Student Choice: Using Technology to Enhance the Classroom Environment by Levine

(see: http://www.thejournal.com/articles/15769_3 )


Levine describes the use of computer technology in the classroom either as an educational setting in which the teacher interacts with a wireless connection/projector as the students looks on, or as an educational setting in which the students interact with laptops and learn directly by interacting with them. Levine argues that the latter of the two aforementioned scenarios is the more effective learning strategy. However, from a pragmatic perspective, this approach is often exceeding difficult to accomplish for a number of reasons. If the students are expected to supply their own laptop computers, some of the difficulties encountered are these: not every student may own a laptop computer, and different students may have different platforms making it difficult for computers to communicate with each other in a classroom setting, and different student computers complicates instruction since the teacher cannot provide a single set of instructions for everyone to follow. On the other hand, if the school system is expected to supply the computer hardware and software the difficulties are these: insufficient numbers of computers, limited software and high cost factors for the school system.
Levine also describes how lecture notes, demonstrations and simulations can be integrated into a lesson. This is important because it helps to prepare students for college level instruction and life in the corporate world.