Reflective Essay #7

The tangible take-aways that I found to be relevant in Chapter 30 were the two sections on How to Use Audio Effectively in Rich Media and the Use of Cognitive Sources of Motivation. The reason why I chose to reflect on these sections is because I am constantly trying to find new ways to bring out these aspects in my classroom. For instance, incorporating sound into the classroom. Reading is a major target area of improvement in my school. I will often have the students follow along in their textbooks while I play the text on CD. It has been proven that audio narration is more effective than just text alone. The other section that I can relate to and take away from is the Use of Cognitive Sources of Motivation. According to the text, “Cognitive sources of motivation include any instruction strategy that helps learners more readily achieve the instructional goal.” I found the example of organizers as an area that I would like to focus more on in my classroom. It was noted in the text that, “the best way to help learners enjoy a passage is to help them understand it.” To help my students better understand what they are reading in their science textbooks, I need to focus on creating organizers/guided reading alternatives. Luckily there are many options through technology in which I can create these organizers that are clear and easy for students to follow.
The part of Chapter 31 that really made me think, “that’s so cool” was the section on Advanced Performance Tracking. The tight-fitting body suit that can track body movements and give instructions on how to improve your tennis serve was shocking. The system’s ability to track and give feedback can be very useful to not only athletes, but also people who may be disabled physically and are working on physical therapy. If someone is “learning to walk again” the advanced performance bodysuit device could be worn by this person and the computer program would generate advice and feedback for improvement. This type of technological advances can really help people in need. It would be a major breakthrough in the healthcare system. I would have to imagine it would be very expensive, but beneficial.