This blog is done in collaboration with Erin.
Attached is our (myself and Erin) summary of learning throughout this class. We chat about numerous different topics that we learned such as Web 2.0, coding, Assistive Technology, as we cook using a recipe we found on the web. We made a few little changes, but the results were still amazing…thank us later 
Cheers to a great semester of learning!
Ilda & Erin
My first time using AI was when my school division introduced the Magic School. Yes, I know I have been talking all the time during this course for Magic School, but that’s because I love it, as it has made my life so much easier. Where should I start?
As a Learning Resource teacher, one of my responsibilities is to create data collection for students who are on the Inclusion and Intervention Plan (IIP). Previously, it had taken me a lot of time to prepare these data collection sheets as they have to be individualized for each goal and, more specifically, for each student. Let’s say 5 goals per student X 40 students… I’m gonna let you do the calculation. This year, I used Magic School, and it saved me so many long hours of work and frustration. What’s more important is that the final result was much better than before. The forms I created are more accessible to fill in through the computer if you don’t want to print them, and you can edit them if necessary.
Magic School has also helped me create Social Stories for the students. Based on their needs, social stories can help students understand emotions, behaviours, and feelings, work through personal issues, and predict their actions regarding handling various situations. They are straightforward, and you can create as many as you want. The story below is the one AI—Magic School created for me. The command that I asked Magic School was: “Make a social story for Ilda on how to use AI.”
Here is the story:
I am Ilda. Sometimes, I use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help me with different tasks. AI is like having an intelligent assistant that can answer questions and give me information.
I can use AI on my computer, tablet, or even my smart speaker at home. When I need help getting started, I can ask my parents or teacher.
It’s great that AI can help me find answers to questions quickly. If I’m unsure how to use AI, someone can show me step by step. I can also practice using AI by asking simple questions first.
When I use AI, I feel excited to learn new things and discover information that interests me. If I have trouble understanding the answers from AI, I can ask for clarification without worrying.
I will work on speaking clearly and calmly when asking AI for help. I can also thank AI for providing me with the necessary information.
Remember, using AI is a fun and helpful tool for learning and exploring new things!
Magic School also helps me with lesson plans, IIP generators, assessments, rubric generators, customizing texts based on students’ favoured topics, and more. When this platform was initially introduced to us, all its features were available. Unfortunately, some of the features now require a subscription.
ChatGPT is another AI that I use for my work. I use it to summarize lengthy articles, clarify, and answer questions.
So far, I am thrilled with AI but simultaneously scared. Thrilled because it has shortened the time needed for completing tasks and allowed me to spend time on other things. Having AI available 24/7 enables me to access it anytime and anywhere. Since technology is advancing rapidly, my only concern with AI is taking over our lives. We want technology to make our life easier, however we still want humans to have the upper hand on things. The video that the last group showed in the previous presentation, Evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI), says that “With the advancement of technology and a better understanding of the human brain, the capabilities of AI would change drastically over the years” (min 3:34). As long as AI changes the world to benefit us that’s okay but if it works against us that is what concerns me.
The benefits of technology and AI are undeniable. We can all see how it has revolutionized our lives in many areas. However, we must ensure that we use it responsibly to maximize its benefits for the betterment of life and society.
https://images.app.goo.gl/LZX8A2rCsvfUb1437
Based on the Lakehead University coding is about giving instructions and crafting sets of rules that can be programmed into a digital device to perform.
My first encounter with coding was a few years ago with first and second grade students. My main reason for incorporating coding in my teaching was to better engage students in reading activities and letter recognition. The activity that I used was called Robot Mouse. Using a robot mouse, a mat, coding cards, reading cards, and remote-control students followed the instructions on the coding cards to move the robot mouse to the corresponding cards and to read aloud the associated word or letter. I have included a YouTube video below for those who would like to become familiar with this activity. The only difference is that instead of robot mouse, it is used a ladybug.
Whenever students used the robot mouse for reading activities, they showed happiness and high levels of engagement. In one of the articles that Kelsey and Kanwal had for their presentation, was mentioned how beneficial coding can be for students. One of these benefits can be the problem solving and critical thinking that students would have to learn. And I couldn’t agree more with that. When my students wanted to send the robot mouse in a certain word, they would have to think how many movements the mouse would go forward, left, or right to reach the destination they wanted. Engaging students with coding activities allowed them to break down the steps of a big problem into more manageable and smaller steps and to create a sequence of actions of how to solve the problem. It also allowed them to strengthen their critical thinking and to expand their creativity.
