Promoting Curiosity and Designing Lessons with Technology

Curiosity: Promoting Lifelong Learning in the Classroom (Tasks Before Apps Chapter 3)

Curiosity killed the cat!

This proverb implies that inquisitiveness investigation, or experimentation can lead to danger and trouble. This proverb may be right when it comes to investigating people’s personal lives and drama, but in terms of education I believe this proverb is FALSE. In this case, curiosity didn’t kill the cat, but rather led the cat on new adventures to discover new information.

In the classroom setting teachers should nurture their students’ curiosities and make them wonder. As Tasks Before Apps states, “for our students to truly become wonderers, investigators, and innovators, we [teachers] must honor their interests as we spark their curiosity” (Burns, 2018, p.41) Technology integration can further student curiosity in many ways.  I like the example of virtual reality as a portal to an entire world that provokes questions and allows the classroom to connect to real world experiences.  I am a social studies concentration and being able to transport students to Machu Picchu when learning about the Incan civilization would be AMAZING. The possibilities are endless; I could transport students to the Pyramids of Giza when learning about Ancient Egypt or the Acropolis (Parthenon) in Greece to stir wonder into my students.  How did Egyptians build the pyramids? What was the purpose of pyramids? How long did it take? It may even allow students to wonder if they can build a pyramid or connect pyramid building to the architecture and engineering of building skyscrapers and bridges in today’s world. 

(Photo Source: Greece-is.com)

(Photo source: Wikipedia.com)

(Photo Source: traveltips.usatoday.com) 

 Lesson Development with Technology (TNLT Chapter 4)

According to our textbook, “lesson development refers to all the activities that teachers do to create, teach, and evaluate lessons with students. In developing lessons, teachers make decisions about three interrelated elements of classroom instruction (see Figure 4.1 below)

Academic content, teaching goals, methods and procedures, and learning assessments allows teachers to plan what to teach, how to teach it, and how to assess what students have learned (Maloy, Verok, Ruth-Ellen, Sharon, & Woolf, 2017, p. 85). 

Technology is a way to enhance the three elements of classroom instruction. Technology can enhance the way academic content is delivered and assessed.  For instance, teacher-developed websites, blogs, wikis, online discussions can elevate learning for teachers and students. Also, teachers can use WebQuests, like how we discussed in class, to assess student learning of academic content. WebQuests are a technological option for assessment over paper assessments.  It engages students more and allows them to practice technological competence (Maloy, et al., 2017, p. 87)

I feel technology can greatly help teachers create learning assessments for students to help teachers determine who needs more assistance, who needs to be challenged more, or who needs differentiated instruction.

Here are some assessment tools I think I would use in my future classroom:

            - Kahoot

            - Quizziz

- Online surveys/reflections (like how Professor Patanio does after each of our lessons)

- Digital Portfolios (I believe it would be a fun way for students to get involved in monitoring their own learning and progress)

There are many tools that can support assessments and the evaluation process.