by David Jonassen, Pensylvania State University |
In How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School. J.D. Bransford, A. Brown & R. Cocking (eds). New technologies can be used in 5 different ways: 1) bringing exciting curricula based on real-world problems into the classroom. 2) providing scaffolds & tools to enhance learning 3) giving students and teachers more opportunities for feedback, reflection and revision. 4) building local and global communities that include teachers, administrators, students, parents, practicing scientists and other interested people, and, 5) expanding opportunities for teacher learning. |
Take Home Test Question 2: What is cognitive apprenticeship and how is it different from what is happening in Malaysian schools? |
The Technology-Based Learning Environment: A Cognitive-Constructivist Approach that allows for: 1) Situated cognition - technology that provides for real-world situations to be brought to the classroom 2) Cognitive Flexibility - the unique characteristics of multimedia techology allow for catering to individual differences; some learners need more visual support to understand certain concepts. 3) Modeling - learners are able to interact with experts in various fields so that they will undertand the thinking process of an expert 4) Reflection - learner given the opportunity to think about what they have learned and decide on what to do 5) Cooperative Learning - learners working in small groups when solving problems which are skills relevant in the world of work 6) Collaborative Learning - learners from one class or one school collaborate with learners from another class or school, preferably from another area or country; working collaboratively in cyberspace. 7) Exploration - technology allows learners to go beyond what they are learning; to explore unchartered paths 8) Articulation - to allow learners to articulate and present what they have done or their products. |
Section B(1): Theoretical Perspectives of Technology Use in Teaching and Learning |
PXGT 6110 Internet Applications in Education |
Introduction Malaysian schools have at various points in time been introduced to various educational technology innovations. In the early days there was Radio Pendidikan (Educational Radio) and schools were provided with cassette recorders to record these programmes. Some schools were given a few units of overhead projectors. When TV began in Malaysia, TV Pendidikan (Educational TV) was introduced and schools also acquired the Video Cassette Recorder (VCR), to enable them to record TV Pendidikan programmes so they might be shown at a convenient time. What has happened to all these innovative hardware? Are teachers using them in the classroom? WHY NOT? Today we have computers, CD ROMS and the internet. Will they meet the same fate like earlier technological innovations in our schools? Phillips, J. A. (1997) in a paper entitled "The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, a Pedagogical Paradigm in the Use of Multimedia Technology in Enhancing Higher Order Thinking" presented at the 6th SEAMEO INNOTECH International Conference on The Learning Society of the Future, 11-13 Novermber, 1997, Manila, Philippines observed that the introduction of information and communication technology follows 3 tracks. Track 1 (Techology Familiarisation) is when a school acquires a few computers, placed in a laboratory-type environment where techology familiarisation is emphasised. A common approach is t set up computer clubs with financial assistance provided by parent-teacher associations, charitable oragnisations and the government with focus on learning word processing and spreadsheet applications. In some schools, students and teachers have developed some courseware and main homepages on the web. Track 2 (Technology Integration) goes beyond familiarisation wherein a small group of enthusiastic teachers attempt to integrate technology and this usually takes the form of computer-assisted instrucion (CAI) where technology is 'fitted' into instruction. Track 3 (The Technology-Based Learning Environment) is when technology is not a tool that is infused or integrated into the classroom but becomes an integral component of the teaching-learning situation. In other words, a new environment is created in which learners explore things, ideas and their relationships using technology. Existing curriculum have to be redesigned around technology with the aim of developing the multiple minds of the learner. The learner is involved in the acquisition, processing, interpretation and most importantly the construction of knowledge. Technology is also seen as easing the cognitive demands of learners by performing many of the routine tasks while allowing learners to engage in higher order thinking such as problem solving and decision making. In the TBLE, technology becomes a partner providing guidance and scaffolding as the learner undertakes a myriad of complex tasks. Learners are not passive recipients of knowledge but actively engage in the construction of knowledge. The new technologies are utilised to facilitate learners to build knowledge based on their understanding, prior knowledge, beliefs and experiences. Interestingly, as the new technologies become increasingly more sophisticated, they provide an avenue for learners to externalise their thinking and create knowledge, model relationships, represent knowledge in the form of images, pictures, scripts, ideas and the like. |
Take Home Test Question 2: What is cognitive apprenticeship and how is it different from what is happening in Malaysian schools? |
In How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience and School. J.D. Bransford, A. Brown & R. Cocking (eds). New technologies can be used in 5 different ways: 1) bringing exciting curricula based on real-world problems into the classroom. 2) providing scaffolds & tools to enhance learning 3) giving students and teachers more opportunities for feedback, reflection and revision. 4) building local and global communities that include teachers, administrators, students, parents, practicing scientists and other interested people, and, 5) expanding opportunities for teacher learning. |
by David Jonassen, Pensylvania State University |
