How to Use Technology to Better Prepare Students for the Workforce

Written by Tina O'Block


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Students should be given a number and variety of technology resources to use in order to find a solution to their problem, such as internet resources or search engines, communication/email with experts, books, software programs, spreadsheet programs, graphing programs, etc. Students may also be required to conduct their own hands-on experiments or participate in online collaborative research. However, instruction should be given on how to analyze information for bias and accuracy. Students should realize that not everything onrepparttar internet is true or correct. Sincerepparttar 109172 information is not merely presented torepparttar 109173 students in a lecture format they are required to critically think about it, interact with it, analyze it, and use it to formulate a solution. This type of instruction enhances critical thinking and higher order thinking skills and helps students demonstrate a deeper understanding ofrepparttar 109174 content and concepts presented as well asrepparttar 109175 problem-solving process.

Students should also have choices in how their information and solution is presented. Formats such as PowerPoint presentations, posters, brochures, pamphlets, reports, web pages, and movies created with technology can be utilized. Giving students a choice in their final presentations not only allows them to showcase their talents and strengths but allows students to make their own decisions aboutrepparttar 109176 best ways to present their data to others, which is oftentimes required inrepparttar 109177 workplace.

Incorporating technology intorepparttar 109178 classroom using an active/inquiry-based method enhancesrepparttar 109179 skills required for success inrepparttar 109180 21st century. It requires students to userepparttar 109181 computer as a tool to gather information, analyze data, and present a solution to a given problem. These arerepparttar 109182 skills thatrepparttar 109183 technology rich environments of today emphasize and require; therefore, using technology in this manner will aide students in developing life long skills that can be carried over torepparttar 109184 workforce

Tina O'Block holds a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction: Focus on Technology and a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. She has been teaching for 15 years.

She is the author of an alphabet curriculum, Now I Know My ABCs and a Whole Lot More, which is available at http://www.oblockbooks.com .

You may also contact her at oblockbooks@worldnet.att.net .


How to Be a Better Student and Improve Your Learning

Written by Royane Real


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If you have a deadline looming, decide how much ofrepparttar project you need to tackle at one time.

Let’s say you have six weeks to masterrepparttar 109171 content of a difficult biology text. Looking throughrepparttar 109172 book you realize that if you study one chapter each night, you can get throughrepparttar 109173 book in 28 days, leaving two weeks in which you can again reviewrepparttar 109174 material.

With this knowledge you can pace yourself. You know what your assignment is. You know how much you need to read every night. Concentrate onrepparttar 109175 immediate task at hand. You don’t need to feel overwhelmed byrepparttar 109176 entire book at one time. Next, work out a system of rewards for yourself. Give yourself a series of small rewards each time you master one chapter, and a larger reward for completingrepparttar 109177 entire book.

For rewards to work they must be immediate, and personally meaningful to you. There is no point in rewarding yourself with a new fishing rod if you hate fishing.

Rewards don’t need to be material objects if there is something else that would really motivate and inspire you. How about attending a special concert, or taking a special trip? You decide. Get creative and think of something that will spur you to take action.

It’s very important thatrepparttar 109178 reward take place soon afterrepparttar 109179 work has been accomplished. This creates a sense of positive reinforcement. Give yourself a small reward every time you finish a small part ofrepparttar 109180 job, and a bigger reward whenrepparttar 109181 project is completed. If there is too long a gap betweenrepparttar 109182 activity andrepparttar 109183 reward, it will not haverepparttar 109184 effect of reinforcingrepparttar 109185 desired activity.

Besides motivating yourself with a series of external rewards, learn to motivate yourself internally. Tell yourself you’re a good learner. Tell yourself you enjoy learning. Tell yourself you enjoy giving your brain a good work out. Congratulate yourself for your efforts. Tell yourself you love acquiring new knowledge, and let yourself feel a joy in learning. Be proud of yourself forrepparttar 109186 work you do to gain more knowledge.

For information to sink into your brain and be accessible to you, you need to review it several times, and your brain needs to sleep properly forrepparttar 109187 memories to be encoded in your neurons. You need to reduce your mental stress. Your brain needs good nutrition and it needs to be in a peaceful, confident state. Drugs and alcohol don’t helprepparttar 109188 process of learning.

Write out what you are learning in your own words, and find a learning buddy. Practice explaining to someone else what you have learned. This will increaserepparttar 109189 likelihood that your brain will remember it.

If you start to cramrepparttar 109190 night before, you are putting your brain at a big disadvantage.

You’re increasing your physical and mental stress, and you’re not giving yourself time to reviewrepparttar 109191 material several times. By cutting back on your sleep, you’re not giving your brain a chance to putrepparttar 109192 information you’ve been studying intorepparttar 109193 hard drive storage of your brain.

By starting your studies early, and reviewing what you’ve learned, you have a much better chance of remembering and understanding what you need to know when you face a big exam.

Royane Real is a science educator and the author of several books to improve learning. This article is taken from her new short report "Your Quick Guide to Improving Your Learning Ability" Get the paperback version or download it now from http://www.lulu.com/real


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