TTL in the Elementary Grade 1

Lesson 1
Roles of Educational
Technology in Learning
Learning  Illustrate with concrete examples the roles of
Outcome educational technology in learning
Focus  What are the roles of educational technology in
Question learning?

Introduction
After understanding the comprehensive meaning of educational
technology, let us now dwell on the roles of educational technology and
whether it is a boon or a bane in the teaching-learning process.

Activity

1. Go back to your learning experiences in school. Recall specific ways by

which the use of educational technology helped you learn.
2. Get a partner then share your experiences.
3. Volunteer to share your experiences with the rest of the class.

Analysis
Technology can play a traditional role, i.e., as delivery vehicles for
instructional lessons or in a constructivist way as partners in the learning
process. In the traditional way, the lemur learn from the technology and the
technology serves as a teacher In other words, the learner learns the content
presented by the technology in the same way that the learner learns knowledge
presented by the teacher in the constructivist way, technology helps the learner
build more meaningful personal interpretations of life and his/her world. In
the constructivist approach, technology is a learning tool to learn with, not from.
It makes the learner gather, think, analyze, synthesize information and
construct meaning with what technology presents. Technology serves as a
medium in representing what the learner knows and what he/she is learning.

Discussion Question:
 TTL in the Elementary Grade 2

Based on the experiences shared, which greater role did technology play
in your learning experiences, technology-as-teacher or technology-as-partner
in the learning process?

Abstraction
From the traditional point of view, technology serves as source and
presenter of knowledge. It is assumed that "knowledge is embedded in the
technology (e.g. the content presented by films and tv programs or the teaching
sequence in programmed instruction) and the technology presents that
knowledge to the student (David H. Jonassen, et al, 1999).

Technology like computers is seen as a productivity tool. The popularity

of word processing, databases, spreadsheets, graphic programs and desktop
publishing in the 1980s points to this productive role of educational technology.

With the corruption of the INTERNET in the mid-90s. Communications

and multimedia have dominated the role of technology in the classroom for the
past few years.

From the constructivist point of view, educational technology serves as

learning tools that learners learn with. It engages learners in "active,
constructive, intentional, authentic, and cooperative learning. It provides
opportunities for technology and learner interaction for meaningful learning.
In this case, technology will not be mere delivery vehicle for content, Rather it
is used as facilitator of thinking and knowledge construction.

From a constructivist perspective, the following are roles of technology

in learning. (Jonassen, et al 1999),

 Technology as tools to support knowledge construction:

- for representing learners' ideas, understandings 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 views
 Technology as context to support learning-by-doing:
- for representing and simulating meaningful real world problems, situations
and contexts
- 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:
 TTL in the Elementary Grade 3

- 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

Whether used from the traditional or constructivist point of view, when

used effectively, research indicates that technology not only "increases students
learning, understanding and achievement but also augments motivation to
learn, encourages collaborative learning and supports the development of
critical thinking and problem-solving skills" (Schacter and Fagnano, 1999).
Russell and Sorge (1999) also claims that the proper implementation of
technology in the classroom gives students more control of their own learning
and... tends to move classrooms from teacher dominated environments to ones
that are more learner-centered. The use of technology in the classroom enables
the teacher to do differentiated instruction considering the divergence of
students’ readiness levels, interests, multiple intelligences, and learning styles.
Technology also helps students become lifelong learners.

Application
1. Based on the roles of educational technology from the constructivist
perspective given above, identify under which role and process is
illustrated by each of the following:
a. Water samples from ponds, streams and faucets were analyzed
locally, then transmitted to researchers who pooled the data and
returned them to all sites, where students drew conclusions and
compared them with those of other classes (Jonassen, 1999).
b. Students were asked to give a graphic presentation of the causes and
effects of alcoholism.
c. Students were asked to conduct an in-depth research on the causes
and effects of global warming by the extensive use of books, journals
and the Internet and to give a powerpoint presentation of their
findings
 TTL in the Elementary Grade 4

d. Students were assigned to gather proposals from various sectors on

how to solve the present rice crisis and on how to prevent the same
in the future and make a video presentation on their interviews.
e. Student groups were asked to read and analyze a comic strip and
present their own thinking also by way of a comic strip.
2. Give at least 3 uses or functions of educational technology. Categorize
them either as technology as teacher (source of knowledge) or
technology as partner in learning (one that engages the student in
thinking and in the construction of knowledge and meaning). Use the
table given below. An example for each category is given for you.

Technology as Teachers Technology as partner in learning

1. Video presentation on the tourist 1. Setting up an experiment shown
spots in the country through video presentation and
requiring the student to predict the
outcome of the experiment

3. The constructivists' thinking is this: Technology cannot teach students.

Rather, learners should use the technologies to teach themselves and
others. Do you agree with the constructivists? Discuss with your group.
You will be asked to share your answers with the class.
 TTL in the Elementary Grade 5

4. Is there anything pedagogically wrong with the traditional use of

technology as a presenter of knowledge like the teacher as a source of
knowledge? Discuss in your small group then share your answer with
the class.

5. Why use technology in teaching? Answer this question based on what

you learned from this Lesson. Present it in your own creative way, other
than merely enumerating them.

Summing Up
Educational technology plays 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.

Making the Connection

Recall how the roles of technology from the constructivist perspective,
were demonstrated by your professors/instructors in class or by
speakers/facilitators in seminars you attended. In your mind, identify those
roles that were demonstrated.

Personal Postscript
No Other Choice But To Learn How to
Use Recent Technology in the Classroom
The younger generation of teachers is admittedly better than the older
generation of teachers when it comes to the use of the most recent technology,
like the computer. The younger crop of teachers, unlike the older generation,
was blessed with basic computer courses in their college curriculum. But if the
 TTL in the Elementary Grade 6

older group of teachers would like to remain responsive and relevant by

keeping their teaching fresh, interesting and challenging, there is no choice but
to learn how to use them. An idiot's guide" to Computer may encourage you to
learn how to use the computer in your teaching

It is part of your continuing professional development to become "digital

native" and not remain a "digital immigrant." It is good to become a "netizen"
or a "screenager" able to participate not only in seminars but also in "webinars".