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 constructivist 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 constructivistway 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 contructivist Point of View, educational technology serves as a learning tool that learners learn with.

From contructivist 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.