BEED 3B P.I.O.

As we approach the 21st century, we begin to see a major paradigm shift in instructional methods to reflect the challenges present in today's society. For a student to be competitive in a global market, we can no longer rely simply on traditional educational strategies. To meet these demands, one must supplement and/or replace traditional methods of instruction with innovative educational experiences. Some strategies include cooperative, discovery and inquiry learning activities; however, to facilitate these methods, schools must implement technology in the learning environment. Technology and multimedia applications should be used as a tool to enhance a child's educational experience by creating a variety of methods to meet special needs, teach children how to manage information, and allow for opportunities to develop higher level thinking skills.

We find ourselves today, in a classroom full of students as diverse as the world in which we live. Research on the human brain has shown that not all students learn by one particular strategy. Some students do well with the tried and true method of direct instruction, but the majority of students do not. To reach the most number of students, the teacher needs to create a variety of learning experiences. The first and most simplistic way is to use technology to supplement classroom instruction. Technology will help meet these demands is by allowing students to interact with information within a different medium. There are numerous multimedia programs designed to meet the special needs of diverse learners. For example, a student learning English as a second language would benefit from a computer program where they could learn the language at their own pace. They could spend as much time as needed on the computer, without feeling pressured to keep up with 30 other students. Another type of learner may memorize facts and details better if the information is presented in musical form. One can not expect all teachers to teach in this fashion, but a computer program or multimedia application may have the capabilities of doing so without taking additional time away from other students. By utilizing such programs, a single teacher can employ many more resources and methods within one classrooms, rather than teaching the information in one manner to all students.