CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO LEARNING AND TECHNOLOGY

INSTRUCTOR CONSIDERATIONS
This chapter emphasizes
• learning and what constitutes “an enhanced learning experience.”
• a definition and description of the learning process, including the introduction
of the PIE model
• the definition of technology and a description of its bridging function
• the integration of teaching and technology to effect high levels of learning

Pay special attention to

• the view of technology as a tool to enhance learning
• the idea that learning, although planned, implemented, and evaluated by the
teacher, should also be planned, implemented, and evaluated by the learner
• the role of the NETS standard in the technology integration process

KEY CHAPTER CONCEPTS AND PRINCIPLES

The following section is based on what we think are the key concepts and
principles within this chapter. Additionally, we provide ideas for applying each
concept, a set of relevant questions, and some practice and feedback activities.
We hope this information will help you in your instructional planning—whether
you use it as outlined below, adapt it to some different form, or perhaps use it to
generate your own relevant ideas.

Key Concept Learning

Relevant • Definition of learning
Information • Impacting learning through planning, implementing, and
evaluating
Ask students if the following examples are the result of
Examples /
learning:
Nonexamples
• sneezing
• word processing a term paper
• shooting a free throw in basketball
• sorting clothing based on color
• blushing
• humming the tune of a popular television commercial
Questions • How would you verify that learning had occurred in the
examples above?
• What is the difference between intentional and incidental
learning?
• Why do teachers need to know about the phases of
learning?
• How does a strategic learner identify and use the phases of
learning?
Application • Analyze different examples of learning to identify the three
phases of learning (planning, implementing, evaluating)
• What happens when all of the components are not present?
Present sample questions from Table 1-3 in the text and ask
Practice and
students to identify which phase they represent. Use the chart
Feedback
below with the first column left blank (suggested answers are
in parentheses). Note that one view is from the teacher's
perspective and the other is from the student's perspective.

Learning Phase Questions from Teacher's Questions from Student's

Perspective Perspective
(evaluation) How can students' learning be How will I know I have learned?
assessed?
(evaluation) How do I know that new What do I already know about
learning is needed? the topic to be learned?
(plan) What do I want the students What is my goal in this learning
to learn? task?
(implement) How will student attention How can I make sure I will stay
and motivation be on task? How will I find a way
maintained? to enjoy this?
(plan) How can technology be used How can I use technology to
to create effective materials? help me learn?
(implement) Which approach(es) will be Which approach(es) match my
most effective with this group style of learning and will be
of learners? effective for learning the current
topic?
Key Concept Learner-Centered Instruction
Relevant Info. • Distinction between teacher- and learner-centered
classrooms
• Role of teachers, students, and technology in learner-
centered classrooms
Examples / • Consider various levels of learner-centeredness-- from a
"guided discovery" activity in which teachers provide step-
Nonexamples by-step instructions to a "free exploration" activity in
which learners make choices about topic, tools, and
assessment methods
Questions • What are the relative advantages for teachers and students
in a learner-centered approach?
• What are the challenges for teachers and students in a
learner-centered approach?
Application • Analyze descriptions of various classroom situations to
determine if the approach is teacher- or learner-centered
• Describe steps involved in changing a traditional approach
to a learner-centered one
Practice and • Convert a traditional lesson plan into a learner-centered
Feedback plan
• Describe how technology can support these changes

Key Concept Technology

Relevant • Definition of technology
Information • Technology as process and product
• Analogy of technology as a bridge between theory and
practice
• Technology as means to connect teachers, learners, and
content
Examples / • How are space technology, engineering technology, and
Nonexamples medical technology similar to instructional technology?
• How do these examples meet the criteria of the definition of
technology?
Questions • What does "systematic application" mean? (applying
knowledge gained from research in human learning to
design, carry out, and evaluate the total process of learning
and teaching )
• From where do we get "scientific knowledge?" (research)
• To what kinds of "practical tasks" is the definition
referring? (teaching and learning, or more specifically—
planning, implementing, evaluating)
 Practice and • Students generate examples of technology
Feedback

Key Concept Instruction

Relevant • Definition of instruction (see p. 14)
Information • Use of technology within instruction to maximize learning
• Integrated use of instructional design, instructional media,
and instructional computing
• Role of the teacher as the instructional expert
Ask students if the following are examples of instruction:
Examples /
Nonexamples • a textbook
• a description of the "workings" of a computer
• a computer tutorial
• a cooking demonstration
• a home video about the "Wilderness Family"
• playing chess
• playing "space invaders"
Questions • What are the similar components of the instructional
examples? (deliberateness, goals, information, media)
• What components are missing from the nonexamples?

