Student Newscast Project

The student newscast was a perfect example of how technology can aid student learning.  This project teaches organizational skills, familiarizes students with technology, and gives them responsibility outside of themselves.  Working in an interdependent group prepares kids students for situations, such as working in an office, that they will encounter later in life. Another great aspect of this project was that it allowed some of the students to teach their peers how to use technology, and help them understand their assigned role.  The student being taught gains valuable information about the technology they will be using, while the student teaching gains valuable experience in a leadership role.  This type of support, or scaffolding,syncs well with Vgotsky's theory of social development, given extra validity to this type of project. 

Why are students not actively involved with the technology that is already in schools?

That is a pretty broad question, so I will attempt to address it with a few thoughts of mine.  In some cases I believe that students may not have been shown the technology, or at least shown how to use it properly.  This could be due to teacher oversight, or potentially a lack of technological savvy on the part of the teacher.  Another issue may be that students may only be using word processors for papers or PowerPoint for presentations in class.  These are valuable tools, but I would like to find more creative ways to engage students with technology, or have them use technology as a tool to complete a project of their choice. 

How does the role of the teacher as facilitator differ from more traditional teacher roles?

A traditional teacher role is usually depicted as a teacher lecturing to passive students, and the interactions is seen mostly as a one way relationship (teacher to student).  A facilitator is seen as a guide and is cast in more a support role when compared to the more traditional role of a teacher. In this type of atmosphere the students become the focus of the  class, and communication flows openly between students and with the teacher.