Week 9: Complexity of Learning

Now I have learned to use interactive web tools and found that such Web tools as online quizzes are very effective especially for a large group. The automated assessment saves a lot of teacher's time, and the immediate feedback can so powerfully individualizes learning.  I started a project in our school to create an online assessment tool that covers vocabulary and grammar items from each chapter of the textbook we use. I thought it was the best way to introduce Web tools to my colleagues who haven't used computers in class, because it is easy for them to see the potential benefit of the online assessment. But maybe I shouldn't be too confident about it.

I strongly believe in the benefit of those Web tools, but I may have to examine it more carefully.  I feel that way especially after reading the NYT article, "Forget What You Know About Good Study Habits". It reminded me that learning is much more complex than I think. When I gave a completely individualized lesson in a computer room, students stayed focused by doing tasks at their own pace for 45 minutes. They finished a lot of tasks and they liked it. But the question is, have they learned what online tasks are designed for them to learn?  The article says, 

"The brain makes subtle associations between what it is studying and the background sensations it has at the time, the authors say, regardless of whether those perceptions are conscious." 

The online quizzes can individualize learning, but it takes away a lot of background sensations which make the learning rich and profound. I tend to focus on the benefits that technologies can bring, but I also need to pay attention to the things that are lost by using such technologies. When new technology is introduced, the sheer novelty attracts students, which may blind me from seeing how effective or not effective it really is. Since my goal is not introducing new technology, but enhancing learning, I have to scrutinize what is happening in my classrooms, because learning is a very complicated process.

(I am still considering holding the international online discussion, which I mentioned last week. I hope to share more with you next week.)