purpose of this text is to address what technology teachers should know and be able to do, but the focus is on learners and learning rather than on the technology itself. The book is unique in that it presents the students’ learning goals first rather than the technology tool, thereby focusing on the learner and the learning rather than the technology. The examples throughout the chapters present ideas for tasks that can be completed with a variety of tools rather than one specific tool that teachers may not have access to. Each chapter includes a brief summary of research from educational technology, learning theory, and other areas to build a foundation for chapter examples and activities. The chapters also include examples for learning in a variety of contexts and content areas and can be applied easily to teaching other ideas and subjects. A unique chapter (Chapter 9) on teacher productivity helps support future educators in their everyday tasks. The book illustrates what technology-enhanced learning can be like today and prepares teachers and administrators for what may come tomorrow. Some of the pedagogical features in the book include: Cases–These appear at the beginning of each chapter and provide a framework for the chapter discussion that follows. ~These cases are compelling snapshots from real classrooms that help students to connect educational concepts to the real world. ~Related questions within and at the end of each chapter encourage the reader to think critically about the material and its related application to the classroom. Meet the Needs of Today’s Students feature–Each chapter contains margin notes to help the readers address the learning needs of ALL students including those with diverse needs and English Language Learners. Meeting the Standards feature–This feature shows how the National Educational Technology Standards connect to the learning goal of each chapter. ~Additional state standards are listed on the book’s companion website. Tool CloseUp feature–These boxes explore the features of technology tools discussed in the chapter in more detail. Learning Activities feature–Provide opportunities to apply the chapter’s guidelines and technology tool discussions to a variety of learning activities related to all grade levels and content areas.

This book promotes student-centered approaches to the learning process, allowing students to develop skills and competences that traditional, passive learning methods cannot foster. In turn, supporting active learning with digital technology tools creates new possibilities in terms of pedagogical design and implementation. This book addresses the latest research and practice in the use of technology to promote active learning. As such, on the one hand, it focuses on active pedagogical methodologies like problem-based learning, design thinking and agile approaches; on the other, it presents best practice cases on the use of digital environments to support these methodologies. Readers will come to understand and learn to apply active learning methodologies, either by replicating the best practices presented here, or by creating their own methods.

Young children are born into a digital world and it is not unusual to see preschool children intuitively swiping screens and confidently pressing buttons. There is much debate about the impact of the increased access to technology on young children’s health and wellbeing with claims that it damages their social skills and emotional development. This timely new textbook examines how developments in technology, particularly mobile and touch screen technology, have impacted on children’s lives and how when used appropriately it can support all aspects of their development. Clearly linking theory and research to everyday practice, the book offers guidance on: The role of technology in the early years curriculum Developing young children’s understanding of safe and responsible use of technology The role of the adult within digital play activities Using technology to enhance and develop young children’s creativity Technology and language acquisition Featuring a wide range of case studies and examples to show how the ideas described can be put into practice, this is essential reading for all early years students and practitioners that want to know how they can harness technology in a meaningful way to support young children’s learning and development.

Personalized Learning: A Guide for Engaging Students with Technology is designed to help educators make sense of the shifting landscape in modern education. While changes may pose significant challenges, they also offer countless opportunities to engage students in meaningful ways to improve their learning outcomes. Personalized learning is the key to engaging students, as teachers are leading the way toward making learning as relevant, rigorous, and meaningful inside school as outside and what kids do outside school: connecting and sharing online, and engaging in virtual communities of their own Renowned author of the Heck: Where the Bad Kids Go series, Dale Basye, and award winning educator Peggy Grant, provide a go-to tool available to every teacher today—technology as a way to ‘personalize’ the education experience for every student, enabling students to learn at their various paces and in the way most appropriate to their learning styles.

There are many reasons to be curious about the way people learn, and the past several decades have seen an explosion of research that has important implications for individual learning, schooling, workforce training, and policy. In 2000, How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School: Expanded Edition was published and its influence has been wide and deep. The report summarized insights on the nature of learning in school-aged children; described principles for the design of effective learning environments; and provided examples of how that could be implemented in the classroom. Since then, researchers have continued to investigate the nature of learning and have generated new findings related to the neurological processes involved in learning, individual and cultural variability related to learning, and educational technologies. In addition to expanding scientific understanding of the mechanisms of learning and how the brain adapts throughout the lifespan, there have been important discoveries about influences on learning, particularly sociocultural factors and the structure of learning environments. How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures provides a much-needed update incorporating insights gained from this research over the past decade. The book expands on the foundation laid out in the 2000 report and takes an in-depth look at the constellation of influences that affect individual learning. How People Learn II will become an indispensable resource to understand learning throughout the lifespan for educators of students and adults.