Inquiry Based Learning

I actually believe that this Educational Technology course is a great example of Inquiry Based Learning. Rather than hearing a lecture about various available technologies and software, or taking notes from a single source, we are in the classroom doing and creating many of the programs that we are learning about. The Ed Tech classroom is like a workshop. The teachers give us the tools- and the rest of us try those tools out in real time, making adjustments and asking each other questions as we go along. It is a class I enjoy because I am not learning about technology, I am learning how to use it. In addition, the students in the classroom benefit from being able to extend the class to their particular level of technological ability. There is a minimum portfolio that must be met, but students can tailor the final product to their own needs, interests, and abilities.

As a future English teacher, there will definitely be room for Inquiry Based Learning in my classroom. I do not believe it is effective (or enjoyable) to memorize a series of literary terms and definitions. It is much more fun to create one's own poem- learning the building blocks of poetry as we go along- rather than simply reading and reciting what others have done. I am also excited to bring technology into the classroom, so that learning is more interactive and employs a variety of perspectives, authors, and mediums into the class workspace. In addition, I would like students to reflect on their own and others' work- to constantly think about what they are learning through journaling, reflection pieces, or even student blogs.