Helping Your Child Master the Times Tables – The Element of Technology in Learning

admin — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 22:56:57 +0000

One area where many children struggle with learning is the introduction of the times tables. The whole concept behind multiplication can be confusing for young minds. Luckily, there are a few things parents can do to help their children to learn and memorise the basics of the times tables, a cornerstone of all future math study.

One of the simplest ways to aid your child when he or she is learning the times tables is to add technology to the home learning environment. Software for learning can add important elements to the whole process of learning and memorisation.

How technology aids in learning the times tables

In William Bender’s book, Differentiating Math Instruction, he notes that there are many elements to effective math learning – support at home is very important, as is visual instruction and an interactive learning environment.

Technology can add all of the above to the learning process, as well as some other important elements:

1. A visual element: For some students, reading straight from the textbook, or just listening to a teacher, isn’t enough. With technology-based learning, the software, the colors and the different way of presenting the material itself all add visual cues that aid most students in learning.

2. Interactivity: An interactive learning environment, where the student can receive immediate feedback on his or her work, helps with faster learning. Technology-based learning usually includes this level of interactivity, without the need for parent or teacher intervention (although, of course, parental involvement enhances the learning experience).

3. Memorisation: Another benefit of computer-based learning is that it aids in memorisation. A study done with students in Korea showed that, once a student has a basic grasp of a concept, the best way to further aid memorisation is repetitive review and testing of the material. Most computer-based learning materials provide this element.

4. The fun factor: Finally, most children enjoy working with computers and technology. Using computer-aided learning tools adds the element of enjoyment which can help a child to develop a love for math.

When it comes to this crucial building block of all future math study, adding a computer-based element can help your child to learn and memorise the times tables faster. Tools, such as our own Times Tables Tutor, will help with this. Sometimes, real learning comes with simple methods. For parents who want to help their children grow in math, the computer can be an indispensable tool.

By: Greg O'Connor

Making Distance Learning Lesson Plans Involving Technology

admin — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:53:01 +0000

Many people are using distance learning to their advantage, especially home schoolers. Working in the comfort of your own home but still being able to interact with people in other places is a huge advantage that is made possible of the accessibility of the internet. So, if you are making distance learning lesson plans involving technology, here are some things you should consider.

You should consider why you need to use distance learning and why you need technology for a particular subject. Can you get the same educational materials from a textbook? Which technologies do you plan on using? You can use the internet to gather material from the internet or you can join a “tele-classroom” and watch lectures, live or pre-recorded, on the internet, but do these tools have any advantage over the conventional route? If you experience “technical difficulties” in the middle of the lesson, will you miss a lot or be able to go back and see what you missed? Will you be able to hear the lecture or ask questions if you don’t understand what the teacher is saying? These are all things to consider.

Which subjects make the best candidates for distance learning? Usually subjects that traditionally required student interaction, such as English class or foreign languages, don’t make very good candidates for distance learning. Too much is lost by not being able to interact directly with other students and teachers, that such a course would not give the student the full experience necessary to make it useful. Instead, physics or mathematics courses are pretty good candidates since most of the studying is done out of the book by the student. A student can always refer to his book if he needs, but the same isn’t always true of other classes.

When you’ve considered these points, you’ll be in a good position to make the lesson plan for distance learning. Remember to consider other options before going straight to a technology solution, since it can complicate things quite a bit. Sometimes, the best option IS distance learning, so good luck.

By: Andrew Tsai

Technology Learning » Textbook

Helping Your Child Master the Times Tables – The Element of Technology in Learning

Making Distance Learning Lesson Plans Involving Technology