The environments in which students learn, and the ways in which people work and live, are constantly being transformed by existing and emerging technologies. To be well informed and active participants in our changing society, students will need to be self-directed learners, able to identify issues, pose questions, synthesize ideas, determine solutions to problems and develop capabilities and confidence with a range of technologies. If these are the knowledge, skills and understandings that we are aiming to give to our learners, what implications do they have for the provision of computer-based learning in schools? The first key point is that the use of computers alone will not improve learning. The advent, over the years, of other technologies, including television, the tape recorder and the overhead projector, which were each heralded as the panacea to teaching and learning, have provided us with ample evidence to support this view. We have had enough experience by now to know that technologies can be valuable tools and can transform the way we do things, but simply having access to them is not enough for students to improve their learning. Computer-based learning needs to be driven by what students can do with the software rather than what the software provides. The critical factor in the successful introduction of computing activities into the school curriculum relates to teachers and how they ensure that learning with computers is meaningful to students.
Computer-based learning is a term that can be used to describe virtually any kind of learning program using computers as a central staple. This approach to learning takes advantage of the interactive elements ofcomputer software, along with the computer’s ability to present many different kinds of media. There are several potential advantages of computer-based learning programs, including the ability for people to learn from their homes and study without the assistance of an instructor.
The use of computers for learning has generally increased with the advancement of technology. The ability of computer hardware to process and present many different media types has allowed for more complex computerlearning strategies. An example would be a training module that uses video along with text and audio files for lectures. Tests and exercises are often handled in an interactive manner, and sometimes they can almost be like games, depending on the style of the implementation.
References:
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
WiseGEEK
http://www.k12academics.com/pedagogy/computer-based-learning#.VDXdkGeSxi0
By: Elsa T. Bumatay | Teacher III | Mountain View Elementary School | Mariveles, Bataan
