Chapter 5: Nonlinguistic Representation

Learning Styles immediately popped into my mind at the beginning of this chapter; by the end though I realized that these techniques and activities are beneficial to all students not just the visual learners. I like the idea that showing a movie or video is a good practice, but that having students create their own videos moves it into a higher level. Today’s programs, whether Photo Story 3 or Movie Maker makes this an easy and viable activity for students. In addition, adding an animation component adds motivation and excitement for students. Many years ago I had some students make an animated video. The procedure of cutting and placing each small piece, videoing it and then moving it slightly and videoing it again was tedious! The project gave life to a plant growing from seed and the students did a great job, but I can see how using today’s technology will make such a tedious job easier and more efficient.

I believe every classroom should be equipped with the microscopes and digital probes listed in this chapter. Many of the document cameras have microscope attachments that become beneficial in science classes and the document cameras have uses in all subject areas. As stated in this chapter, the naked eye and standard thermometers were “high-tech” at one time. I realize that many of us learned this way, but just as no one really expects to use a chalkboard anymore, we need to update our classroom technology beyond white boards. I do realize the major drawback to keeping updated equipment is cost but if we are preparing students for a technology driven future, we must find a way to update ALL classrooms.