STRATEGIES FOR TEACHING THE CHAPTER CONTENT

Metacognitive Modeling: Thinking about learning, instruction and
technology
Note: In this case, the teacher models how to think about the learning process

Begin by asking the students to think of a time they learned something which
they were very proud of (e.g., how to speak a new language, how to roller
blade, the origin of a family tradition, etc.). Have them describe, in writing, the
learning process that they went through to achieve their goals. Use one of your
own learning experiences as an example of how to describe the process. A
model is included here in case you draw a blank or are unsure of how to model
this for your students. It is suggested that you use an example of learning
about technology or about some other content from this chapter.
I've always wanted to learn how to use e-mail to communicate with my
colleagues around the world. I really didn't know anything about networks and
telecommunications, even though I had an officemate in college who was always
talking about the World Wide Web and Internet and Netscape. I was intimidated
by how much others knew. But last summer I set a goal for myself to learn how
to use some of these applications (planning). So what did I do? First I checked
to see if the local college offered any workshops and when I found that they did, I
enrolled immediately. This half-day workshop taught me just a few of the basics
(implementation). I received an e-mail address and a handout that gave me
 some information. Then I tried it a few times. I got stuck a couple of times but I
just kept asking questions. Back at my office I kept trying to build on that base.
I could send and read messages from my colleagues but I still had no clue as to
what the Internet offered. I attended a demonstration on how to use the Internet
and picked up a book that covered some of the basics. Then I just started trying
to use it. I can tell I know a lot more now than I used to, but I still look to that
office mate to teach me additional skills that I haven't mastered yet (evaluation).

Ask students to identify examples of the three phases of learning in your model
(see Overhead TM-4 in the Appendix). Ask the students to look at their own
examples and try to identify aspects that are relevant to each of the three
phases. Get students into pairs or small groups to listen to each other's
examples and to try to identify the different phases. Share a few with the
whole class. (Or alternatively: have them fill in a blank PIE model with a
recent learning incident.) Note how the chart below suggests the continuous
cycle of evaluation that is elaborated upon in Chapter 10).

LEARNING
PHASE Modeling Learning Phases
EVALUATE I don't really know anything about networks and
telecommunication.
PLAN Last summer, I set a goal for myself to learn some
of these applications.
IMPLEMENT I enrolled in a local workshop.
I used a handout to help me practice.
I attended a demonstration on using the Internet.
I purchased a handy reference book.
EVALUATE I got stuck a few times but I kept asking questions.
I know more than I used to.
I still need to upgrade my skills.

Integrated Application
Case study #1
It's April and the 6th grade is at the beach. This half of the school year, across
all subject areas, 6th graders are working on an environmental theme. They
have chosen four sites near the school, and every two weeks they return to those
sites to gather data. Today they are working in small groups, collecting samples
of plant life, water, and crustaceans to bring back to their science classroom for
further analysis. They will store their findings in a computer database, which
they can access and use in other classes, such as history or math.

On the beach, the teacher walks from group to group. Using a PDA pocket PC,
she jots down observations about the students as they are working. She can
record notes about a particular group's work habits or a student's individual
learning style. The teacher can use the PDA to refer to previous observations,
recall a student's particular weaknesses, and ask questions to see if that student
has gained greater understanding of the material or the process. When the group
 returns to school, the teacher can download her observations from the PDA to
her desktop computer, which is connected to a schoolwide information
management system. Other teachers can have access to the data, too, so if a
student is having difficulty in a certain area, teachers are able to address the
problem together (adapted from U.S. Office of Technology Assessment, 1995,
p. 54).

