Reflection 3

The tremendous impact of ICT on students’ learning        

One of the projects I had a closer look at when visiting a Year 12 technology and design class, was the creation of an architectural package with the help of professional software. The project is a very illustrative example of the significance of ICT as a “mindtool” or “constructivist knowledge construction tool” (Finger, Russell, Jamieson-Proctor, & Russell, 2007) and also of how students can learn “with computers” rather than just “learning about” or “learning from computers“ (Finger et al., 2007).

First of all, the student had to teach himself how to use the software. Although the student had access to free tutorial software and received assistance from the teacher, he actively had to use lower-order skills according to the revised Bloom’s taxonomy, such as “remembering” and “understanding” to familiarize himself with the program in a first step. In a next step, in the process of creating, in which the student was likely to have encountered various problems, he had to draw on a wide range of higher-order and multidisciplinary skills, like “applying” and “synthesizing”, and “think in meaningful ways to use the application to represent” his ideas, that is, the house plans and the virtual tour (Grabe & Grabe, 2007). Besides that, the student had to engage different intelligences, such as mathematical/logical and spatial intelligence. Furthermore, by becoming a knowledgeable user of the professional software, the student took an important step towards his career goal to work as an architect, which is a great example of how ICT can make a learning experience valuable beyond the classroom (Grabe & Grabe, 2007).

References:

Finger, G., Russell, G. Jamieson-Proctor, R., Russell, N. (2007). Transforming learning with ICT: Making IT happen. Frenchs Forest. Pearson Education Australia.

Grabe, M. & Grabe, C. (2007). Integrating Technology for meaningful learning. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.