Analysis and Discuss

Questions:

1. Student engagement is a must for teaching, but keeping students engaged can be one of the hardest tasks they are given. What problems are there in keeping students engaged? 

2. There many ways to keep student engagement with technology. What do you think are some technologies tools that help student engagement?

3. Staying relevant by using examples of how the material will affect them in the working world is a tactic to have students see the why the material matters. Do you think using examples from current events makes material more relevant? Why or why not?

"Answer Key":

1. Some problems with keeping student engagement is finding material the students want o learn, or at least presenting it in a way that makes them want to learn the material. Students often don't see the value of what they are learning because they don't know how to apply it to their lives. When they see this factor presented, they tend to be more willing to participate in classroom activities and learning. 

2. Picking the right technology tool for student engagement is a trial and error method most of the time. What works for some students might not work for others, so having options on how to complete an assignment is a great idea. Since there are varying degrees of technology proficiency among students offering a variety helps no one feel like they are too "stupid" to do the assignment well. It depends on the assignment to which type of technology top pick, but one of the most engaging technology tools I have used is scratch, because it can be used for almost any assignment, is easy to use, and allows to students a lot of self-expression. This tool has programming built in, but with an easy drag and drop method. It has far exceeded my expectations and allows for a lot of creativity. 

3. Relating material to current events and everyday life is one of the most important parts of teaching. It lets students see why they would want to learn the material and even shows them how to use the material. Students all have varying interests, but it is possible to cover a lot of different interests in one lesson. If it is a lesson on bio-molecules, then bring in how we use them everyday. This can be anything from how they affect us to how they can help a student raise and more healthy animal on their farm. Covering how it will affect them personally and possibly their interests.