I responded to the following blogs:
http://jygreensblog.blogspot.com
http://anethaj.blogspot.com
Learning Theory and Educational Technology
Monday, May 28, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Module 6 Blog: Learning in a Digital World
The Impact of
Technology on Learning
Technology has and will
continue to have a significant impact on learning. It has changed the very way
in which we learn. In this day and age students are “digital natives” and the
need to learn in ways that are meaningful to them. This makes the integration
of technology into learning of great significance.
Technology had done
more than merely support learning, it has ultimately transformed how we learn.
Learning can no longer be confined to the years that a student spends in school
or the hours that they spend in the classroom; learning must be lifelong,
life-wide, and available on demand.
In order to effectively
prepare our students to learn throughout their lives and in settings far beyond
the brick and mortar classroom, we must change what and how we teach to match
what our students need to know, how they learn and where and when the6 learn
and change our perception of who need to learn. We must bring technology into
learning in meaningful ways in order to engage, motivate, and inspire our
students to achieve.
Differences in the
Online Learning Environment and the Face to Face Learning Environment
The online learning
environment provides a learning experience that is different than in the
traditional learning environment. Historically learning has been content driven
and teacher centered. Online learning has been widely accepted as
student-centered learning. In the online learning environment students are in
control of their learning. This environment gives students the opportunity to
take ownership of their learning.
Constructivism
Driscoll (1994)
describes constructivism as a learning theory that makes the assumption that
knowledge is constructed by learners. It is so important for students to be
given the reigns, when it comes to their learning. Educators must take a step
back. Their roles will no longer be the same. They will transform into
facilitators; they will facilitate student learning.
Driscoll, M. P. (1994).
Psychology of learning for instruction. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn &
Bacon.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Module 5 Blog: New Technologies
New Technologies
Clickers were introduced as a pilot program they
were distributed to teachers chosen by their principals to be technology
ambassadors. The devices allowed students and teachers to instantly receive feedback
during lessons or tests. Each student was given a clicker; the device was
numbered, allowing teachers to identify each student’s answer. This technology
was to engage students and encourage them to participate as opposed to teachers
calling on just the students with their hands raised.
I quickly discovered that some teachers found the
change in teaching style daunting, and as a result I was met with some
resistance. Their attitudes about this new technology were far from positive.
One behavioral characteristic that some of the teachers developed was they
asked for more and more information about the new technology but, no matter how
much information I provided the, they insisted that they needed more.
Resistance is an emotional response; it is a very
natural reaction to change associated with the implementation of new
technology. I thought that this new technology was so great I failed to realize
that resistance might occur. Now that I look back on it I realize that the
realization that resistance may occur was critical, in order for me to
successfully manage the resistance so that the energy that the teachers were
using on resisting could have been used to support the implementation of this
new technology rather than cripple it.
If I had used Keller’s ARCS Model I could have
promoted and sustained motivation in this technology using attention,
relevance, confidence, and satisfaction. I could have used inquiry arousal to
stimulate curiosity by posing challenging questions or problems that could be
solved using this technology. I could have established the relevance of this
technology to increase motivation. I could have elaborated further on the
present worth of the technology and the future usefulness of it. Confidence
could have been further established by expressing my confidence in the
technology. I could have presented evidence of the success of the technology.
This model could have changed the motivation of the teachers and encouraged
success.
References
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd
ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education.
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Module 4 Blog:Connectivism Mindmap
Module 4 Blog: Connectivism Mind map
- My network has changed the way I learn in many ways. I use my network to locate information, make connections with other knowledgeable individuals, to access resources, to reflect on content, to relate that content on what I already know or to an earlier experience, and to share my knowledge with others in my network.
- Blogs best facilitate learning for me. Blogging has been helpful in helping my knowledge acquisition and reflection process. I can easily access resources and express my views and thoughts. I use this digital to share my knowledge and to ultimately promote deeper learning by linking multiple ideas and concepts together within a personally engaging environment.
- I learn new knowledge when I have question through the use of resources. These resources may include the university library, a search engine, or even a peer.
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Module 3 Blog: Collaboration
Module 3 Blog: Collaboration
Rheingold made some very
significant points in his discussion of the evaluation of Wikipedia as a
collectively developed encyclopedia. The most significant point that Rheingold
made in his discussion was that we all have a human instinct to interact and
work as a group.
It is the basic instinct of
humans to want interaction with others. Humans are very much social beings and
interacting with others is an integral part of human life. We are not merely
social in the slight sense that we enjoy the company of others, or in the evident
sense that we depend on others, but we are social in an elemental sense; solely
to be human obliges interaction with others. Our need to interact with others
is a human instinct and need.
Technology has long been
seen as an optimal medium for the application of the constructivist principles
(Murphy, 1997). The constructivist approach to learning is facilitated by
technology, more specifically the web. The Constructivist Theory focuses on
making connections and making meaning in the learning process.
Web based courses are
frequently designed with constructivist principles in mind. These principles inspire
learners to collaborate with others, to navigate and create their unique
knowledge base. Technology facilitates collaboration by joining together
learners and bringing them together in the same space so collaboration can take
place. Chat rooms, allow groups of learners to collaborate with each other
through the use of synchronous communication.
An empirical study conducted
by Papnikolaou & Boubouka (2010) investigated the value of collaboration
and found that collaboration is an effective learning tool. Papnikolaou, K.,
& Boubouka, M. (2010). Promoting
collaboration in a project-based e-learning context. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. (43) 2, 135-155.
References
Murphy, E. (1997).
Constructivism from philosophy to practice. Retrieved from http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/~elmurphy/emurphy/cle.html.
Papnikolaou, K., & Boubouka,
M. (2010). Promoting
collaboration in a project-based e-learning context. Journal of Research on Technology in Education. (43) 2, 135-155.
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