Haley Hegarty

M5.2 Evaluating Technology

CEP 800
Summary:
The technology I chose to use and analyze was PowerPoint. Yet
PowerPoint did not stand alone, PowerPoint also allowed me to
incorporate pictures, multimedia, and an interactive part to reviewing
for an exam. This interaction included not only students interacting
with technology but also students interacting their peers and teacher. I
chose this technology because it was a great way for me to create an
effective, meaningful, fun, and interactive review for my class, which is
very hard to do. I created a Jeopardy game on PowerPoint for a Rocks
and Weather science unit. PowerPoint allowed me to link to questions,
video clips, and visual graphics making this review much more
effective than a work packet where students had to search through a
textbook.
1. What is being learned? (What are the learning goals of this instructional experience?)
What are the underlying assumptions (explicit and implicit) about the nature of
knowledge?
With the PowerPoint, students are reviewing their eight week science unit. The
PowerPoint not only allows me to include a large range of topics it also allows me to
include a lot of different media. I did not only use questions but also I included pictures
where students had to name what a valley was or what weathering looked like. This
allowed them to apply their knowledge to real life and tested to see if they understood the
information the learned regardless of what format it was asked it, which tests true
comprehension. My goal in using this particular technology is to keep all of my students
interested so that they will learn more information for the test. When I use plain book
scavenger hunts or quizzes students get bored and never finish their scavenger hunts and
they do not do well with quizzes, and then never go back to re-correct themselves. The
assumption that I am making about this knowledge is that it is best learned when students
have the opportunity to discuss their answers and that students learn more when in an
engaging activity. They also are learning more because they are using multiple forms of
media, pictures, videos and words. I also am assuming that this particular technology
speaks to multiple students of differing learning styles.
2. What are the affordances for how knowledge/information is being represented? What
are the constraints?
The affordances that this technology allows me, is the inclusion of many forms of
multimedia. It also allows me to cover a lot of information in an engaging way and also
quite easily. It also is a great way to differentiate. It gives all student time to think about
each topic and question but then allows the struggling students to hear the answers and
reasonings. The constraints are that it is hard to make sure every student is thinking

about each answer. They could just be writing each answer down on their paper without
thinking it through, but at the same time, this also happens when just copying the answer
form a book. Another constraint is that it is hard for the teacher to get around to each of
her students to talk to them and ask them how they are doing, she is responsible for
running the game. During quiet independent time, it is easy for me to walk around and
have mini conferences with each student.
3. How does learning take place? What elements of constructivism did you observe?
What elements of behaviorism did you observe? Are there any other learning theories
present?
Learning takes place by listening to other students, reading and thinking about questions,
looking at visual aides, and watching videos. Students are able to construct meaning by
recalling on prior knowledge and by applying their knowledge in ways to phrase them in
concise questions or by seeing what they learn in natural forms displayed by the pictures
and videos. Both the information processing and social constructivism theories are being
used because students are using strategies to recall prior knowledge and I am guiding
students toward a complete understanding because this Jeopardy game allows me to
connect all that they did together into one overall topic. Also, students use their
classmates rather than me to come to a conclusion about an answer. If the first student
does not get the answer right, other students have to help them, and if they get it right,
they have to explain why to their peers.
4. What role does technology play? What advantages or disadvantages does the
technology hold for this role? What unique contribution does the technology have in
facilitating learning?
The unique contribution that this technology has is its ability to differentiate and help
many different types of learners, audio and visual. This technology also does not only
help the students but also the teacher. It allows for less copies and paper wasted and is
easy to change and update year to year. It also allows me to use the same template and
then just change the questions to fit another subjects. A disadvantage could be that you
need to make sure that you have a working projector as well as a computer. I also find
that a lot of the advantages and disadvantages are the same as the affordances and
constraints.
5. How does it fit within existing school curriculum? (e.g., is it intended to supplement
or supplant existing curriculum? Is it intended to enhance the learning of something
already central to the curriculum or some new set of understandings or
competencies?)
Students have to be able to apply what they learn to the real world, otherwise we are not
doing them any justice. This review allows me to do just that, I incorporate pictures of
real mountains around the world and use news weather clips to teach them how to
understand air masses and different weather. I allow them to see how what they learn in
the classroom is also happening outside the classroom. This review also fits into the

curriculum because students cannot just learn the material but also then have to perform
well on tests, especially standardized tests. This allows students a way to practice review
questions.
6. Do any traces of "Web 2.0" appear in this technology? And, if so, how does it
enhance/distract from the experience?
Again, I think Web 2.0 appears in this technology because in this project it includes
many different forms of multimedia. It is not just strictly questions and
answers/responses. This enhances the project because students can see information
presented in different ways. Also, this review allows for collaboration versus students
sitting silently at their seat filling out worksheets.
7. How are important differences among learners taken into account?
This technology takes into account both audio and visual learners and higher and lower
achieving students.
8. What do teachers and learners need to know? What demands are placed on teachers
and other "users"? What knowledge is needed? What knowledge supports does the
innovation provide (e.g., skills in using particular kinds of technology)?
Teachers need to know how to use PowerPoint, the transitions and hyperlinks. It is very
time consuming to put together the first Jeopardy, but then easy once you have the first
template completed. Yet now a day, technologies have made this part even easier by
having the templates available to download and use online and on Smartboards, so I was
just recently informed by a fellow teacher. Jeopardy also allows me to focus on an
objective and then base all my questions easily around that. Jeopardy allows me to also
have categories, which helps me organize all the things my students have to learn. It
allows me to create an effective overview and allows me to create an active review where
students recall what they have learned.