Consider the many ways in which the teacher in this scenario is using
technology. What hard technologies are being utilized? What are some of the
process technologies that are being supported by these product technologies?
How is the role of the teacher in this 6th grade class different from a more
traditional role? How has technology facilitated or supported this difference?
Case study #2
Beth is a new teacher in a school that has just been renovated. School officials
have installed all sorts of new hardware and have told the faculty that they are
expected to use these "technologies" in their courses. In fact, their use of these
"machines" will constitute a good portion of their teacher evaluations. The
school district has promised that they will provide training about how these
things work. What else does Beth need to know? Where can she go for help?
Can you make any suggestions that might help Ina "integrate technology into the
curriculum?"
Discussion starters
1) Ask students to write a definition of learning (have them put this in the front
of their notebooks so that they can refer to it throughout the course), as well
as an example of when they learned something intentionally (if this was not
done in the modeling section). Group the students (4-5/group) to share
definitions and examples and then to pick/compose the "best" definition to
share with the class. Reconvene and share group definitions. Keep a list of
the main features that are mentioned (change in behavior, accumulation of
knowledge, etc.). Review the textbook definition and compare it to the
definitions provided by students. Were any major components overlooked?
Was there any extra or unnecessary information included? Following this,
solicit examples of learning. Point out the wide range of situations in which
learning has occurred. How are all of these examples similar? Do they "fit"
the definition? How could you prove to someone that learning had, indeed,
occurred? Describe the situations under which learning occurred. What
was instrumental in the situation? What aspects of the situation made it
difficult to learn?
2) Students are told at the beginning of the class that they have 10 minutes to
prepare for a test over the content in chapter 5 (or some other chapter that
you can be reasonably sure they have not read). After 10 minutes you give
a test using 8 main idea questions and two application questions (could take
these from the test bank included in Chapter 5). At the end of the quiz ask
the students to write, in detail, exactly what they did when they studied.
Collect the quizzes (without names), and then distribute them randomly to
the students for scoring and analyzing the study strategies reported in them.
Which students used strategies that facilitated their learning? How many of
the reported strategies mentioned some kind of planning, implementing, or
 evaluating? What was the relationship, if any, between strategy use and test
results?
3) To stimulate students' thinking about the differences between learning and
instinct, present the following on a transparency (from Bateman, 1990, p.
86): If you stole an egg from a robin's nest, then hatched the egg in an
incubator and fed it and raised it with chicks, would the grown bird sing like
a robin, or would it cluck like a chicken? (as an aside-how did the chicks in
the incubator grow up to cluck like chickens instead of humming like
incubators?)
4) What are the relationships among instructional design, media, and
computing? What are the possibilities for impacting learning? How/where
do learning and technology overlap?
5) React to the following statement, "It is becoming increasingly clear that
technology, in and of itself does not directly change teaching or learning.
Rather the critical element is how technology is incorporated into
instruction" (Thompson, Simonson, & Hargrave, 1992, p. 43).
Cooperative activities
1) Ask students to write down their own definitions of technology. Have
students share ideas and discuss important parts of their definitions. Have
students evaluate their own definitions against the criteria used in the book.
At various points throughout the course ask if they have modified their
definitions and if so, to explain how they have modified them.
2) Divide students into groups. Their assignment is to create a rough lesson
plan that will teach someone about the concept of "technology". The plan
should include an introduction, ideas for helping students understand what
technology is and is not, and suggestions for how to evaluate whether the
lesson was successful. Be sure students include information that will
convince their learners of the importance of this lesson in the first place.
3) Challenge students to find opposing definitions of technology in the
literature, present them to each other, discuss differences (along with
advantages and disadvantages) among them. Return to the definitions in
this chapter and stress the need to understand this particular definition while
reading this text.
Possible computer lab focus
1) Introduction to the computer lab, procedures for checking out software,
basics about machine operation, etc. The use of a tutorial on how to use the
computer would be helpful. Any pretests on computer use would also be
appropriate at this time.
2) Demonstrate how to access e-mail. Have the students access their accounts
to send and receive e-mail messages. Stress the importance of using e-mail
frequently. Send a prepared message to each of the students. As they
access their accounts, have them review the information and reflect on its
contents.
 3) Have the students access the library system electronically to begin the
process of finding relevant journal articles and textbooks covering various
subjects. Point out the speed of the system and the benefits of such
electronic research. If a portfolio of lab projects is going to be produced,
have them access information on their selected portfolio subject and then
find the material in the library.
4) Encourage students to begin keeping an electronic journal. This will require
basic knowledge of the word processor or of database management
software. Examine the “NETS Connection: Addressing the Standards”
feature that is presented in all chapters of the text. Each of these focuses on
students keeping an electronic journal.

