Educational technology is most simply defined as the use of various tools, typically technological resources, which prove helpful in advancing a student’s learning capabilities. The modern tools used in educational technology include, but are not limited to, laptop computers, overhead projectors computer programs, computerized games, smart phones and calculators. Those who employ or utilize such resources aim at exploring ide to streamline traditional educational efforts.
Constructivism is a learning theory used in educational technology and educational philosophy to explain how and why learners construct their own meaning from new information as they interact with their own reality or others with different perspectives. A constructivist learning environment will require students to utilize their prior knowledge and personal experiences to formulate new and adaptive concepts in learning.
Using this framework, the role of the teacher becomes that of an intermediary, providing guidance to aid the learners in constructing their own knowledge. Those educators within this field of educational technology must ensure that prior learning experiences are appropriate and related to the concepts being taught.
In order to develop ‘pragmatic’ constructivism, there is a need to draw links between constructivist theory and instructional design practices. Therefore, a dialogue between learning theorists and instructional developers should be established to clearly define the theoretical basis of constructivism.
Constructivist learning activities help create a sense of community necessary to student engagement in a e-learning environment. Course developers can use the principles of instructional design to systematically and consciously embed constructivist learning projects in a web-based course. Activities like discussions forums, webquests and jigsaw grouping all foster the student-teacher and the student-student relationships that engage learners in an on line environment.
In the 1950's Benjamin Bloom developed his taxonomy of cognitive objectives, Bloom's Taxonomy. This categorized and ordered thinking skills and objectives. His taxonomy follows the thinking process. You can not understand a concept if you do not first remember it, similarly you can not apply knowledge and concepts if you do not understand them. In the 1990's, a former student of Bloom, Lorin Anderson, revised Bloom's Taxonomy and published this- Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in 2001.Key to this is the use of verbs rather than nouns for each of the categories and a rearrangement of the sequence within the taxonomy. They are arranged below in increasing order, from low to high. The elements cover many of the activities and objectives but they do not address the new objectives presented by the emergence and integration of Information and Communication Technologies into the classroom and the lives of our students.
Using educational technology as a constructivist tool could aid students to represent their ideas, articulate what they know, and explore, manipulate, and process information, while actively collaborating with each other (Jonassen, Peck, &Wilson, 1999).
The evolving information technology era has become a major challenge for higher education institutions. Instructors are compelled to incorporate educational technology in the classroom, but often these technologies are used as productivity tools to deliver information rather than as cognitive means to support learning. Questions such as how educational technology impacts teaching and learning and how to best integrate it into the classroom present pedagogical concerns. Disciplines such as measurement and evaluation are not free from these challenges. Instructors look for ways to improve learning considering that statistical concepts are hard to retain and the students often find it difficult to make connections between the concepts and their own reality (Looney, 2000). Thus, creating a context that emulates real-life problems and settings is fundamental in helping students integrate, analyze, and apply concepts of statistics. Educational technology has the potential to support this approach if used to encourage the construction of knowledge through activities that are socially situated in a meaningful and authentic context (Palincsar & Klenk, 1993; Reid, 1993).
Constructivism is a learning theory used in educational technology and educational philosophy to explain how and why learners construct their own meaning from new information as they interact with their own reality or others with different perspectives. A constructivist learning environment will require students to utilize their prior knowledge and personal experiences to formulate new and adaptive concepts in learning.
Using this framework, the role of the teacher becomes that of an intermediary, providing guidance to aid the learners in constructing their own knowledge. Those educators within this field of educational technology must ensure that prior learning experiences are appropriate and related to the concepts being taught.
In order to develop ‘pragmatic’ constructivism, there is a need to draw links between constructivist theory and instructional design practices. Therefore, a dialogue between learning theorists and instructional developers should be established to clearly define the theoretical basis of constructivism.
Constructivist learning activities help create a sense of community necessary to student engagement in a e-learning environment. Course developers can use the principles of instructional design to systematically and consciously embed constructivist learning projects in a web-based course. Activities like discussions forums, webquests and jigsaw grouping all foster the student-teacher and the student-student relationships that engage learners in an on line environment.
In the 1950's Benjamin Bloom developed his taxonomy of cognitive objectives, Bloom's Taxonomy. This categorized and ordered thinking skills and objectives. His taxonomy follows the thinking process. You can not understand a concept if you do not first remember it, similarly you can not apply knowledge and concepts if you do not understand them. In the 1990's, a former student of Bloom, Lorin Anderson, revised Bloom's Taxonomy and published this- Bloom's Revised Taxonomy in 2001.Key to this is the use of verbs rather than nouns for each of the categories and a rearrangement of the sequence within the taxonomy. They are arranged below in increasing order, from low to high. The elements cover many of the activities and objectives but they do not address the new objectives presented by the emergence and integration of Information and Communication Technologies into the classroom and the lives of our students.
Using educational technology as a constructivist tool could aid students to represent their ideas, articulate what they know, and explore, manipulate, and process information, while actively collaborating with each other (Jonassen, Peck, &Wilson, 1999).
The evolving information technology era has become a major challenge for higher education institutions. Instructors are compelled to incorporate educational technology in the classroom, but often these technologies are used as productivity tools to deliver information rather than as cognitive means to support learning. Questions such as how educational technology impacts teaching and learning and how to best integrate it into the classroom present pedagogical concerns. Disciplines such as measurement and evaluation are not free from these challenges. Instructors look for ways to improve learning considering that statistical concepts are hard to retain and the students often find it difficult to make connections between the concepts and their own reality (Looney, 2000). Thus, creating a context that emulates real-life problems and settings is fundamental in helping students integrate, analyze, and apply concepts of statistics. Educational technology has the potential to support this approach if used to encourage the construction of knowledge through activities that are socially situated in a meaningful and authentic context (Palincsar & Klenk, 1993; Reid, 1993).
http://www.montclair.edu/profilepages/media/286/user/Use_of_Technology_for_Constructivist_Learning_in_a_Performance_Assessment_Class.pdf
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech005.shtml
http://www.slideshare.net/tunaynapinay/meaning-of-education-technology
http://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/learning_teaching/ict/theory/constructivism.shtml
http://www.learning-theories.com/addie-model.html
https://sites.google.com/a/boisestate.edu/edtech504/using-instructional-design-to-implement-constructivist-e-learning-1
http://www.educationworld.com/a_tech/tech/tech005.shtml
http://www.slideshare.net/tunaynapinay/meaning-of-education-technology
http://sydney.edu.au/education_social_work/learning_teaching/ict/theory/constructivism.shtml
http://www.learning-theories.com/addie-model.html
https://sites.google.com/a/boisestate.edu/edtech504/using-instructional-design-to-implement-constructivist-e-learning-1