Journal 4: Finding Students Who Learn With Media, NETS V

Bull, G., Alexander, C., & Ferster, B. (2009). Finding students who learn with media. International society for technology and education, 37(5), Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=February_No_5_4&Template=/MembersOnly.cfm&NavMenuID=4495&ContentID=25255&DirectListComboInd=D
Finding Students Who Learn with Media, by Bull, Alexander, and Ferster is about implementing web-based authoring tools, such as Primary access MovieMaker which offers students practice in combining their ideas, primary source pictures, even audio narrating in order to make movies. The movie production becomes part of the curriculum. Students have access to primary source documents in well known institutions such as the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institute. The article goes on to state that the implementation in schools is a productive way to engage students in learning. Class time has become more efficient. There has been established a solution to the time consuming video editing equipment of the past. There is actual data assessing students’ engagement levels. There are four levels of engagement that were classified, high technology/high content, high technology/low content, low technology/high content, and low technology/low content. The article offers advice on differentiating instruction through the performance assessment results. I agree with the article that retention is greater by learning the material in this way. Learning history in this way adds depth to the dates and names we memorize. Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences says that not all students learn the same way. The opportunity to make a movie about history supports the multiple intelligence theory with having different tasks to match the learner’s style.

1. Does this type of assignment isolate the student with little to no computer proficiency? There are many different tasks that the learner has the opportunity to engage in. I think this activity would sharpen, strengthen, and polish a learner’s set of skills.
2. Because this is student directed, how much feedback is necessary for teachers to give students? The teacher offers as much is needed. The teacher allows for students to self direct with a set of goals in mind. The teacher is going to facilitate with questions and scaffold the student as they become experts with the media themselves.