Lesson 18 Tablets for Textbooks in School

Benefits

Tablets can pack in more learning materials than textbooks. a single tablet is more than capable for holding all the textbooks a learner needs plus quizzes and homework. With such capabilities, there will be no need for physical space for storing learning materials.

Cost is one of the outstanding benefits of tablets. Electronic books obviously cost less than their print versions, meaning the same amount of money can be used to buy more textbooks. 

There is also growing evidence that students learn better with tablets than with textbooks. According to a MOBILEDIA report titled "Kids to Spur Tablet Growth," a study conducted on algebra students showed that those who used tablets scored higher than those who used print textbooks. 

Tablets are also lighter, can easily be updated and do not age as fast as printed books. But they also have their drawbacks.

Disadvantages

One of the foremost disadvantages of tablet is that they have been connected to a number of health issues. Heavy usage of tablets is believed to cause eyestrain, blurred vision and headaches, symptoms which are collectively known as Computer Vision Syndrome.

The other disadvantage of tablets is that students who use them tend to get too distracted, as opposed to those who use textbooks. This distraction comes from a number of areas including games, videos, emails and countless entertainment applications. This is why many digitally connected students tend to have short attention spans.

Other issues with tablets include their tendency to freeze, crash or get infected with malware. A school day can easily get messed up due to a successful widespread hacking. Also, the typical usage hours of most tablets are shorter than school day lengths. School charging will present additional challenges.

Despite all these challenges, however, it seems as if the adoption of tablets in schools is inevitable. Even before their adoption is integrated in education policies, independent schools and parents are slowly making tablets available to their students. Though complete replacement of print textbooks is still many years away, the two standards will soon be complimentary in most schools.

Lesson 16 The Internet and education

         
           The Internet, also simply called the Net is the largest and far-flung network system of all systems. The Internet is not really a network but a loosely organized collection of about 25,000 networks accessed by computers on the planet.
           

Everything is coordinated in the Internet through a standardized protocol called Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). To gain access to the Internet, The computer must be equipped with what is called a Server which has a special software program that uses the Internet protocol.

The great attraction of the Internet is that once the sign-up fees are paid, there are no extra charges. E-mail for example is free regardless of amount use. The vast sea o information now in the Internet is an overwhelming challenge to those who wish to navigate it.

The most attractive way to move around the Internet is called browsing. Using a program called the browser, the user can use a mouse to point and click on screen icons  to surf the Internet, particularly the World Wide Web, an Internet's subset of text, images and sounds are linked together to allow users to access data or information needed.
           

Educational software materials have also developed both in sophistication and appeal. But the real possibility today is connecting with the world outside homes, classrooms and Internet cafes. Today schools are gearing up to take advantage of Internet access.

Lesson 15 Understanding Hypermedia

Hypermedia is nothing but multimedia, but this time packaged as educational computer software where information is presented and student activities are integrated in a virtual learning environment.

 Most educational IT applications are hypermedia and these include:

v  Tutorial software packages

v  Knowledge web pages

v  Simulation instructional games

v  Learning project management and others

The presentation of information-learning in hypermedia is said to be sequenced in a non linear manner, meaning that the learner may follow his path of activities thus providing an environment of learner autonomy and thinking skills.

Characteristics of hypermedia applications

1.      Learner control this means the learner makes his own decisions on the path, flow or events of instruction.

2.      Learner wide range of navigation routes the learners controls the sequence and pace of his path depending on his ability and motivation.

3.      Variety of Media hypermedia includes more than one media but does not necessarily use all types of media in one instruction.

Instructional events:

Lesson 14 The Software as Educational Resource

Whenever people think about computers, they are most likely thinking about the computer machine such as the television-like monitor screen, the keyboard to type on, the printer which produces copies of text-and-graphics material, and the computer housing called “the box” which contains the electronic parts and circuits (the central processing unit) that receives/ stores data and direct computer operations. The computer machine or hardware is naturally an attention-getter.

 It’s more difficult to realize, however, that the computer hardware can hardly be useful without the program or system that tells what the computer machine should do. This is called software.





There are two kinds of software:

1. The system software this is the operating system that is found or bundled inside all computer machines.

2. The application software  this contains the system that commands the particular task or solves a particular problem.



In turn the applications software may be:

(a) A custom software that is made for specific tasks often by large corporations, or

(b) A commercial software packaged for personal computers that helps with a variety of tasks such as writing papers, calculating numbers, drawing graphs, playing games, and so much more.





Microsoft Windows

 Also referred to as program, Microsoft Windows or Windows for short is an operating environment between the user and the computer operating system. Also called a shell, it is a layer that creates the way the computer should work. Windows uses a colorful graphics interface (called GUI – pronounced “gooee”) that can be seen on the computer screen or monitor whenever the computer is turned on.
 The user can work with on-screen pictures (icons) and suggestions (menus) to arrive at the desired software. Windows 95 (now improved with Windows 2003 and 2007) is software designed for Microsoft Windows. Actually, Windows is in itself a self-contained operating system which provides

• User convenience – just click a file name to retrieve data or click from program to program as easy as changing channels in your TV screen
• A new look – fancy borders, smooth and streamlined text fonts

• Information center – Windows puts all communications activities (e-mail, downloads etc. in a single screen icon); adapts/configures the computer for the Internet.

• Plug and play – configures the computer with added components, such as for sound and video.

Instructional Software
Instructional software can be visited on the Internet or can be bought from software shops or dealers. In evaluating computer-based educational materials, the following can serve as guidelines:

• Be extremely cautious in using CBIs and “free” Internet material.
• Don’t be caught up by attractive graphics, sound, animation, pictures, video clips and music forgetting their instructional worth.
• Teachers must evaluate these resources using sound pedagogical principles.
• Among design and content elements to evaluate are: the text legibility, effective use of color schemes, attractive layout and design, and easy navigation from section-to-section (such as from game to tutorial to drill-and-practice section).
• Clarity in the explanations and illustrations of concepts and principles.
• Accuracy, coherence, logic of information.
• Their being current since data/statistics continually change.
• Relevance/effectiveness in attaining learning objectives.
• Absence of biased materials (e.g. gender bias or racial bias).
 

Lesson 13 Cooperative Learning with the computer

Cooperative or Collaborative learning is learning by a small group of students working together in a common learning task.

Five Elements:

v  Common goal

v  Interdependence

v  Interaction                                                                                         v  Individual accountability

v  Social skills

Advantages

v  Encourages active learning while motivating students.

v  Increases academic performance.

v  Promotes literacy and language skills           v  Improves teacher effectiveness.

It enhances:

v  Self-esteem

v  Personal and social development among students

v  Social relations between racially and culturally different students.

Components of Cooperative Learning

v  Assigning students to mixed-ability teams

v  Establishing positive interdependence

v  Teaching cooperative social skills

v  Insuring individual accountability

v  Helping group process information