When I incorporated coding in my teaching practices, I was able to see firsthand its benefits but some challenges at the same time. For the major part, most of the students grasped the concept of coding with no extra effort; however, for some other students coding ended up being daunting and challenging. Programing the robot mouse to follow the steps shown on the coding card was not easy which resulted in students being frustrated and resisting to not engage with coding and this particular activity.
When I was trying to explore what are some other benefits for coding, I encountered the below information in the Regina Catholic School Division (RCSD) website, and I was surprised to see how beneficial coding can be in various areas such as in:
Academics:
In math – it helps students apply math to “real-world situations” turning math into a fun activity for students.
In writing – it helps kids improve their writing skills by understanding the value of “concision and planning”.
In creativity – it allows students to use their creativity to find the solution for their problem, and it builds students’ confidence “as they learn to problem-solve through coding”
Another area where coding is very helpful is to build soft skills. The more students write complicated codes the better they become in focusing and organization skills. Coding sometimes becomes challenging for students due to the rules and steps that are necessary to build and follow. This helps the students to build resilience while working through these challenges. When students learn how to code they learn how to communicate their ideas clearly with the computer.
Coding can also pave the future of the kids by empowering their confidence and problem solving. It teaches life skills and offers more opportunities for a future careers.
As you can see, the values that coding brings are vast. Whether that is for academics, life skills, or just for fun, coding opens up a world of possibilities for our students and it empowers them with the necessary skills and mindset to thrive in whatever path they choose to pursue. Integrating coding in our curricula will help students to become participants and to see themselves as active contributors to the digital world. As technology is becoming an integral part of education, it is important to become innovative and creative and coding offers us this opportunity.
Option 1: What are your experiences with assistive technology, and what are some of the challenges and limitations?
Throughout this school year, utilizing assistive technology has become an inseparable part of my daily tasks. As a Learning Resource Teacher, part of my job is to help students with their literacy skills, whether through traditional methods or technology. I have to admit that technology was not my favourite method; however, that perception changed drastically when I was introduced to Magic School, an artificial intelligence platform. Not only did Magic School transform my views on technology, but it also made me eager to learn and expand my knowledge on various platforms and tools that are vital for my students’ success. Some of these tools that I have been learning and using daily with my students are Immersive Reader, Dictation, Speech-to-Text and Cpen. When I started using them, of course, there was a bit of frustration. However, after I attended a training offered by my school division, things improved drastically.
In last week’s presentation, Assistive Technology was described as “any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.” This definition taken from ATiA (Assistive Technology Industry Association), states that assistive technology is vital for people with disabilities; however, the video that was also presented last week, The Myth of Assistive Technology, explains that assistive technology is not just restricted to people with disabilities but everyone can use it. Assistive Technology can enhance productivity for people without disabilities, while it “can make things possible” for students with learning challenges. Talking from my personal experience, speech-to-text helps me quite often to jot down ideas faster, whereas Immersive Reader helps me with reading books or articles, while performing other duties as a mother. Even though, nothing can beat the pleasure of reading a book on your own, at least this is my personal opinion, for my students this seems like a past habit because they will always choose audiobooks over paper books. As a teacher I find Immersive Reader a valuable resource because some of its elements are very helpful for students whose primary language is not English. Translating various texts or just words from the many languages available, having a picture dictionary and a reading coach, focusing on various parts of speech and syllables are some of the features that enable me to help the EAL (English as an Additional Language) students to overcome the barriers in English language and to set them up for success in their new journey.
Immersive Reader is beneficial for students as well to help them overcome reading challenges and to promote independent reading and learning.
Cpen is also a useful reading tool for some students that I help with their daily reading. Last week’s presentation mentioned that Cpen was “designed to make significant changes in people’s lives.” This is true because it has greatly impacted my students, especially one of them. The students are allowed to use the Cpen at school, but unfortunately, they are not allowed to take it home. The good side of this is that one particular student loves to use the Cpen so much that she hardly misses any day at school now. So, not only has the Cpen helped her with reading, but it has also enabled her to improve attendance at school.
Despite the benefits for students and myself, sometimes these tools present challenges and limitations. Speech-to-Text does not present any major issues if someone has an accent, however if a person has a speech impairment, depending on the degree of impairment, there might be a lack of accuracy in the text. Another factor that can impact the accuracy of speech-to text is the high level of noise in the environment where the text is being recorded.
