Databases

A database is, “a simple but powerful productivity tool that can help students refine the data-collecting process.” (THE DATABASE America’s Presidents, April 1998 Learning and leading with Technology). What makes them unique from other technologies used for learning is that when the students collect their own data they can instantly compare the data and make sense of it by making a database. Even if their results are not presented in a fancy, way the information doesn’t need to be graphically pleasing to the eye because the information is there.

Databases are important because they can produce charts and graphs that different types of learners can find appealing and beneficial. Some students might understand the basic number expressions in a database, and other students might possibly read a pie chart and understand it more. Databases are also important in education so that teachers have databases not only for their educational resources, but also for the data basing of students. Students can be grouped by different learning abilities so teachers can better meet their scholastic needs.

Having students collect their own data, and make their own databases is a great idea in almost every classroom and I will definitely look into assigning data base assignments to my students as a teacher. When I am teaching I would consider using a database to group students to differentiate them into groups. Instigating higher order thinking is a general purpose of database assignments. Databases requires that students categorize, classify, and define separate entities of their database material.

Bridging the Digital Divide, and Wikis. Wikis are awesome.

Growing up, I remember that the ONE computer in the back of the classroom was only for killing time and playing games AFTER my assignments were finshed. I definitely anticipate feeling "old" when I relay that story to my future students.

I think that every classroom should have at least a couple of computers, or have the lab very close by. The funding to provide students more computer time (before/after school) is definitely an issue, and hopefully the new president modifies the funds for the NCLB (less testing maybe.....?) so that providing students with more computers (and more readily available to them) is less of an issue. I defintely find interest in the computer stations and collaberative work.



Ha, "access and equity are not the same", so true. When I am a teacher I will make sure that all of my students know how to properly opperate a computer. And if they don't, I will be more than happy to assist them, or at least point them in the direction of assistance. As a student mysef I know the importance of having good computer skills



The article reads, "This experience can challenge teachers to increase the instructional use of computers in their classrooms." Immediately I thought, "What if the teachers don't WANT to increase instructional use of computers in the classroom?" and I immediately rebuted to myself, "Max, you've learned all semester about how much of a USEFUL tool technology in the classroom is." And I reflected......... and feel like a moron for even thinking it in the first place.

I will definitely ask myself the 3 important questions at the end of the article, when I am a teacher. How are the computers organized? Who gets to use them and when? What do the students do on the computer?


And Wikis! I really like the idea of wikis, ESPECIALLY in the classroom. Collaberative work is a must for students, and group work while communicating without voices or phones is a rewarding challenge. As long as the work is distributed evenly and the teacher is grading individual students on performance and not just the group as a whole, Wikis are a great tool for student group work.