EDLD5364-Week1

=​Learning Theories and Implications for Teaching with Technology=

toc
In the first week of Teaching with Technology, we learn about three learning theories: constructivism theory, connectivism theory, and cyborg learning theory. The following videos from YouTube offer a quick glance at each:

Constructivism Theory
media type="youtube" key="F00R3pOXzuk" height="344" width="425" Abbott, J. (nd). Building Knowledge: Constructivism in Learning. Youtube.com. Retrieved on Nov 22, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F00R3pOXzuk

"Constructivist theory tells us that we learn in a variety of ways. The more opportunities we have, the richer our understanding becomes." (Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, (1999). Learning as a personal event: A brief introduction to constructivism. http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/intro2c.html)

In "Learning as a Personal Event: A brief introduction to constructivism," the researchers at Southwest Educational Development Laboratory compare two scenarios with teachers who take two different approaches to the social studies curriculum. The first teacher uses traditional instructionist methods of reading from the text, taking notes, watching a video, and filling in worksheets, while the second teacher offers choice and hands-on experience with interviewing, student portfolios and help in planning a field trip. We see a great difference between the teacher-centered classroom in the first scenario and the learner-centered classroom in the second.

Connectivism Theory
media type="youtube" key="YMcTHndpzYg" height="364" width="445" Siemens, G. (nd). The Changing Nature of Knowledge. Youtube.com. Retrieved on Nov 22, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMcTHndpzYg

"Combining connectivism with constructivist methods in the classroom offers students an opportunity to gain 21st Century skills." (Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, p.40.)

George Siemens discusses how "knowledge exists external to the person" and the importance of learners to be able to stay current with the ever-changing amount of knowledge out there. Our students will have to learn how to learn. They must be able to continue to learn for the course of their lifetimes. This plays into the fact that the world is presenting more competition to the United States (Solomon, G., & Schrum, L. (2007). Web 2.0: New tools, New schools. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education, p.11.). If we are to better prepare our students for the competition in today's society, we have to make a switch in the processes of learning that happen in our classrooms.

Cyborg Learning Theory
media type="youtube" key="RB_l7SY_ngI" height="364" width="445" Warwick, K. (nd). Cyborg Life. Youtube.com. Retrieved on Nov 22, 2009 from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB_l7SY_ngI

Kevin Warwick implants a silicon chip transponder in both his own arm and the arm of his wife. They are able to communicate via the technology within their bodies. Warwick's experiment will pave the way for future ideas of working closely with technology, literally. This theory could be potentially controversial with a person's belief system. I could see how some people may watch this and immediately become defensive on one side of the classic "science versus religion" debate. As a graduate student and (Catholic) science teacher, I will approach it with a learner's viewpoint.

What a brave and interesting idea that technology could assist humans in making us more _____________ (fill in the blank) than we currently are. More intelligent, more responsive, more efficient, more robotic and Matrix-like? Yikes, I said I'd keep a learner's viewpoint. I could get into a whole discussion about how technology helps us, including all of the medical technology that advances our abilities to cure humans of disease or bring about relief in the mean time. Warwick does offer a thought-provoking challenge to us in using more technology in education, which is a stance that I agree with. The question is, where do we start?

Where to start
I think that we have to start with the reason that we are in education in the first place: the students. Educators can make a decision to concentrate on the learners and create learner-centered experiences. With this comes risk and the unknown and probably some anxiety. As teachers, we need to be ready for the shift that will happen in our classes as we move toward more learner-centered opportunities. We may have to adjust the amount of content that we "give" to our students. How about asking them to seek out the information instead? We also may have to adjust our perception of a well-managed classroom. What was once considered a "good" class of quietly working students could turn into a "good" class of talkative, cooperative group work. Are we ready for this? Students already have this mind set. We have to catch up to meet them where they are. Maybe we don't have to be "ready." Maybe it's time for us to jump in and learn along with them.

Week 2 - Technology Strategies that Positively Impact Student Learning (make link to wk2)

Week 3 - Planning for Student-Centered Learning with Technology

Week 4 - Designing Student-Centered Learning Experiences with Technology

Week 5 - Reflecting Upon Teaching in Technology