Teaching, Learning, and Technology

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Teaching, Learning, and Technology

• Changes in roles of teachers, students, and
  technology in facilitating learning

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Goal of Education

• Engage learners in meaningful learning.
• Primary goal is to help students learn to
  recognize and solve problems, comprehend new
  phenomena, construct mental models of those
  phenomena, and given a new situation, set goals
  and regulate their own learning.
• Educators should use technology to engage
  students in active, constructive, intentional,
  authentic, and cooperative learning environments.

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Synergy of Learning
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Learning with Technology

• Move from technology-as-teacher to
  technology-as-partner.
• Students do not learn from technology, they learn
  from thinking. Technology can engage and support
  thinking when students learn with technology.

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Roles of Technology in Learning

• Technology as tools to support knowledge
  construction
• For representing learners ideas, understandings,
  and beliefs
• For producing organized, multimedia knowledge
  bases by learners
• Technology as information vehicle for exploring
  knowledge to support learning for constructing
• For accessing needed information
• For comparing perspectives, beliefs, and
  worldviews

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Roles of Technology (cont.)

• Technology as context to support learning by
  doing
• For representing and simulating meaningful
  real-world problems, situations, and contexts
• For representing beliefs, perspectives,
  arguments, and stories of others
• For defining a safe, controllable problem space
  for student thinking

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Roles of Technology (cont.)

• Technology as social medium to support learning
  by conversing
• For collaborating with pothers
• For discussing, arguing, and building consensus
  among members of a community
• For supporting discourse among knowledge-building
  communities

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Roles of Technology (cont.)

• Technology as intellectual partner to support
  learning by reflecting
• For helping learners to articulate and represent
  what they know
• For reflecting on what they have learned and how
  they came to know it
• For supporting learners internal negotiations
  and meaning making
• For constructing personal representations of
  meaning
• For supporting mindful thinking

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Problem-Solving

• Technologies can best support problem solving by
  helping learners
• to access information
• model the problems
• make decisions.

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Types of Software

• Drill-and-skills software (1970s and 1980s)
• mimicked flash cards
• present a math problem or foreign word
• the student would select an answer
• computer would provide a response/feedback with
  some visuals/animations
• not used to teach new information
• programmed instruction

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Drill-and-skill Examples

• http//www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/index.html
• http//www.aplusmath.com/games/matho/AddMatho.html
  
• http//www.cityu.edu.hk/elc/quiz/pronoun.htm

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Types of Software (cont.)

• Tutorials
• teaches students new information
• used for remediation, but it does not provide a
  sophisticated context for exploration and
  experimentation.
• follow the programmed instruction format
• more branching and adaptation features
• some personalization like asking students their
  names

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Tutorial Examples

• http//users.dragnet.com.au/donovan/mb/win.html
• http//www.mathshareware.com/
• http//www.candybyte.com/shockinf.html

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Types of Software (cont.)

• Educational games
• similar to the drill-and-skill programs
• provide an interesting theme such as solving a
  math problem to stop ants invading the picnic
  basket
• Sometimes have a time variable in which students
  must solve.
• reward features would be more sophisticated
• students can also achieve various levels of
  proficiency (e.g., lieutenant, caption, colonel)
  to reflect their performance

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Educational Game Examples

• http//www.coolmath.com/
• http//www.funbrain.com/
• http//www.funschool.com/

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Types of Software (cont.)

• Simulations
• used to reinforce instruction provided by the
  teache
• works well in student-centered environments
• provide a realistic situation in which students
  practice to solve problems
• presents facts and rules of a situation in a
  realistic manner without the limiting factors
  such as time, distance, cost, and danger.
• High-level of cognitive skills can take place
  with simulations

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Simulation Examples

• http//www-itg.lbl.gov/vfrog/dissect.html
• http//www.innerbody.com/htm/body.html
• http//www.cise.ufl.edu/fishwick/websim.html

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Traditional View

• Planning, implementation, and evaluation are in
  the control of the teacher.
• Little diversity in instruction with different
  students.
• For rote learning, this structure has been
  effective.
• Based upon a factory model create competent and
  obedient workers

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The Changing Learner

• Require high-order thinking skills to solve
  problems
• In the workplace, ALL employees need the ability
  to problem-solve and not just a few
• Learners can no longer be seen as empty vessels
  but active learners

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The Changing Learner (cont.)

• Student population was homogeneous
• Today, diversity is great, and thus, the
  challenge to meet different learning styles
• Classrooms are much more diversified
• Leads to complex teaching and learning problems

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Learner-centered Instruction

• People can obtain, assemble, analyze, and
  communicate information in more detail and in
  greater speed.
• Need to teach students to have higher-level
  thinking skills to sift through the information
• Shift from rote learning of factual information
  to think critically and creatively
• Use of simulations, discovery problem-solving,
  and cooperative groups for students to experience

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Learner-centered (cont.)

• This indicates a shift in the way that learning
  is planned, implemented and evaluated
• Learners today engage in learning-centered
  instruction by proactively engaging with various
  sources of information
• Teachers role is a guide on the side and
  facilitator of learning

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Key Changes
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Collaborative Learning

• Push toward collaboration for teachers
• Teacher is no longer an isolated decision-maker
• Need citizens with special skills, be able to
  work with a team, support a larger vision, and
  communicate and work effectively
• Teachers must model this new trend by using
  instructional processes that foster social skills
  of their students

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Cooperation v. Traditional Groupwork

• Teachers have to focus on active listening
  skills, taking turns, and accepting
  responsibility for oneself and for the group.
• Without proper teacher support a collaborative
  group is doomed
• If teachers divide responsibilities among the
  group members this is less likely to occur
• Sometimes it is best to divide responsibilities
  by what students do not know

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Cooperative v. Traditional (cont.)
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Changes in Teaching, Learning, and Technology

• From Linear to Hypermedia learning. Traditional
  approaches are linear and reflect the structure
  of textbooks. Todays learners are more
  interactive and nonsequential
• From Instruction to Construction and Discovery.
  Shift away from teaching to forming learning
  partnerships and learning cultures

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Changes in TLC (cont.)

• From Teacher-Centered to Learner-Centered. The
  new media support shifting learning to the
  learner. Students are challenged by the
  teachers who engage students in discussing,
  debating, researching, and collaborating on
  projects.
• From Absorbing Material to Learning How to
  Navigate and How to Learn. Students today
  assess, analyze, and synthesize. They involve
  information sources and people to help build
  their understanding.

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Changes in TLC (cont.)

• From School to Lifelong Learning. No longer
  motivated of finishing school. More motivated
  by a challenge to master or solve a problem.
• From One-size Fits All to Customized Learning.
  Mass education is out. Students expect learning
  to be individualized

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Changes in TLC (cont.)

• From Learning to Torture to Learning as Fun.
  Entertainment builds enjoyment, motivation, and
  responsibility for learning.
• From Teacher as Transmitter to Teacher as
  Facilitator. As students begin to assume
  responsibility of their own learning, they need
  teachers who can act as a resource and
  consultant.

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Limitations

• Cutbacks
• Lack of time with increased workload
• Reduced training budgets
• Access to resources
• Still a need for teachers to learn new tools, new
  approaches, and new skills

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Learning Theories and Instructional Strategies
Matrix

• http//chd.gse.gmu.edu/immersion/knowledgebase/

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