School Type: Public	School Setting: Urban
Level: Elementary	School Design: Traditional
Content Presented By:
Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL)
Northwest Educational Technology Consortium (NETC)

Summary

The practice: Multiple Learning Strategies
Technology-enhanced lessons and activities should represent a variety of learning strategies that include active learning strategies, constructive learning strategies, authentic learning strategies, cooperative learning strategies, and intentional/reflective learning strategies.

• technology resources serve as a collaboration opportunity
• students are called upon to manipulate information and resources and teach one another
• tudents learn to distinguish when technology is the most appropriate tool and are given choice in using it

First grade teacher, Char Soucy, sees her role related to technology as an important one -- to teach students the best uses of technology to support communication, build community spirit, and as a tool for learning. She does this by having students work at the computer collaboratively and encouraging them to explain the "how" and "why" of their tasks to her and to each other. She also emphasizes that sometimes technology, such as the Internet, can make information collecting faster, while at other times it is less appropriate. It's a "right tool for the right job kind of thinking."

Soucy keeps her focus first on the curriculum, and because of the age and developmental needs of her students, especially upon literacy. Because students work together at the computer, their social and communication skills are developed. She finds the conversation and problem solving that occurs during their work to be valuable. As Soucy's students learn to use scanners or other technologies they teach others how to use them. "When children have to explain how to do things to someone else," says Soucy, "it reinforces the task for them. It also reinforces their verbal communication skills..."

"A lot of technology isn't beneficial for children's development," Soucy says. And she adds, "Children, especially at the first grade level, need to manipulate objects to have a concrete model from which to develop abstract concepts." Sometimes a computer simulation can do a better job and sometimes it is a poor substitute for the real objects. The trick is to know which to use and when. Much of the work her first-graders engage in -- both on and off the computer -- is inquiry-based, with conversations related to wondering and discovery highly encouraged.

This site also exemplifies the following practice(s):

• Standards
  All technology-enhanced activities should be deliberately and consciously aligned with local, state, and national standards.   

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This resource is developed and maintained by The Education Alliance at Brown University. Seed funding was provided by the U.S. Department of Education. Send comments to: loom@alliance.brown.edu