One disadvantage of the Immersive Reader that was mentioned in the last week’s presentation was “using it the wrong way.” This means doing another thing while you are listening to a text. In my daily teaching, I have seen this happen, but very rarely. Most of the time, students really enjoy listening to text and being engaged with reading.
As for the Cpen, one limitation is that it reads one line at a time and only certain types of fonts. The charging does not present a big challenge as long as the teacher remembers to charge it at the end of the day. The cost might be a limitation for some students though.
Despite being confusing and not very easy to navigate at times, assistive technology offers immense values that can improve the learning experience. It can empower ALL students, and not only, to enhance their everyday learning and living. By providing tools tailored to individual needs, assistive technology opens up new opportunities and possibilities, making learning and education more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
“process of gathering data to better understand the strengths and weaknesses of student learning”
(Harris and Hodges, 1995)
In the evolving landscape of education, the integration of assessments represent challenges and opportunities for both students and educators. Joe Bowers’s statement that “Assessment is not a spreadsheet, it’s a conversation” put me in deep thinking and made me realize that he is right.
We use the assessments to gather information about the students’ learning and to guide our teaching practices, but have we ever wondered about the effects that these assessments have on our students? To go further, is there any way that we can make the process of assessing students less stressful and more meaningful for students? I have been an educator for 15 years, and in the last years I have seen that whenever you tell the students that they are going to have a test or quiz or any form of assessment they will stress out. And I don’t blame them. We have one size fit all assessments that do not take into consideration factors such as previous knowledge, language skills, and abilities.
When we give an assessment to the students without considering these individual factors, we create a system that does not truly reflect the real potential or understanding of the student. This approach assumes a uniform baseline for all the learners and does not take into consideration the personal journey for each individual learner. To address this limitation, we should approach assessment in a different way which is more personalized and that embraces the unique skills and knowledge of each student. Tailoring assessments to the individual knowledge and building on the previous skills of the students should be an integral part of educational practices. In this way, educators should be able to get a more accurate understanding of what students know and do not know.
Furthermore, language proficiency plays a crucial part when assessing students. Recently, there have been so many students coming from various country, whose primary language is not English. Some of them are very fluent in English but there are others who are not. Assessing these students in the same way as we assess English speaker students is not fair to them. Incorporating multilingual assessments will enable to break the language barriers and to ensure that students can show their true understanding and knowledge. With the advancement of technology and with so many AI platforms, some of which were mentioned in the last week presentation, educators should and MUST be able to offer the opportunity to the ELA students to have assessments that makes their sharing of knowledge easier and to truly demonstrate what their really know.
Additionally, acknowledging and accommodating various learning abilities is crucial. Rather than relying solely on traditional written assessments, such as quizzes, essays, multi choice questions, educators should offer other forms of assessments, like project-based assignments, oral assessments or any other form of assessment that allows the students to show their knowledge that aligns with their strengths.
Moving away from one size fit assessments is essential for a more just way of assessing students and creating a more effective education system. Embracing personalized assessments that take into account individual strengths and weaknesses of the students will show more accurately students’ knowledge and skills and will better help teachers to plan for their students.
The article, Understanding the Role of Assessment in Learning explains the importance of assessments but in the same time emphasizes the importance of shifting the way how we assess our students. A video from Eric Mazur, which is included in this article, introduces us some critical aspects on assessments.
I would like to conclude this blog with Eric Mazur’s words as I find them very encouraging to think that “…unless we rethink our assessment our assessment will continue to fail to indicate who is really going to be successful in life and who is not”.
Our interconnectedness has been solidified in our lives heavily through Technology and Social Media. We live now in an age where we have instant access to each other, news and entertainment. In many ways, it has significantly improved our lives. We are connected to an unlimited network of knowledge on an unlimited amount of subjects. However, with these many benefits there is bound to also be a wide range of risks that we must consider. Our dependence on technology is rising and that can be seen through the newer generations. As they have access to technology and social media earlier in life, they are much more prone to the risks. This is why we must become educated and informed about what these risks entail, so that we can stop ourselves from becoming victims.
