Psychological Perspectives on Technology and Learning

According to Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell (2008) there are 4 major domains of learning:

1. Cognitive—Verbal/Visual (memorization of info); Intellectual Skills (requires application of critical thinking and the manipulation of info).
2. Affective—Attitudes, feelings, and values.
3. Motor Skill—Athletic, physical, and manual skills.
4. Interpersonal—Ability to relate with other people.

Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell (2008) stated “how teachers view the role of technology and media in the classroom depends very much on their beliefs about how people learn” (p. 10).
There are 4 psychological perspectives on learning:

1. Behaviorists—(Skinner) believe that reinforcing, or rewarding desired responses, could shape behavior.
2. Cognitivists—(Piaget) believe in short and long term memory. New info is short term until it is rehearsed enough to become long term.
3. Constructivists—believe that students create their own interpretations of the world of information, thus learn by doing.
4. Social-Psychologists—(Slavin) focuses on group structure of the class—small group collaboration, independent study, whole class.

If a classroom is teacher-centered, technology is used to present information to the students. If the classroom is student-centered, then the students use technology and media to do projects and process information. I believe that a good classroom teacher uses technology to present instruction and allows students to use technology to learn. Students should have hands-on experience with the computer and be familiar with smart boards, printers, and the Internet.

Reflection:
There are parts about all 4 psychological perspectives that I consider when teaching my students. I am a behaviorist when I reward exceptional behavior. I am a cognitivist when I use drill and practice exercises to help the students memorize note value. I am a constructivist when I allow my students to compose their own song and play it on an instrument of choice. I am a social-psychologist when I incorporate cooperative learning in my class.

What is your psychological perspective on learning?

Smaldino, S., Lowther, D., & Russell, J. (2008). Instructional technology and media for learning.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Reflection: Technology: Changing Teaching and Learning

Students today take technology for granted because they are born in a generation that has technology at their fingertips 24 hours a day. In the 1950’s and 1960’s computers in the classroom was unheard of. In 1977 Personal Computers; the first microcomputer, the Apple, was created by Steve Wozniak and Steve Jobs. In the 1980’s (CAI) Computer-assisted instruction on personal computers reached its peak of popularity. Technology took another leap in 1991-through the World Wide Web- The Internet became accessible to all with the creation of the Web by Tim Berners-Lee; Again in 2003 Technology leaped and brought about the Mobile Devices; Cell phones, hybrids, PDAs, and tablet PCs joined with wireless networking to make mobile computing commonplace everywhere, including in the classroom; Technology is still growing in 2008 and beyond; Online life and the Grid. The Grid uses distributed computing Technology. The Grid will make it possible to dynamically pool and share computer resources, making unprecedented computing power available to everyone on the Grid. Duffy, J,. & McDonald, J (2007).

History of Educational Technology; www.aect.org/About/History/.
Duffy, J,. & McDonald, J,.(2007). Teaching and Learning with Technology
www.mylabschool.com

What's All the Hype?

Classrooms are multimedia worlds, full of complex images, movement, and sound. The media we use to communicate information to students could be still picture cards, CD recordings, video clips, power points, or text to name a few. According to Roblyer (2006), hypermedia refers to linked media or interactive media that are stored in different places but are logically connected with hypertext links. Hypermedia systems come in a variety of storage devices: IVDs (interactive video discs), CD-ROMS (compact disc-read-only memory), DVDs (digital versatile discs), and other technologies. There are even Internet multimedia formats available. Roblyer (2006) gives the example of searching the word "apple" and getting all sorts of logically related links from Johnny Appleseed to the Garden of Eden. Hypermedia offers students "multiple channels through which to process information" (Roblyer, 2006, p. 188).

