Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Social Learning in Practice

When discussing social learning theory in reference to my school community and society, I absolutely agree with the statement that people construct meaning primarily through their interactions with others and their environment. As Pitler states “Technology can play a unique and vital role in cooperative learning by facilitating group collaboration, providing structure for group tasks, and allowing members of groups to communicate even if they are not working face to face” (Pitler, 2007).
I currently teach at a school where children are not as exposed to technology as some of their more “privileged” peers. One of the greatest struggles when working with students that are not proficient with technology is getting them prepared for the work force. Working collaboratively is essential in today’s work force. Many companies are switching to a computer based “work from home” type of working community. As society develops it is going to become more important for our students to be able to use technology proficiently in addition to working cooperatively with their peers. In order to overcome these struggles, implementing a cooperative learning that facilitates social learning theories is imperative. I use cooperative learning groups to develop our class wiki and to create presentations using Keynotes and PowerPoint. Although my students are a little young for social networking sites, I have encouraged my peers to allow students to use social networking sites to blog about learning in the classroom. When given the opportunity, students would be more actively engaged if they were using those mediums rather than a pencil and paper.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

5 comments:

DKondel said...

Hayley,
I think that it is great that you give your students the opportunities in the classroom to use technology, even though they may not have those same options outside of the classroom. By exposing them to the technology now you are setting them up for success once they leave your room. Keep it up!

Unknown said...

The "work from home" working community is a growing trend that many employers are using. Equipping students with the skills to work collaboratively and cooperatively using technological means is critical to their success in a digital and evolving work force.

Mrs. Bowman said...

Hi Hayley, I use to work at a school very similar to yours and I found that because of special funding there was often more money for technology available to schools with a high population of lower income students. I also found that because many students did not have technology in their homes the grasped onto it a school very quickly. Isn't it amazing how some kids are just like a sponge. They absorb everything.

Hayley D said...

Leann,

I do agree that because the intrigue factor is present for students who do not have technology at home is present, they do tend to gravitate towards using technology in the classroom. However, they lack the fundamentals of using a computer and various programs, which makes learning more difficult. by giving them exposure in the classroom, I am hoping to close this gap.

Hayley

Beau Garrett said...

Hayley,

I agree that we must expose students to technology because they will be using this technology at work for the rest of their lives. I also work at a school where many students do not have access to this technology at home so I feel that it is my duty to expose them to this technology at school. My students respond well to technology and many of them seem to know how to use it eventhough they do not have it at home. I hope that by doing this I can prepare my students to be successful after they have graduated from high school.

Jonathan Garrett

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