An immediate threat of these risks is seen in the younger generations, most prominently Gen Z and Gen Alpha. Their access to technology and social media at younger ages has greatly influenced the way that they have grown up. A prominent example of this was shown in the movie The Social Dilemma, in which it was stated that depression and suicide in young girls spiked greatly with the introduction of social media. Also, it was mentioned that the generation as a whole was struggling with romantic relationships and self-esteem issues due to social media. It is important that we understand these consequences so that we may also understand how to combat them. This includes teaching our youth about their online presence, that what they upload, and post has an effect on others lives. Similarly, we must also teach youth that social life can exist outside of the digital world and that depending on social media gratification is dangerous. Overall social media will evolve faster than we can keep up with it, but that does not mean that we should stop protecting ourselves from any of its current and future harms.
The Social Dilemma brought up very good points on how social media can be used to destabilize or put strain on society and social organizations. Now the movie brought up points of threat to democracy and civil war, which I personally find believable but also extreme. What I want to focus on is how social media can be used to manipulate people to take sides on issues. We can see this happen a lot in politics, in which many times people of opposing political views would rather insult each other than discuss their political ideas. Another example could be seen with Covid 19, in which people were heavily divided on issues of vaccines and masks. While the problem is not having opposing views, it is how we act when we have them. What is beginning to occur is that rather then try to find solutions or common ground we divide ourselves further and become even more opinionated. This is dangerous because it creates enemies out of friends. Unfortunately, social media is a powerful tool for this division due to its ability to spread to many people at instantaneous speeds. Things such as hate speech, online harassment and fake news are becoming more common for everyone who has an online presence.
In our schools social media can be a powerful tool in helping kids socialize and connect with each other outside of school hours. Its ability to help a person connect with others is immeasurable. With that, however, come also the side effects of being constantly connected. Things such as cyber bullying and online harassment are becoming more prominent in schools. Also, kids are becoming more reliant on social media to socialize and losing critical skills in how to make real life relationships. Things such as anxiety and depression are also on the rise due to social media. As a result, it is becoming ever important for parents to also be informed on their children’s online activity. Not only so they are not victims of the risks but also, so they do not become the harassers. Social media is an expansion of the world, and with it should also come regulation. We should see technology and social media as powerful tools that can make our lives much better, but that also come with responsibility in how we use them.
Technology has revolutionized the traditional way of teaching and learning, offering many tools and platforms to enhance education. Digital tools are becoming inseparable in everyday life, so it is almost impossible to see life nowadays with them. I had difficulty figuring out which tool or platform was the most important for me because I consider them all very important.
As a teacher and parent, I believe EDSBY has crucially changed the way teachers communicate with parents and how parents access school-related news and information. Getting and submitting information in real-time, checking the grades and assessments that are due, and delivering messages are some features that make EDSBY an essential platform for me.
Going back to the time of COVID-19, Microsoft Teams was a new way of communication between colleagues and students. Being able to access all my students through the screen and share ideas was something that I never thought about. Yet, that reality continues nowadays, making communication much more accessible and manageable. Being able to meet without having to leave our class or home and share information and links has never been easier and faster. Microsoft Teams’s features have made this platform very important and helpful for me.
YouTube is another tool that I use frequently and which both students and I enjoy it. There is nothing that I can’t find on YouTube for my teaching purposes, from songs about letters, numbers and stories for different purposes and so much more. I find YouTube videos make teaching more entertaining and engaging for the students. Who wouldn’t prefer to learn the sounds through Jolly phonics? Not only do students get pumped every time they hear the songs, but most of the time, I enjoy it more than they do. Singing, dancing, and doing the action for each sound is an appealing way to teach the student.
The article below explains the advantages of using YouTube in the classroom, and I couldn’t agree more with all of them.
Other tools I use frequently are OneNote, PowerPoint, Microsoft 365, Word, PechaKucha, Seesaw, Planboard, Canva, and various tools for Assistive Technology. At least, these are the ones that I was able to recall. I felt good about my knowledge as I thought I was not a beginner, but when I read one of the articles posted in week 6, Best Tools for Virtual and Distance Learning, I realized the vast range of available tools. No matter your knowledge, it is almost impossible to know all the platforms and tools that technology offers. However, staying curious and willing to be a lifelong learner will be vital in helping me to navigate the world of educational technology.
I want to close with the video below by Gino Camp. Gino says that the challenge is to design the right combination of online and offline elements depending on our learning goals and the tools that we have available. That means we need to evolve as teachers and learners and reflect upon what we do and why we do it.
