Course Description
Design of technology-supported learning environments. An online seminar examining research, and exemplary media tools, as these inform the design of technology-mediated environments. We will explore constructivist and sociocultural theories of mind, learning and instruction and their significance for the design of educational technologies and environments. Students will design a technology-supported learning environment.
Reflection
Design of Technology-Supported Learning Environments allowed me to delve deeper into the role that metacognition plays in learning. I was familiar with the concepts behind metacognition, but after reading Anderson and Nashon’s (2006) work on metacognition in physics in an amusement park setting, it became very apparent to me that a student’s role in learning is critical. The ability to think about, reflect on and further plan one’s own learning once again struck me to be very similar to the scientific method as questions are posed, procedures developed, data observed and further direction planned.
The two main projects I undertook, were a Wiki – Web Literacy for Educators and a Moodle Site – Integrated Technology – An Online Course for Pre-Service Teachers.
The Web Literacy Wiki was a compilation of materials that I acquired through a seminar by Dr. Alan November that I have often shared with other colleagues. This was my first experience at using a wiki page and looking back, I have learned a great deal about its formatting. There are a few errors in formatting that I would have eliminated if I had the prior user knowledge.
The goal in this collaborative design project was to create an on-line course using Moodle as the learning environment, which we provided pre-service teachers with problem-based skill development in integrating technology into their lesson planning. We found research to confirm our belief that new teachers feel they are not adequately prepared to effectively use technology in their lessons (Hew & Brush, 2007). By creating the online course that we hope will assist pre-service teachers in obtaining the knowledge and skills that they require to enter the teaching profession.
In our project we used both constructivist and social constructivist models in designing the course. Social constructivism is an extension of constructivism in which groups of people construct knowledge together to create a shared meaning (Gulati, 2004). Our intention was to provide pre-service teachers with the necessary content and skills within a context of carefully selected real-life problems to develop their technology skills over the duration of the course.
Artefacts
The system doesn’t allow guests to view the Moodle so please sign-in using the following username: scottalexander & password: MET#510moodle
References
Anderson, D. & Nashon, S. (2006). Predators of knowledge construction: Interpretingstudents’ metacognition in an amusement park physics program. Science Education. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from the World Wide Web: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/fulltext/112752545/PDFSTART
Gulati, S. (2004). Constructivism and emerging online learning pedagogy: a discussion for formal to acknowledge and promote the informal. Paper presented at the Annual Conference of the Universities Association for Continuing Education – Regional Futures: Formal and Informal Learning Perspectives, Centre for Lifelong Learning, Universityof Glamorgan, 5-7 April 2004. Retrieved January 15, 2010 http://www.leeds.ac.uk/educol/documents/00003562.htm
Hew, K.F., & Brush, T. (2007). Integrating technology into K-12 teaching and learning:Current knowledge gaps and recommendations for future research. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55(3), 223-252.