Lesson 3: The Roles of Educational Technology in Learning

Technology is seen as an integral part of the cognitive activity….This view of distributed cognition significantly impacts how we think of the role of technology in education and training, the focus is not on the individual in isolation and what he or she knows, but on the activity in the environment. It is the activity – focused and contextualized- that is central... The process of construction is directed towards creating a world that makes sense to us, that is adequate for our everyday functioning.

Thus, the task of the learner is seen as dynamic, and the computer makes available new learning opportunities.

Roles	Description	Conventional Classroom	Technological Classroom
A.   Information Banks	Becoming educated begins with acquiring information. Information banks are sources containing information and access paths to that information.	The teacher, the text, reference materials, and fellow students serve as information banks.	Virtually unlimited amounts of information are available, for example, through CD-ROM disks, the World Wide Web, application-specific help files, and libraries of data and equations on student calculators. Access paths are a function of the medium and how the information is stored.
B.      Symbol Pads	A symbol pad is a “blank sheet of paper,” or more generally, a “surface for the construction and manipulation of symbols.” The July 1997 Journal of Engineering Education 269 Perspectives on the Role of Educational Technologies purpose for these is to support the students’ short term memories as they record ideas, develop outlines, and formulate and manipulate equations.	Symbol pads are the chalkboard, the students’ notebooks, drafting and drawing tools, and art supplies.	Are word processors, drawing and CAD software, spreadsheets, and mathematics software such as Mathematica, Mathcad, and Matlab.
C.   “Phenomenaria”(or “microworlds”)	Learning must be situated in a context which allows students to make connections between abstract representations and real-life phenomena. Phenomenaria are models, or microworlds, which demonstrate real-life behavior. Primarily, these are studied through observation and manipulation; they allow hypotheses to be made and tested.	Traditional classroom examples include the aquarium, herbarium, or terrarium; classroom models of molecules, machinery, or biological processes; or field trips to businesses or historical places.	In the technological classroom, simulations of all kinds are possible on the computer. Examples from science and engineering include simulations of lab experiments, machinery, or transport phenomena. Also, CD-ROM disks with interactive video and sound may be phenomenaria because they allow the learner to view real life phenomena.
D.     Construction Kits	These are hands-on activities. Unlike phenomenaria, they generally require assembly prior to studying them. They consist of individual elements that the learner pieces together in various ways to investigate different behavior and outcomes.	Traditional classroom examples include molecular models, electrical breadboard circuit making, and chemistry and physics labs where apparatus are pieced together and used.	Technological classroom examples include advanced simulation software which allow the user to piece together and study a model simulating a circuit, a control system, or a structure. Knowledge Revolution’s “Interactive Physics” and “Working Model” are construction kits.
E. Task Managers	A task manager takes responsibility for managing the learning process. This involves facilitating the discovery and acquisition of information, constructing and supervising meaningful exercises, interacting with students, giving feedback (ideally, continuously), and assessing student work.	In the conventional classroom, the teacher is largely responsible for task management.	Current educational practice is to encourage students to greater self-management and to promote student-managing-student through collaborative activities.

A.      Information Banks

B.      Symbol Pads

C.      “Phenomenaria”(or “microworlds”)

D.      Construction Kits

E.       Task Managers

Lesson 2: Technology Boon or Bane?

Technology is necessary but not always a positive influence in modern life. This issue has especially come into vogue in the last decade due to the mind-boggling pace of technology. Whatever be it whether an advantage or disadvantage all comes in feature according to its usage in the daily life. It has made our lives easier to the extent that repetitive and monotonous tasks need not be performed manually.

It has immensely helped us to achieve our targets. In the past there were no medicines or technology that was helping us to know about our health such as Neuro, gastro and cardio many more. But if we check the present scenario we have achieved a lot. We used to wash our cloths manually by doing lot of struggle to vanish the stains on those cloths. But now the washing machine is helping us to do things in a flexible manner. If we leave all this and think of the great technology that has helped human era is Computers and Internet. It has changed the lifestyles completely. Sitting at one place we can gather a lot of information whatever is required.

Going through Google we can get any information under the umbrella of earth. This is what a real technology helps us to achieve. Starting from education to the sports segment, technology is really helped us to think of something out of box and implement. Hence if we see all these, we may conclude that the technology is really a boon for us.

But on the other hand it may be a bane too. How we are using it is makes technology as a bane. Internet is used to gather information and knowledge. But if the same thing is used to learn bad things is really bane for the human kind. For Ex: If a 7-9 year kid is collecting information for his education then internet is really helpful whereas if he is using it for pornographic pictures then it is really a matter of concern for us. Mobile phones are there to have a message pass on over voice or text, but if it is used as a device for other bad things is really a problem for us. Apart from these the mobile camera is being used for different purposes under the bad strategies. If we speak a lot over phone then there are lots of health hazards for us. Hence technology also provides us the bad path to run. 

Hence Internet and Mobile revolution has changed the world completely. It may be a good or bad. But end of the day Technology has given us the boon as well as bane too. 

Lesson 1: Educational Technology

Lesson 1: Educational Technology

Personal computer and the Internet have a great impact upon every aspect of our society. There is a drastic change in the way we do business, socialize, amuse ourselves and learn. The use of technology in education is well established, with computer assisted learning programs being available at least as long ago as the early 1980s.

Educational Technology also known variously as e-learning, instructional technology and learning technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using and managing appropriate technological processes and resources." The term educational technology is often associated with, and encompasses, instructional theory and learning theory.

It aimed in wanting to employ technology in their teaching, technologists – Web designers, developers, multimedia producers etc – contemplating entering this huge and growing market, educational administrators, learners, potential learners, employers or just about anyone with an interest in learning in the 21st century..

Although technology is widely used in the administration and management of education (e.g. student records, marketing, procurement, finance etc) and in research, educational technology is only concerned with technology as it impacts upon the learning process, e.g. in delivering learning materials, facilitating communication and providing assessment and feedback. As society grows ever-more complex, at an ever-faster rate, so the demand for knowledge increases exponentially, with e-learning emerging as a major channel for meeting this demand.