Using Computers in the Classroom, Teaching Bible - Coursework Example

Running head: computers Using computers in the room Introduction Computers and internet has conquered most of the segments of human life at present. It is impossible for the organizations or business groups to operate in a world without computers. Same way educational field is also drastically increased its dependency on computers. For effective transfer of knowledge from the teacher to students computers are extensively used in classrooms at present. “The use of computers will assist the teacher in individualizing student education by: determining the appropriate level of work for each student; monitoring individual student progress; providing for immediate feedback to the teacher within an individualized program; and freeing teachers to work with students in more of the areas best served by direct human interaction" (Hertzke, n. d) “The use of computers in education started in the 1960s. With the advent of convenient microcomputers in the 1970s, computer use in schools has become widespread from primary education through the university level”(Computer-assisted instruction (CAI), 2010). Computers can be used in many ways in the classroom for teaching a particular topic. It can be used as a productivity tool to facilitate student learning by the teachers as they support traditional classroom pedagogies as well as make available new ways of teaching and learning. According to Maddux, Johnson, and Willis (2001), Computers can be used in types in classrooms; Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1uses of computers is to create worksheets or to create presentations. Overall, the type I use of computers usually involves approaches aimed at the acquisition of facts by rote memory and the practicing of skills independent of context. On the other hand Type 2 applications involve student created media and various forms of student created projects. They allow the student to engage in authentic learning experiences where students interact with real information in a real world context. Type II approaches may involve students in project based learning and are supported by the theory of constructivism and place the emphasis on engaging students in higher-order thinking skills and problem solving. Examples of type II use include: Word processing & desk top publishing projects, Multimedia and presentation projects constructed using software such as PowerPoint, Internet projects such as podcasting, developing a website, blogging, MSN chat, editing videos for Youtube, etc (Muir, 2007, p.1) This paper briefly analyses the ways in which computers can be used in teaching Bible in a Christian high school Ways of teaching Bible using computers As mentioned in the introduction, computers can be used in two ways in classrooms; type 1 and type 2. When using computers in the type 1 mode, all the traditional methods of teaching will be preserved. The only differences would be that the teacher makes use of power point slides, worksheets instead of blackboards or other paper works. In traditional methods of teaching, the teacher uses blackboards more frequently whereas while using computer assisted type 1 method, the teacher can completely avoid the use of blackboards or chokes. The important points of a topic can be explained with the help of power point presentation in the classroom. For this purpose the teacher needs a computer, projector and a screen. The teacher can create the main points as the presentation slides using Microsoft Power Point software and he can add speaker notes at the bottom of the presentation slides as supporting documents in order to explain the topic. For example in order to teach the important teachings of Jesus Christ, a bible teacher can create a presentation and use it judiciously in the classroom. He can make the Ten Commandments or other important teachings of Jesus as slides and the explanations as the speaker notes. While using presentation slides, the teacher would be able to arrange the content in a chronological order and he can ensure that no points were missed out. In traditional classes, the teacher may often forget some points at the time of teaching, which were intended to present in the classroom. Another way of using computer in Type 1 mode in classrooms is in the tabulation. The teacher can create spreadsheets in order to enter the marks, grades or the complete statistical details of students. The teacher can create separate spreadsheets for each students and he can refer the details of a particular student easily even at the time of teaching if needed. Laptops are a blessing for the teachers to perform such tasks even in the classrooms. Even though Type 1 technology is common in classrooms, the scope for teaching using computers is not limited to Type 1 alone. In fact Type 2 methodologies are more valuable for the students. Muir (2007) has mentioned that Type II uses of educational technology involve empowering students to do work they could not do before (or do as easily). One approach, for example, shown to engage students in learning is the use of computers driving multimedia and hypermedia tools. Multimedia tends to have long-term effects on understanding and retention (Muir 2007, p.2). A Bible teacher can use multimedia technologies to recreate an imaginary scene in the classroom with respect to the Creation. If the teacher is skilled enough in multimedia creations, he can create an imaginary concept about the Creation and present it in the classroom so that the students may get deep knowledge about the Creation. Andy Geers (2007) has suggested that Bible can be taught more effectively in the classroom using computer games. In his opinion, Bible teaching should be exciting and it is impossible to create the excitements of Bible learning through traditional methods (Geers 2007). Old Testament is difficult to understand because of the complex laws formulated by the God for the human life on earth. In other words, human failed to understand the core principles of Old Testament or the love of God because of his inability in interpreting Godly laws. In fact Jesus Christ tried to explain the laws of God in a simple manner. In short, it is difficult to understand Old Testament using ordinary means whereas it can be made understandable using computer games. The only thing required is a little bit of computer proficiency from the part of teacher in creating interesting games using sophisticated computer software. Knittel (1996) has argued that involving students in Bible seminars through multi-media computerized programs can be a learning and a witnessing experience. In his opinion, computerized graphics is a better tool to teach Bible for high school students (Knittel 1996). Bible incidents can be better portrayed using multimedia and computer graphics. Computer graphics and multimedia tools help the teacher to recreate the old scenarios in front of the students. It is difficult for the students to understand a Bible event if the they don’t have better understanding about the social and cultural setups of the Biblical era. Multimedia and graphic tools help the teacher