Case Study: Ms Bent’s Technology Troubles Ms Bent teaches geography to a class of technocentric students from middle income homes in a town in Jamaica. These students watch cable television and DVDs, talk consistently on their cell phones (often using their phones to take photographs of each other in class), play computer games and surf the Internet. These students find Ms Bent’s classes boring; they entertain themselves with cell phones and laptops while she teaches. Seventyfive percent of the class fails the midyear geography examination. In an effort to make learning a rich and rewarding experience for her students, Ms Bent attends a workshop on integrating media into education. On her first day back at work she decides to use newly purchased computer software to teach geography to her Grade7 class. At the beginning of the lesson she takes the 30 students and the 5 copies of the software she has bought, to the computer lab, hoping that the room will be available for use. Unfortunately, another class is in session. Returning to her classroom with the students, Ms Bent gathers the class around her laptop, opens the software package for the first time, and inserts the CDROM into her laptop. The monitor remains blank. After several attempts she discovers that the software has been created for use with Microsoft Vista, and not with XP, the operating system on her laptop. Borrowing a laptop with Vista from one of her colleagues, Ms Bent proceeds to teach the class with the 30 students crowding around. She is unfamiliar with the software, and finds it difficult to manipulate. Few students are able to see, none can manipulate the software themselves. In addition, those close enough to hear find the language and explanations difficult to understand. The lesson is a fiasco. A friend tells Ms Bent about the ASSURE Model and she decides to use it to identify the steps necessary to help her prepare interesting, technologyrich lessons that are ‘pitched’ at the students’ level.
Task 1 Based on this episode, list at least SEVEN “Guidelines for Preparing for a Mediated Lesson.” Discuss your ideas with the class. Task 2 Read the information in the ASSURE Model (available on the Portal) and, pretending to be the teacher in the case study: i) analyze the students, ii) state the objectives for your next lesson, iii) say what media formats you would use for the lesson and why. iv) How would you elicit learner participation? Use the prepared handout(s) entitled “For use in Activity 2”