Educational Technologies Blog

This week we are looking at how people learn and as educators what we can do to support lifelong learning. We look at Chapter 5 of How People Learn II, as well as an article by Mark Gura, and finally the relevance of these two texts against our ISTE Standards.  References: Gura, M. (2020, May 28). Fostering student creativity [Editorial]. EdTech Digest. https://edtechdigest.com/2020/05/28/the-arts-creativity-technology-2020-a-guide-for-educators-parents/ International Society for Technology in Education. (2017). ISTE standards for educators: Educator standard indicators and implementation examples (1st ed.). https://drive.google.com/file/d/1dZiE7xVG9k86CGRS8AIxunGXzOn_MgwA/view National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). How People Learn II: Learners, Contexts, and Cultures . Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/24783

 Authentic Intellectual work is essentially engaging students in their own learning. That is, instead of telling them about a subject or experience, we let them experience it for themselves. We know that human beings of all ages learn best when we get to interact with what we are learning. Once we get to experience something, it has a much deeper meaning to us than if someone simply tells us about it. Traditionally in classrooms, students are receiving information, maybe providing commentary or feedback, but not experiencing it on their own. We tell them about plants and butterflies, we show them pictures, but that is nothing compared to the learning experience they receive when we give them a net, let them catch a butterfly, and observe it for themselves.  According to Authentic Instruction and Assessment, "Combining results from several studies, research indicated that students who experienced higher levels of instruction and assessment that promoted authentic intellectual w...

 My name is Emily Mayfield and I live in Oklahoma with my husband and children. We live in Oklahoma City and I am currently a 1st Grade Teacher at a Classical School. I am also an instructional coach for teachers and often support our district with guidance and resources in math. I am passionate about Early Childhood Education and hope to some day be a curriculum specialist and instructional coach supporting early learners as well as Educators to help create a learning environment that is developmentally appropriate and sparks a love of learning!  In first grade, we spend a lot of time in math focusing on conceptual understanding of Addition and Subtraction within 10. The Oklahoma Academic Standard states, "1.N.2 Solve addition and subtraction problems with sums and minuends of up to 10 in real-world and mathematical contexts" (Oklahoma State Department of Education [OSDE], 2022). Educational technology tools can be a great way for students to practice these skills. The ISTE ...