1. Using Technology to Enhance Learning
Meaghan E. A. Boudreau
Using Technology to Enhance Learning

2. Who are our Learners? 21st Century Learners
Constantly attached to technology
Want meaningful technology integration
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Our learners are different from when we went to school (even if it was only 10 years ago!). Times have changed and so has technology.
Students have become so used to using technology in almost everything they do, except for school. They are constantly attached to some sort of technology – laptop, cell phone, iPod, etc.
They don’t want to use technology just to “use technology”. They want to use it in a meaningful way that allows them to learn more about the subject than they would using a textbook or dictionary. Asking a student to type up a paper instead of writing it by hand is not using technology to enhance your learning.

3. What do they Want from Us?
Immediate Gratification
Technology, technology, and more technology
Move beyond Word, PowerPoint, etc
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Now that you know a bit about who are learners are, we need to figure out what it is that they want from us.
With their constant access to the internet students are used to immediate gratification. Want to know who built the Eiffel Tower? Look it up on Google. Wondering who played Romeo in the movie version of Romeo and Juliet? Look it up on IMDB. They are so used to having knowledge at their fingertips that they expect the same from us – now now now. In a classroom you can’t constantly change and add information in the middle of a presentation but students are now bored after doing the same thing for 5 minutes. Mixing up the technology you use on a regular basis and constantly integrating new technologies will help them to stay focused and interested.
They also want us to use technology as often as we can, but not just the same old technology. Find new ways to do old things, new presentation software, new image editing programs. The more technology, the better. They are tired of Word and Powerpoint. These programs don’t allow for them to be different or to help them learn.

4. Choosing & Using Technology
“…focus on student learning, not the Web 2.0 technology” (Berger, P. & Trexler, S., 2010)
Question - how does using technology enhance this lesson?
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Berger, P., & Trexler, S. (2010). Choosing Web 2.0 tools for teaching and learning in a digital world. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.
In order for us to determine if our technology is helping us to “enhance” learning, we need to focus on what they are learning, not necessarily the program itself. While we may need to take some time to teach a student how to use a program, we need to make sure the majority of the time is showing them how to use it for learning, not just it’s general use. As Berger and Trexler say in their book “Choosing Web 2.0 Tools for Learning and Teaching in a Digital World”, you need to focus on the learning and not the technology itself.
We also need to ask ourselves how the technology we are using is helping to enhance. Are they learning more by using the technology than they would if they were doing this by hand with a book? No? Then revisit why you are using this technology. Will the technology you are using help them to learn more about the topic, or achieve a deeper understanding of the assignment? If so, you are on the right track.

5. Teacher as Facilitator
Student centered activities
Explore, not regurgitate
Make it meaningful – what does it mean to them?
Cross Curricular
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It can be hard to determine which technologies actually help to enhance learning. It can also be hard to start out and try new programs as it takes time for us to learn the program before teaching it to students.
Some tips to getting started are to try and focus more on student centered activities. Let them explore and go on their own to figure out how to use the program on their own. Many students are more hands on than we realize and can figure out how to work a program with ease. You may need to help some who are not as tech savvy.
Help students to explore a topic, not to regurgitate. Ask them to make connections instead of answering comprehension questions. They will learn more if they can connect to the information instead of reading and rephrasing.
Ask yourself – what does this mean to them? If you can’t find a reason, figure out a way to make it interesting and meaningful to them. If they can’t connect to the work it will be hard for them to stay interested and want to work. Using an online program that they can use in other classes or in their personal time will help to make them interested. The more meaning they see, the more interest they will have.

6. Web 2.0 Resources Collaborate! Create! Explore Present Livebinders
Pixlr
Explore
Flickr Creative Commons
Present
Prezi
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Some beginner ideas for integrating Web 2.0 into your lessons. These programs will help you on your quest to begin using technology to enhance the learning in your class while also capturing the interest of your students.
Use Livebinder as a collaborative tool - students can create their own set of links pertaining to a particular topic and add to other students list. Students will search for their own resources and also search other topics that their classmates have chosen.
Use Pixlr to have students edit photos, create posters, connect meaning to pictures
You can have students explore the Creative Commons sections on Flickr to help them learn about ethical use of online content and also to help them find photos relating to your topic that can be used in presentations and posters
Prezi is a great alternative to PowerPoint. Students can use this online zooming presentation tool to create presentations that can easily be shared with others. They can group specific topics together and add photos relevant to the information. Students are interested in Prezi as they can easily bore with PowerPoint but this can serve the same purpose while adding interest.