Module 21 Blog Post 2

One tool that is in a lot of classrooms today are computers and laptops. In many schools, each student even has their own netbook. These can be used to complete assignments, take tests, and do other activities that will help students practice and reinforce the knowledge they have learned. Technology is a very important tool in many aspects of life, including education. Technology is being integrated into the classroom more and more because it is an effective and efficient way of teaching and learning. It also allows for subject material to be engaging and rather fun for students, motivating them to learn and succeed.

Another tool is Youtube. If the teacher is teaching students about states and capitals, he/she can share this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSvJ9SN8THE) Animaniacs video of Wakko singing all 50 states with their capitals. Because it is a cartoon that some children will be familiar with and it is a catchy song, it will be engaging and relevant for students. It is also really helpful that there are subtitles and that an image of the state is showed when Wakko is singing about it. Youtube is an extremely popular technological tool right now, and students will be familiar with it. This video gives students a fun way to remember the states and capitals.

In this video, Vygotsky gives the example of a computer program training employees. Although not an actual human being, the computer can still challenge the employee and help them with training. In a classroom, students can work on math facts on the computer. The computer program can help students solve basic addition and subtraction problems, not by giving them the answers, but by visually showing the problem (7 apples, 5 are taken away), and telling students to check their answer again if it is not correct.