Reflection:
When we allow our students to get online, we have to be careful that their searches are kid-friendly. A simple search for "bunny" may end up in nudity at the Playboy Mansion. I want my students to gain confidence in using the internet because it really does save time in the classroom. The reliance on hypertext and hypermedia to communicate information seems to get greater each school year. I see a need to incorporate more computer based technology into my classroom. When I come to a close of another school year, I have all these great ideas about what multimedia or hypermedia products I want to use next year. Yet, I still feel a little behind times. I need to solve this problem by taking multiple perspectives and adopt an experimental and problem-solving orientation to educational issues in technology. Can't never could. It's time I become a leader in instructional technology so I can teach my students how to use all the wonderful hypermedia products. It's hard to believe that elementary students know how to develop hypermedia products and some teachers do not.

Do you use hypermedia products in your classroom?

Roblyer, M. (2006). Integrating educational technology into teaching. (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Technology in Schools: Changing Teaching and Learning

Mike Smith, Superintendent of the Forney Independent School District in Forney Texas, had a shortage of textbooks due to the rapid growth of the his school district and the time lapse between the number of textbooks that can be ordered based on the previous year’s enrollment and current enrollments. It has caused a significant period of time to elapse with a percentage of students left without textbooks. To solve this problem Smith’s school district combined the advantages of the wireless laptop with the adoption of e-book. The first group of students to benefit was the fifth and sixth graders at Johnson Elementary School. Each one received an IBM ThinkPad loaded with digital versions of textbooks and other works of literature. Smith stated, “ThinkPad made learning more exciting for the students, motivated the students to learn, and solved the lack of textbooks, it’s a system we need to explore. These are digital kids, use to multitasking and accustomed to the electronic world.” Garton, N (2003).

Garton, N (2003). Students turn on their computers to read classics. Retrieved April 23, 2009, from www.tennessean.com/edicatopm/arcjoves/03/07/35886253.shtml

Laptops replace textbooks at Johnson Elementary School. (2004). Retrieved April 26, 2009, from http://fprmeu/edmet10.net//prod_site/announcement_announcementelectronictext.

How to Create a Wiki

Use Media Wiki (www.mediawiki.org), free public-use software for servers to create wiki spaces, schools can create private or public wiki web sites for use in the classroom. This unique software and its resultant online collaborative space offer infinite possibilities in the hands of creative teachers.

What is a Wiki?

Wiki is an adaptation of the Hawaiian term for fast. Originally created for fast collaboration and communication via the Web among programmers, a wiki site is a web site that content is written collaboratively so that anyone with a computer and Internet access can edit and add to the information provided. A wiki is a free collection of information that anyone can edit.
One of the largest wikis, the Wikipedia, is published by the Wikimedia Foundation along with its sister wiki web sites, with Wikitionary, Wikibooks, Wikinews, and Wikiquote among the most popular. Wikipedia is not a forum for personal opinion, as is a blog, but is a collaboratively developed encyclopedia of information. Wikipedia articles offer links, cross references, and citations contributed by people that are interested in that topic.
In education, wikis provides a space for brainstorming and collaborative writing. They offer an online, easily accessible area for debates, group projects, and shared resources. Teachers can have students author and edit articles on assigned topics or provide space for the creation of a collaborative booklet on a topic of interest. (Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2007).

Tips for Teachers

Protecting Privacy

Once technology is made available to students, it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that it is used appropriately. Teachers oversee how students use textbooks and other media, they also should be sure the access to and use of technology is consistent with the appropriate academic behaviors expected in the classroom.
Checklist for ways teachers can protect their students’ privacy:
v Don’t place confidential data or commentary on any unsecured electronic equipment.
v Guard your log in names and passwords.
v Secure storage devices (floppies, CD-RWs and USB drives) in places where they are not obtainable by people unauthorized to view their contents.
v Don’t leave hard copy of assessments, evaluations, and reports of student behavior and achievement on printer trays in common areas.
v Once used, file privileged information, whether on storage devices or on hard copy, in secured spaces or of no longer needed, shred it (preferably with a crosscut shredder).
v Follow school district policies and procedures in place to guard students’ privacy
v Guard photographs of students as well as text,
v Become aware of classroom and district software that offers parents access to their children’s progress by password in read only format.

Duffy, J,. & McDonald, J,. (2007). Teaching and Learning with Technology Pearson
www.mylabschool.com