Foundations Project Part 4: Personal Reflection

To me, learning has a variety of meanings, and there are several ways to learn. Not only is learning a process by which you assert yourself to make specific connections, but it is also a way in which you relate different principles so that you understand them better. Technology plays a major role in learning because it is a very helpful tool—a path to help us achieve the goal. After reading Meaningful Learning, I have a better understanding of what exactly makes learning more efficient and how to use technology correctly to learn and teach. As the chapter said, there are many attributes that make up meaningful learning. It is not simply lecturing or sticking a student in front of a computer. Understanding these attributes, such as active learning or collaborative learning will help one teach with meaning and success. In Speech Therapy, for example, using apps through technology then explaining the reason for the apps and why they work is beneficial to learning. Because technology integration has such a big impact, questions I have are ‘Does using technology to teach take away from the effect teachers feel that they possess? Does it undermine the authority of the teacher?’ I feel as though teachers might lose control as technology improves in the school setting. The one thing I would do with technology to create a meaningful learning experience is use it at the beginning and end of my lessons or activities so that in between, I am able to communicate my own ways and do my own manual exercises. This way, students may be better able to learn and understand that technology is truly just a tool.