The technology and specifically the internet have changed the students’ access to getting help with homework when their parents are unavailable or unable to help them. Most textbooks come with websites that students can utilize for studying. There are additional websites such as WebMATH in which students can type in a math problem and it will show a step by step solution. Behaviorists believe that if a behavior can be learned then it can be unlearned. By using sites like WebMATH students will learn the proper steps and unlearn the incorrect steps. Other websites provide practice or drills in various skills from vocabulary to math facts. It has been stated that students need about 24 practice sessions to achieve about 80 percent success rate (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007). Using such sites as Keyboarding Practice or Prentice Hall Social Studies Skills Tutor students can get the practice they need to achieve the 80 percent success rate. Behaviorists believe that behavior is a learned habit therefore if students practice long enough then they will learn the material hence the development of these types of websites. The practice sites give the students immediate feedback providing either positive or negative reinforcement of the skill.
Pearson. (2010). Social Studies Skills Tutor. Retrieved May 11, 2010, from Prentice Hall Social Studies Skills Tutor: http://www.phschool.com/curriculum_support/ss_skills_tutor/
Pitcher, M. (2002, August 22). Keyboarding Practice. Retrieved May 11, 2010, from http://www.davis.k12.ut.us/cjh/appliedtech/Business/Keyboarding/
Webmath - Solve your math problem. (2009). Retrieved May 11, 2010, from Webmath: http://www.webmath.com/exponents.html
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The internet really has changed the way that we teach. My students beg to play math games. We use Key Skills, ABCYa and Compass Learning Odyssey. Practice is very important and technology makes it fun.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how easily students can access fun games to reinforce their skills. There is something for every subject, every grade and every interest. Students love to work on the computer and the programmes maintain their interest much better than the traditional worksheets.
ReplyDeleteThe ability of technology to give immediate feedback is very important. There are times when teachers move onto another topic before they return papers of a previous topic. This can create some uncertainty for both teachers and students. Students who did not understand the previous topic are often left behind. Teachers sometimes find it difficult to go back to a previous topic to help the few students that may not have understood. Technology can help to keep both teachers and students on task.
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