The world we live in is changing so rapidly that it is becoming harder and harder to keep up with everything. Specifically, I am referring to the changes in technology. In the previous weeks, we discussed the history of AV in education. In the 1930s, we used film projectors, then moved to video cassette recorders, overhead projectors, and whiteboards, just to name a few. In the 2000s, the widespread adoption of the internet and digital media established the integration of online resources into daily teaching. Laptops and tablets became prevalent in the classrooms, allowing for a more fun and engaging learning opportunities. We are all aware that AV’s benefits to teachers and students are crucial for success in a digital learning environment. However, what will the future of productivity tools be in education, and how might they evolve to meet educational needs better?
The articles below give a detailed description of the future of technology.
https://meetingstore.co.uk/future-of-av-education/
https://online.purdue.edu/blog/education/evolution-technology-classroom
Some of the advancements stated in one of these articles are:
These technological advancements will require teachers to stay well informed and always strive to adapt and be on top of the knowledge. The future looks bright with all these changes, but will this advancement in technology threaten our privacy? When you sign up for a new app or program, you will be asked all sorts of information. Will this information be protected?
When it comes to privacy, I see many concerns here, some of which were presented in last week’s article but also from a personal event that happened just recently. My husband owns a local private business, and since we live in a digital area, the information for the company is all online. The services the company offers, display of previously completed work, and contact information are just a few things that the website provides. An advertising company, which, for ethical reasons, I won’t mention its name, has claimed on their website false information about my husband’s company. They have claimed enormous revenue and many employees, which both are not true. I wish the company had what they claimed, but the reality differs from what they were presenting. Two main concerns are raised here for him as the owner. First and most important, “Where did they get this information”? Second, but not least, “Can they remove that false information”? They have yet to answer when the advertising company was contacted and asked where they found that information. When they were also requested to remove that information, as it was not true, the answer was they could not remove it. The concern is that my husband has NEVER contacted this company to give them any information about his business or ask them for any advertisement. Consequently, he has NEVER signed a contract with them. This raises high concerns about unauthorized access and ethical handling of information. The same concerns can be raised in education, too, with students’ information being used without their consent. As parents, we do sign every year on how the students should be respectful when using technology in the school, and if they break it or misuse it, there will be consequences. Still, I am trying to remember when privacy was mentioned in that signing form. Users of productivity suites, educators and students, may face challenges managing and controlling the educational data. Demanding transparency in collecting, using and sharing data and obtaining consent are crucial aspects of ethical data handling.
In conclusion, the future of technology will be bright, with so many exciting opportunities for teachers and students. Advancements in biometrics, augmented reality, and multitouch surfaces are all innovative technologies that will revolutionize the world. However, upholding privacy standards and responsible data handling for all our students is crucial. Obtaining these principles will allow educators and students to fully embrace the potential of technology in education.
As I read Postman’s quote and the questions for this week’s blog, I realized I had no idea what “Sesame Street” was. I asked my kids if they knew about it, but my son’s answer was, “Google it mom”. Fair enough! Nowadays, if we do not know anything, we have the easiest way to find it out; we Google it, as opposed to the 90s, where we would ask each other or go and find a book to find out what we were inquiring. I keep reminding myself not to ask, but sometimes old habits never die. Anyway, as I was googling “Sesame Street,” I came across so many YouTube videos that I spent most of my Saturday watching as many episodes as possible. I must admit that that was the best Saturday in a long time.
Ironically, the first episode I watched was about New Year’s Eve, the best celebration and time of the year for me. If you have not seen this episode, click below, and I guarantee you will learn a lot from it.
As I watched this episode, I realized how much a child can gain from watching Sesame Street. Learning about different holidays all around the world, practicing the countdown for the New Year, finding the letter of the day, seeing Elmo’s friends getting frustrated when they could not keep Elmo awake and being able to regulate their emotions were just a few skills to mention. Engaging young learners and enhancing their knowledge while having fun is the best way to teach students. As I watched more episodes, I wondered, “Why can’t we educate the students this way? What factors have shaped our current education system, and how can we improve it to be more effective and efficient”? As I was Googling to find the answers to my questions, I came across these videos, which helped me realize why we teach the way we teach.
