My Webspiration Inspiration

As I indicated before I was very excited to learn about the different technological strategies which can be used to assist and improve classroom teaching and when our tutor introduced the class to the my webspiration website I was all ears and eyes. However my concentration was broken for a short while when I turned to assist a colleague who was experiencing some problems and as such got lost along the way. I do not give up easily so I persisted until I was back on track before class ended for the night but in that brief moment I missed some vital information and as such had to do some experimenting at home.

How many times have we used concept mapping ( semantic mapping, brainstorming etc..)in our classrooms to assist in getting our students to think outside the box and to develop concepts.Call it what you may but it is by and large the same thing.Children learn in different ways and concept maps is a visual learning tool which does the following:

a.converts abstracts ideas into visible and concrete ones

b.provides a link between prior knowledge and new concepts

c.allows the opportunity for thinking,writing, discussing, analyzing, planning and reporting

d.places emphasis on thoughts and ideas which leads to understanding and interpretation

According to the article at http://www.inspiration.com/Parents/Visual-Thinking-and-Learning 'Concept maps are ideal for measuring growth of and assessing student learning. As students create concept maps,they reiterate ideas using their own words. Misdirected links or wrong connections alert educators to what students do not understand, provide an accurate, objective way to evaluate areas in which students do not grasp concept fully.'

This technology demonstrates the ease with which concept mapping can be done on an individual basis or as a group and that it also leaves room for collaboration. Another great asset for the reading specialist and guess what I know how to use it.