to recreate it in front of the students. For example, the trial of Jesus Christ and the subsequent incidents happened in the castle of Pilate can be better explained only with the help of computer graphics and multimedia presentations. A mere lecturing of the incidents happened may not give in depth knowledge to the students. Technology not only offers teachers new instructional opportunities, it also promotes that shift in teaching paradigms from whole-class instruction to small-group learning environments as well as a change from passive learning to more engaged learning(Muir 2007, p.2).Earlier teachers were handicapped with the lack of technologies to make the student better understand a topic. The lecture method and illustrations with the help of some charts or tables etc were earlier used to given the students insights about a topic. But such methodologies were inadequate and students developed more doubts rather than the understandings because of such improper curriculum methodologies. But with the help of the modern computer assisted methods, teachers can create problematic situation in front of the students and can ask them to find solutions for that instead of directly giving the solutions. For example resurrection is a controversial topic. It is difficult for a lay man to understand how a dead person resurrected. In order to understand resurrection properly, students should have the proper background information. They should be aware of the purpose of Jesus’ entry to this world and why he accepted the crucifixion. All such background information can be provided with the help of computer assisted tools and the teacher can explain resurrection more clearly to the students. It is often easy for users of Bible study software to do things that they have never done before. Some software allows users to access ancient Hebrew and Greek definitions (Taylor, 2000). “The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic (the Old Testament [OT]), and Greek (the New Testament [NT])” (Köstenberger, 2007). Most parts of the Jewish Bible are written originally in Hebrew language and hence it is better to have some awareness about the Hebrew language and words. Moreover Greek language and Aramaic language were also used while writing Old and New Testaments. Some Biblical software is capable of providing enough insights by providing access to ancient Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek definitions and the teacher can use it in the classroom. Moreover, when some references are needed, the teacher can search the internet and can find ample of sources available for the topic. Dr. Hahne (1999) has mentioned that some programs seek to provide a complete Bible study environment. He has pointed out that these programs may include an atlas, Greek and Hebrew lexicons, Bible dictionaries, commentaries, Bible study guides, topical study indexes and other research tools (Dr. Hahne 1999). The capabilities of computers are immense and the Bible teacher can use it judiciously in the classroom. Gomez (2005) has mentioned some clear advantages of using Bible software in teaching students in the classroom. In his opinion, Hyperlinking, Speed and Comprehensiveness are the major advantage of using Bible software in the classroom. Bible is huge book which narrates the incidents even from the creation. All the Biblical incidents and teachings are associated with each other. For example, even in the Old Testament, the arrival of Jesus to save the sinners was mentioned. Moreover New Testament is the one which interprets the teachings of Old Testament in simple worlds. In other words, the New Testament and Old Testament are closely related even though a lay man may perceive total differences in the teachings of Old and New Testaments. It is impossible to learn New Testament properly without seeking references from the Old Testament. It is difficult to search manually for the Biblical references in the classroom as it is time consuming. But using Bible software and key search words, a teacher can easily locate Bible terms and incidents and can teach the students more effectively. Conclusions Computer assisted learning is so popular in the educational world and Bible study is also not an exception. Computers can ease many of the complex tasks of learning and teaching both for the students and the teacher. Type 1 and Type 2 computer assisted teaching methods like, presentations, worksheets; computer graphics, multimedia etc are used extensively in the classrooms nowadays. Bible study can be made easy with the help of modern computer assisted technologies. In fact many Bible software are available in the market to make the bible study more rapid and comprehensive. Most of the Bible topics are interrelated and because of the huge size it is difficult for the teachers to establish connections using manual means. On the other hand, computer software can help the teacher in accomplishing their teaching tasks more easily with the help of biblical software. The teacher can keep a track record of the progress of the students easily by creating separate spreadsheets for each student. Thus computers can help the teachers in teaching the topics, evaluation of the student learning and the assessment of the students’ progress. References 1. Bible-Teaching Computer Games, (n. d), Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.geero.net/bible-games.html 2. Computer-assisted instruction (CAI). (2010). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 21, 2010, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/130589/computer-assisted-instruction 3. Dr. Hahne H (1999), Using a Computer in Biblical and Theological Studies, Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.balboa-software.com/semcomp/scbible1.htm 4. Geers A (2007), Bible-Teaching Computer Games Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.geero.net/bible-games.html 5. Gomez R (2005), Bible Software: Why Should We Bother?, Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.bsreview.org/index.php?modulo=Articles&id=3 6. Hertzke E R (n. d), Computer-Assisted Instruction in the Classroom: Selecting a System,T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education), Vol. 17, 1989, Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.questia.com/googleScholar.qst;jsessionid=MpLJsVFvQ11kGHrnPy1zHZcBypD9mT9rmTLJMJyPkYG2dcC74mx2!1566849592!1380883283?docId=5000117306 7. Knittel M (1996), Bible Learning Through Bible Teaching, Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.avln.org/learning/itc/jaebible.htm 8. Köstenberger A J (2007), Is the Bible Today What Was Originally Written?, Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.4truth.net/site/c.hiKXLbPNLrF/b.2903863/k.92CD/Is_the_Bible_Today_What_Was_Originally_Written.htm 9. Muir, M. (2007). Research summary: Technology and pedagogy. Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.nmsa.org/Research/ ResearchSummaries/TechnologyandPedagogy/tabid/1506/Default.aspx 10. Taylor T (2000), BIBLE STUDY SOFTWARE, Retrieved on 21 June 2010 from http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200002/20000229_biblesoftware.html Read More