Instructional Strategies and Technology for Teachers and Students (GCU TEC 538)

Learning Strategies for the 21^st Century Student

The importance of having a variety of instructional strategies allows the teacher to reach all students with different learning styles. The value of having a variety of instructional strategies for the 21^st Century student is that the strategies create a well round classroom environment, where students can choose their technique or style of learning. Therefore, creating independent learners and problem-solving students.

  

Technology is implemented into the classroom through various applications that cover a variety of subjects. Technological Applications allow students to play games where students are able to practice what they are learning in a fun and efficient way.

                                                                       

 The following Learning Strategies are supported by the following applications:

Learning Strategies	Application
Hands-On; Active Participation: Activities that students physically participate in.	Trading Cards https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/trading-cards/id555742821?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4:  Allows students unique way to share their understanding of various topics. to build study aids for school, or to create their own fictional world of characters.
Inquiry Based Learning: Learning through investigating issues or scenarios.	PBS Learning Media :http://www.pbslearningmedia.org:  Allows students to search inquires under any subject.
Segmented Learning: Short burst activities covering various skills needed to understand the concept.	Word Creativity Kit https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/word-creativity-kit-creative/id825981779?mt=8: Allows the student a chance to think outside of the box, create found poetry, fill the head with new ideas, laugh at silly sentences and have fun.

The implementation of technology impacts teaching by further enforcing the learning strategies and reinforcing what is being taught through educational games, activates, and investigations. This alleviates boredom in students, by creating a student-centered learning environment that revolves around games, simulations, and investigations. For the teacher it allows them to guide students through their investigations of the content, specific skills while implementing different learning techniques or environments.

                                               

Getting Started

This Blog will cover the following;

• The importance of using a variety of instructional strategies and the value they add to education of students in the 21st century.

•  It will evaluate the role that technology plays in the implementation of various instructional strategies, how will this impacts my teaching of students in the 21^st century.

• It will look at visual literacy and the use of the Internet and impact it has on the teaching and the learning process in the classroom.

•  What are the visual thinking strategies I would like to use in the classroom?

• What role does the Internet play in my classroom?

• Reflection on technology-infused classrooms and how I plan to have a technology-infused classroom.

• Reflection on assessments; Are they the only objective assessments of student learning?