ASSESSMENT / FEEDBACK
Standard Assessment Items
See memory and analytical probes for Chapter 1 in the electronic test bank.

• Alternative Assessment Ideas

Portfolio entries
If your students are going to create learning or lab portfolios for the course, it
is helpful if they organize them around a specific theme. Students should give
careful consideration to their choice of topic, audience, and setting. If desired
you might give students a broad area in which to focus (e.g., exploration,
integration, instructional tools, etc.) and then students narrow the focus to fit
their own interests. At this early point in the semester students should submit a
proposal regarding their portfolio theme, audience, and setting.
Reflective journal entries
1) Convince one of your peers why it is important to study about learning.
2) How does technology aid in the preparation for instruction; how does it aid
in the presentation of instruction?
3) Describe a meaningful learning experience that you have had. Explain why
you selected this specific experience. What makes it different than other
learning experiences? Send this entry, via e-mail to the professor or lab
assistant for feedback.
4) Refer to your own definition of learning written at the beginning of this
chapter. Discuss how it has/has not changed based on your own readings
and recent class discussions.
Minute papers
1) Discuss how learning and technology are related.
2) Explain the different types of instructional technology applications.
3) Discuss how instructional design, instructional media, and instructional
computing can be used to enhance learning.
 4) Describe the learning that occurred for you during today's lesson.

SAMPLE LESSON OUTLINES

NOTE: These lesson plans are presented as samples and aids for your use.
They are NOT considered to be the "only" way to plan, introduce, and
implement the topics within this chapter. Neither sample teaches all of the
chapter's key concepts. Each plan focuses on one or two key concepts—what
you need to add, emphasize, or eliminate will be up to your needs and those of
your learners.

APPROACH #1-GUIDED APPROACH #2-DISCUSSION/

DISCOVERY COOPERATIVE LEARNING
Introduction Discussion starter #1 or #2 Students write their own definitions of
learning and technology
Key Concept • Learning • Learning
Focus • Technology • Technology
• Instructional Design, Instructional
Media, Instructional Computing
Application • Metacognitive modeling • Use generated definitions to classify
• Students identify phases different behaviors as
examples/nonexamples of learning.
• Look at examples of learning to identify
three phases of learning.
Questioning Case study #1 • How/where do learning and technology
overlap?
• Compare these overlaps in a traditional
vs. learner-centered classroom.
Practice/ Use overhead/handout to practice Use overhead/handout to practice
Feedback identifying phases of learning and roles of identifying phases of learning and roles of
teacher, learner, & tech. teacher, learner, & tech.
Assessment Minute paper #1 Reflective journal #4

REFERENCES AND SUPPLEMENTAL RESOURCES

Ertmer, P. A., Addison, P., Lane, M., Ross, E., & Woods, D. (1999). Examining
teachers' beliefs about the role of technology in the elementary classroom.
Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 32(1/2), 54-72.
Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (1995). The expert learner: Strategic, self-
regulated, and reflective. Instructional Science, 21(4), 1-24.
Mayer, R. E. (1999). The promise of educational psychology: Learning in the
content areas. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill/Prentice Hall. (Chapter one
takes a closer look at a learner-centered approach.)
Mehlinger, H. D. & Powers, S. M. (2002). Technology and teacher education.
Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
O’Neil, H. F., Jr. & Perez, R. S. (2003). Technology applications in education:
A learning view. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
 Thompson, A. D., Simonson, M. R., & Hargrave, C. P. (1992). Educational
technology: A review of the research. Washington DC: Association for
Educational Communications and Technology.
U.S. Office of Technology Assessment (1995). Teachers and technology:
Making the connection. Washington DC: Government Printing Office.