Chapter 2

Chapter 2 - Inquiring with technologies

One of the benefits that technology offers to students of every grade level is that it gives them access to much information. There are so many websites that are so helpful to for students to learn, in which they can find innumerous data and they also have public access to various online dictionaries and encyclopedias. By using the Internet students get many benefits because they have the opportunity to access the most updated facts and data.

Educators agree on the fact that if students search for information by themselves they are going to be able to understand better what they are learning. But research has shown that if we ask our student to search for the answer for close-ended questions is not going to help them learn effectively. We need to find ways in which students benefit from conducting their own research and make them learn from this experience. We need to ask them open-ended questions, to look for information that is going to help them answer a certain question, evaluate an idea or comment of someone else or to work on a student directed research project.

Educators also need to teach our student how to look for reliable information in the Internet, the different type of search tools available for them and how to use the Internet correctly. One of the things about knowing how to use the Internet appropriately is learn how to navigate it safely. Students can be exposed to pornography, images portraying violence, obscene vocabulary or they can provide private information to strangers. We can overcome this problem by taking the right measures, so they can take advantage of the all the data, activities and information that is available for them.

Also mobile devices can be used by students to collect data or to do different activities. Students are amazed by technology and like to use it. So we as educators should take advantage of this and help students identify technology as a learning tool.

Two of the tools that I would like to explore from this chapter are Google and iPads.