LESSON 3

The Roles of Educational Technology
in
Learning

Educational technology plays a various roles. From the traditional point of view, it serves as presenter of knowledge just like teachers. It also serves as a productivity tool. With Internet, technology has facilitated communication among people. From the constructiveness perspective, educational technology is a meaningful learning tool by serving as a learning partner.

Technology can play a traditional role, i.e., as delivery vehicles for instructional lessons or in a constructionist as partners in the learning process.

From the traditional Point Of View, technology serves as source and presenter of knowledge. (David H. Jonassen 1999)

Technology like computer is seen as a productivity tool.

With the eruption of the INTERNET in the mid 90s.

From the constructionist Point of View, educational technology serves as a learning tool that learners learn with.

From constructionist

perspective, the following are roles of technology in learning: (Jonassen, et al 1999)

Technology as tools to support knowledge construction:

         - For representing learners’ ideas, understanding and beliefs

         - For producing organized, multimedia knowledge bases by learners

Technology as information vehicles for exploring knowledge to support learning-by-constructing:

          - For accessing needed information

          - For comparing perspectives, beliefs and world view

Technology as context to support learning-by-doing:

           - For representing and simulating meaning realworld problems, situations and context.

           - For representing beliefs, perspectives, arguments, and stories of others.

           - For defining a safe, controllable problem space for student thinking.

Technology as a social medium to support learning by conversing:

           - For collaborating with others.

           - For discussing, arguing, and building consensus among members of a community

            - For supporting discourse among knowledge building communities.

Technology as intellectual partner (Jonassen 1996) to support learning by reflecting:

            - For helping learners to articulate and represent what they know.

            - For reflecting on what they have learned and how they came to know it.

            - For supporting learners internal negotiations and meaning making.

           

            - For constructing personal representations of meaning

             - For supporting mindful thinking.