The traditional idea of schooling is centred around structured classrooms with rows and bells, and the teacher is the primary source of information. Our education system emphasizes obedience and discipline as the only way to maintain order in the classroom. However, “Sesame Street” presents an entirely different model which provides learning entertainingly and engagingly for the students. Using songs, various characters, engaging storylines, and educational content, “Sesame Street “challenges how the education system functions and gives us a better way of educating our kids. This show is a challenge for all the teachers to make them think about how to shape their teaching strategies to be more effective and engaging for all the students. “Sesame Street” sets higher expectations for schools, which should create an environment as entertaining as the one on the show. At the same time, “Sesame Street” shapes children’s expectation that education is fun. This is a bit concerning because the way education works nowadays is less fun than the kids expect it or want it to be. When we extend this idea to the broader effects of AV technologies in school and various educational apps, we might risk creating an expectation for the students that learning will occur only with the presence of technology. This expectation creates further issues, such as not liking the traditional education method and making students engage less. However, the question is, “Is technology valuable to education? Should we include it in our daily teaching”? The video below answers these questions.
So, technology is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it offers innovative and more engaging ways to enhance learning, and it makes education more accessible any time and any place you are. On the other hand, it might be a distraction and cause a lack of focus on learning objectives. As technology advances, so is the school policy for implementing BYOD and smartphones policies, allowing students to use their own devices for educational purposes. While the aim of this initiative might seem positive, in the same time it is concerning as it might highlight the economic disparities, and deepening the inequalities among students. BYOD assumes that every child has a smartphone, tablet and access of internet but the reality is different. For some families these devices might be considered a luxury, as such not all students will have access to them.
In conclusion, Postman’s quote highlights the consequences of a fun education and learning environment for students. This perspective invites educators to consider the advantages and disadvantages of the long-term effects of integrating AV technologies to ensure a balance for a better-enhanced learning experience and improved student outcomes.
This week, we explored various learning theories and their application in better supporting the students. While I was familiar with some of these theories, I had yet to think how we educators can utilize them to enhance our teaching strategies. As I was inquiring more on this subject, I found that many of them resonated with me personally. I also found new ways that will help me in my journey as an educator. Learning and understanding these various theories will empower me to choose the most effective teaching methods for my daily work.
As Anthony William Bates states in his book, no teaching method can fit all the circumstances. That means that teachers should have the skills and the resources to adapt to different learning styles, unique circumstances, and students’ individual needs. Alternating the various approaches will enable them to make the best choice to meet the student’s needs better.
In Objectivist Theory, a teacher believes that a course is a body of knowledge to be learned consisting of facts, formulas, terminology, etc.. Effectively transmitting this knowledge is crucial. Going further, an “objectivist” teacher controls what and how students learn and choose the learning activities and the assessment form. Regarding what students learn, I am referring to the outcomes, the Ministry of Education makes the decision, however, the teachers decide on the way they teach and the resources they use. So, based on the explanation of this theory, I believe that all the teachers are objectivists because they incorporate these strategies in their everyday teaching.
Behaviorism Theory emphasizes the reinforcement of positive behaviour through utilizing rewards and punishment. Many teachers use Class Dojo or edibles to reinforce positive behaviour in their classroom. Behaviorists have identified that rewards or punishments can reinforce positive behaviour. Since many teachers use this practice, I included behaviorism as part of our teaching approach.
Cognitivism focuses on comprehension, decision-making, problem-solving, creative thinking, developing more robust learning processes and a deeper understanding of concepts and ideas. As a Learning Resource Teacher in an elementary school, I see all these components being taught to my students when I pull them for intervention. Other teachers use this approach daily to enhance students’ learning and engagement.
Constructivists believe that understanding is achieved by taking new information, connecting it to existing one and cognitively processing it. Social constructivists assume that learning happens through social experiences, allowing us to challenge our understanding of others. Don’t we help our students gain new knowledge, connect it to existing knowledge and then cognitively process it? Hence, we do apply this theory to our students.
Connectivism states the impact that networks and technology have on learning. Connectivists argue that the internet changes the essential nature of knowledge. The role of the teacher here is to provide the initial learning environment and to help learners construct their learning environment.
After analyzing all these learning theories, the fundamental question arises: Which one should I/we use? It is crucial to recognize that a single theory cannot fully address the needs and complexity of our students nowadays. Hence, effective educators should adopt a holistic approach and blend various theories to create an inclusive teaching environment and better meet our students’ needs. Every student is different and has his/her way of learning. Adopting various theories will enable teachers to avoid a one-size-fits-all mentality and create a unique learning environment for students.
My job as an educator is to become familiar with these theories, to reflect on my teaching strategies, and to adapt them based on the circumstances and needs that arise in the classroom.
