Reading Response #2 (5 points)

Online Discussion in Week 5

Readings

Healy (1998):

• Chapter 8 (to be handed out in class)

Tiene & Ingram (2001):

• Section 1, Chapter 1 (pp. 39-52)

Consider the following question to prepare yourself for the online reading response discussion. (The discussion questions will be posted by the first day of conferencing.)

Healy (1998)

This Chapter is full of anecdotes (stories) about how educators and parents all over are currently using computers to support students' learning. (For the most part, the ideas are ones that Healy approves of.)

1. Choose any two anecdotes that describe uses of technology you could imagine trying with students of your own someday. Then, for each idea:
2. Summarize the idea, with a reference to the page where Healy discusses it.
3. Explain (in a sentence or two) what you would find appealing about the idea as a teacher.
4. Pose at least three questions that you would want to ask the teacher (or parent) who came up with the idea, before you attempted it yourself. (Assume that you already know where to find all the necessary resources. Focus on what you think you would need to understand to carry out the lesson, project, or unit successfully.)

Tiene & Ingram (2001)

(Note: This Chapter is not long, but does contain some difficult language. If you have not taken any Psychology, you may need to look up quite a few of the words, and/or read the Chapter more than once.)

1. Many people, including Jane Healy, have suggested that before schools spend large sums of money on hardware, software, training and technical support, there should be experimental research that proves their benefits to students' subject-matter learning -- not just their learning about computers. Given what Tiene & Ingram say about the difficulties of conducting experiments in classrooms, what do you think of this idea? In your answer, consider at least three points made by Tiene & Ingram about what makes experiments on learning with computers difficult to do. (Note: You may want to dispute any of these points if you wish.)
   
   
2. Be sure you read the scenario starting on p. 51. Describe at least one potential benefit and one potential problem that could arise from Tiene & Ingram's idea that teachers conduct experiments in their own schools and classrooms.
   
   
3. How do you think Tiene & Ingram would respond to the kind of research Healy presents in Chap. 8 of her book? Would they value it? Why or why not?