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The Roles of Educational Technology in Learning
The Roles of Educational Technology in Learning
The Roles of Educational Technology in Learning
FOCUS QUESTION
•What are the roles of educational technology in learning?
ACTIVITY
•Go back to your learning experiences in school. Recall specific ways by which the use of
educational technology helped you learn.
•Volunteer to share your experiences with the rest of the class
ANALYSIS
•TECHNOLOGY can play a traditional role, as delivery vehicles for instructional lessons or in a
constructivist way as partners in the learning process.
•In other words, the learner learns the CONTENT presented by the TECHNOLOGY in the
same way that the learner learns knowledge presented by the teacher.
DISCUSSION QUESTION
•Based on the experiences shared, which greater role did technology play in your learningexperi
ences: technology-as-teacher or technology-as-partner in the learningprocess?
ABSTRACTION
•From the traditional point of view, technology serves as source and presenter of knowledge.
It isassumed that “knowledge is embedded in the technology (such as content presente
d by films and TVprograms or the teaching sequence in programmed instruction) and th
e technology presents thatknowledge to the student. (David H. Jonassen, et al, 1999)
•Technology like computers is seen as a productivity tool. The popularity of word processing,
databases, spreadsheets, graphic programs and desktop publishing in the 1980sto this
productive role of educational technology.
•With the eruption of the INTERNET in the mid 90s, communications and multimedia have
dominated the role of technology in the classroom for the past few years.
•From the CONSTRUCTIVIST POINT OF VIEW, educational technology serves as learning tools
that learners learn with. It engages learners in “active, constructive, intentional,
authentic, and cooperative learning. It provides opportunities for technology and learne
rinteraction for meaningful learning.
•In this case, technology will not be mere delivery vehicle for content. Rather it is used as
facilitator of thinking and knowledge construction.
•From a constructivist perspective, the following are roles of technology in learning:
2. TECHNOLOGY AS INFORMATION VEHICLES FOR EXPLORING KNOWLEDGE TOSUPPORT LEARNING-
BY-CONSTRUCTING
o –For accessing needed information
o –For comparing perspective, beliefs and world views
4. TECHNOLOGY AS SOCIAL MEDIUM TO SUPPORT LEARNING BY CONVERSING
o –For collaborating with others
o –For discussing, arguing, and building consensus among members of community
o –For supporting discourse among knowledge-building communities
5. TECHNOLOGY AS INTELLECTUAL PARTNER TO SUPPORT LEARNING BY REFLECTING
o –For helping learners to articulate and represent what they know
o –For reflecting on what they have learned and how they came to know it
o –For supporting learners’ internal negotiations and meaning making
o –For constructing personal representations of meaning for supporting mindful thinking
•Whether used from the traditional or constructivist point of view, when usedeffectively, research
indicates that technology “ increases students’ learning,understanding and achievement but al
so augments motivation to learn, encouragescollaborative learning and supports the develop
ment of critical thinking and problemsolving skills”.
•Russel and Sorge (1999) also claims that the proper implementation of technology in the classroom
gives tudents more “control of their own learning and... Tends to move classroom from
teacher-dominated environments to ones that are more learner-centered.
The use of technology in the classroom enables theteacher to do differentiated instruction
considering the divergence of students’ readiness levels, interests, multiple intelligences and
learning styles. Technology also helps students become lifelong learners.
APPLICATION
•Based on the roles of educational technology from the constructivist’s perspective givenabove, identify
under which role and process is illustrated by each of the following:
•1. Water samples from ponds, steams and faucets were analyzed locally, then transmittedto res
earchers who pooled the data and returned them to all sites, where students drewconclusions an
d compared them with those of other classes.
•2. Students were asked to give a graphic presentation of the causes and effects ofalcoholism.
•3. Students were asked to conduct an in-depth research on the causes and effects of globalwar
ming by extensive use of books, journals and the internet and to give a PowerPointpresentation o
f their findings.
•4. Students were assigned to gather proposals from various sectors on how to solve thepresent
rice crisis and on how to prevent the same in the future and make a videopresentation on their i
nterviews.
•5. Student groups were asked to read and analyze a comic strip and present their ownthinking
also by way of comic strip.
•Give at least 3 uses or functions of educational technology. Categorize them either as technology a
teacher (source of knowledge) or technology as partner in learning (one that engages the
student inthinking and in the construction of knowledge and meaning). Use the table given
below. An example for each category is given for you.
TECHNOLOGY AS
TECHNOLOGY AS PARTNER IN LEARNING
TEACHER (TRADITIONAL
(CONSTRUCTIVIST PERSPECTIVE)
PERSPECTIVE)
1. Video presentation on the to 1. Setting up an experiment shown through video presentation and requi
uristspots in the country. ringthe student to predict the outcome of the experiment.
2.
2.
•The constructivists’ thinking is this: Technology cannot teach students. Rather, learnersshoul
d use the technologies to teacher themselves and others. Do you agree with theconstructivist
s?
•Is there anything pedagogically wrong with the traditional use of technology as a presenter
of knowledge like the teacher as a source of knowledge?
SUMMING UP
•Educational technology plays a various roles. From the traditional point of view, it serves
as presenter ofknowledge just like teachers. It also serves as a productivity tool. With inter
net, technology hasfacilitated communication among people. From the constructivist perspe
ctive, educational technology isa meaningful learning tool by serving as a learning partner.
Personal Postscript
NO OTHER CHOICE BUT TO LEARN HOW TO USE RECENT TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASSROOM
o –The younger generation of teachers is admittedly better than the older generation of
teacherswhen it comes to the use of the most recent technology, like the computer. T
he younger crop ofteachers, unlike the older generation, was blessed with basic comp
uter courses in their collegecurriculum. But if the older group of teachers would like t
o remain responsive and relevant bykeeping their teaching fresh, interesting and chall
enging, there is no choice but to learn how touse them. An “idiot’s guide” to comput
er may encourage you to learn how to use the computerin your teaching.