Using computers for educational purposes is often a misunderstood endever. Everyone seems to preach about the "right" way to use computers. However, I do not believe that there is any one "right" way. Like all things in life, for any single goal, there are many different paths to achieve it. Computers are only tools that help us reach that goal. What I believe the research community tries to do is to establish road signs to help you find the "right" path to reach that goal for you and your students.

The following sections will discuss specific issues dealing with computers in the classroom - specifically the fear of replacement and the exponential growth in available knowledge.

For specific helpful hints on how to work successfully with your students in the computer lab, please visit my sister site, Tips for Teachers and read through suggestions in the "Lab Disaster" section. Further, this sister site can provide you with links to financial, educational and information sources.

Replacement by the Computer?

Many teachers fear that if they use technology into their classrooms, they will somehow come to be replaced. In reality, research has shown that the presence of a teacher is a fundamental requirement for students to work and learn with computers. However, what the computer does do is change the role of the teacher in the classroom. Instead of being a leader of the class, the teacher becomes a key facilitator to enhancing student learning.

When teaching with current technology, the role of the teacher changes from being the central instructor of the class to that of a facilitator for student group discussions. More importantly, the teacher doesn't have to answer student questions, but instead can focus on encouraging collaborative groups to have discussions to form and defend their own conclusions.

Explosion of Knowledge - How is it possible to deal with it all?

With the advent of computers and the Internet, there has been an explosion of knowledge available at a student's fingertips. To deal with the extreme volume of information now available through new technological resources, students and teachers are finding that the practice of direct instruction, or "just the facts" teaching, is no longer realistic. For instance, teachers are finding that its impossible for them to know all of the answers to their students' questions.

One current alternative that is being re-emphasized, and the basis of Ecolonization, is the idea of constructivism. This methodology of learning focuses on one very important tenant: learning by experience or doing. The central belief is that students learn the best when they can build meanings for themselves or "construct" their knowledge from their own personal experiences. Constructivism emphasizes the understanding of the processes behind the facts rather than the simple memorization of facts.

Coupled with the the idea of constructivism is the concept of collaboration or learning through group work. With the advent of computers, collaboration has become an ever-growing topic of investigation because researchers and teachers are finding that their students prefer to work at computers in groups rather than individually. By using social interactions (such as negotiation, problem solving, and peer support) to work out problems, students can learn to discuss and resolve their misconceptions by working together.