Conclusion: Effective Bridging of Technology and Instruction - Reflection

As the behaviorism theory of learning assumes that a learner is essentially passive, responding to environmental stimuli. I still believe that a learner starts off as a clean slate and the learner’s behavior is shaped through positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. Both positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement increase the probability that the antecedent behavior will happen again. Learning is therefore defined as a change in behavior in the learner. I also believe that students learn better through social interaction, which plays a fundamental role in the process of cognitive development. Therefore, the use of group activities is a very effective strategy which provides the opportunity to think and share ideas among the group. Dr. Orey stated that “learner is active in the learning process regardless what your approach is” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008b). Therefore, creating engaging activities in the classroom through presenting real life connection with what is being taught is another strategy I tend to use in my every day teaching practice. I will integrate more technology in the group activities to address students’ social needs, on the other hand, the teacher’s role will be to facilitate instead of being the only source of information in the classroom.

The immediate adjustment I will make to my instructional practice will be to focus on giving students feedback about how well they are performing relative to a particular learning goal so that they can improve their practice (Pitler & et al, 2007, p. 41). I will also be careful when I need to present a PowerPoint; I will have images instead of text to help them remember the information (Laureate Education, Inc., 2008a). Creating concept maps and establishing VoiceThreads are two of the technology tools that could be integrated in learning with the cooperative learning strategy. This strategy aligns with the principles of the Social Development Theory which argues that social interaction precedes development; consciousness and cognition are the end product of socialization and social behavior. I believe that we learn better when we interact with others and remember information better when it is associated with a social experience (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2009).

One of the goals I would like to accomplish within the next few years is having the students to prepare and present PowerPoints in class instead of teacher as an example of constructionist-based technology. My second goal is to incorporate more technology in my AP Calculus class, not to use graphing calculators and overhead projector only, but to be flexible creating concept maps and VoiceThreads online and having other students in the class to post comments accordingly. These two goals will give learners the opportunity to choose, plan, design, and construct artifacts as part of their learning outcomes. “The instructor facilitates by designing learner-centered activities, providing resources, and advising learners as they reflect on their learning process” (Han & Bhattacharya, 2001). Using technology “allow students to spend more time interpreting the data rather than gathering the data” (Pitler & et al, 2007, p. 203).

References

Han, S., and Bhattacharya, K. (2001). Constructionism, Learning by Design, and Project Based Learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved June 24th, 2009, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008a). Program thirteen. Technology: Instructional Tool vs. Learning Tool [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (2008b). Program three. Instructional Theory vs. Learning Theory [Motion picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and technology. Baltimore: Author.

Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2009, June). Social Development Theory (Vygotsky) at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved June 24th, 2009 from http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Connectivism and Social Learning in Practice

“Social Development Theory argues that social interaction precedes development; consciousness and cognition are the end product of socialization and social behavior” (Learning Theories Knowledgebase, 2009). Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski (2007) recommend the use of informal, formal, and base groups. They recommend also to keep the groups to manageable size and to combine cooperative learning with other classroom structures (p. 139-140).

Cooperative multimedia project is a very effective tool to engage students in cooperative learning and cooperative teaching as well. Creating a video about the lives of famous mathematicians is a creative idea. As a math teacher, sometimes I ask my students to research and write reports about mathematicians. They might have attached photos or charts to their reports, but creating a video is more interesting and gives a great opportunity to the students to learn from each other and to think widely, not only to find the information needed for their project, but also to process the information in a collaborative environment.

In my opinion, the most important stage in this kind of projects is distributing the roles and dividing the responsibilities. If the students understood that each one of them is responsible for the task associated with his/her role, they will consider other’s ideas and listen to them with respect in order to complete their product. These thought, I believe, are applicable to any group project, however, it is essential that a rubric is provided to students so they would be aware of the grading system. The group roles chart is another great idea which may minimize any conflict and give the students a starting point.

References:

Learning Theories Knowledgebase (2009, June). Social Development Theory (Vygotsky) at Learning-Theories.com. Retrieved June 4th, 2009 from http://www.learning-theories.com/vygotskys-social-learning-theory.html

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.