EdTech 504 - Final Reflection
Full Circle - Theories of Education Technology
Semester: Summer 2015
Instructor: Dr. Yang
Textbook: Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments - David Jonassen and Susan Land
Assignments:
Synthesis Paper - Final Draft
Discussion on Theories of Educational Technology
Module 4 Reflection:
This
course really surprised me. I was dreading the fact that there was
going to be so much research and writing. In the end, I think I learned
more about student learning than any course I have ever taken. I believe
that this course belongs in any education masters program. It is valid
for curriculum and supervision, leadership and, of course, educational
technology.
Before
I begin my final reflection, I want to reflect upon the last module of
the course. We were to chose between two topics. The first topic was what
new knowledge of learning theory will you take into the classroom with
you, and how will that affect the implementation of technology in your
instruction? The second topic was
in your opinion, which theory seems to be difficult to be applied in a
specific learning environment such as: K-12, Secondary, or Online, etc.
in today’s information technology society? I chose topic one. Here is my response.
I found this question very insightful. It made me think of a lot of the
learning in the course and the different learning theories. It made me
realize just how much I have to change my classroom approach in the
coming school year.
Here is a review of the course reflections and course artifacts:
Syllabus
Final Reflection:
This
course really surprised me. I was dreading the fact that there was
going to be so much research and writing. In the end, I think I learned
more about student learning than any course I have ever taken. It has
changed my view on learning and I feel I am ready to tackle the 21st
century classroom and high school reform in our school district. l
believe that this course belongs in any education masters program. It is
valid for curriculum and supervision, leadership and, of course,
educational technology.
What were the most important things I learned this semester?
I
believe the most important thing I learned in this course was how
students learn and how times are changing. I learned so much about
different learning theories and how it affects student performance in
the classroom. I have been teaching for over 20 years but have never
studied how students actually learn. I used to cringe when our
professional development dealt with this concept. I know now of the
importance of learning theories to education. Fortunately, I have worked
in the area of Career and Technology Studies so I have adopted many of
the constructivist teaching strategies. It really is important to keep
up with the emerging learning theories to keep on top of the
ever-changing landscape in the classroom.
How was my teaching (or thoughts about teaching) impacted by what I learned or experienced this semester?
I
really didn’t know what to expect from this course - except the fact
that I knew it would involve the two things I hate most of graduate
courses - research and the writing of papers. I am so glad I took this
course. I think deep down inside, before taking the course, I had
behaviouristic views about teaching. It is probably because I grew up in
this era and took my undergrad degree in education when this concept
was the norm. Even though - as mentioned in the last question - I teach
in the area of Career and Technology Studies and have adopted many of
the constructivist teaching strategies, I felt that behaviourism was
still the best way to teach students. We teachers have heard constantly
from our school administrators that we must change. Many of us felt, why
change if it ain’t broke.
Reading
so much about the learning theories and how students learn has really
enhanced what I learned this summer. At first I read and kind of said
“whatever” but as I read more and researched new and emerging theories
like connectivism and communities of practice, I started to open my
mind. It makes sense. I really can’t wait to get back into the classroom
and try these new ideas.
Did I (or will I) use the projects, skills, or ideas from this course
in my teaching, training, or professional practice? If so, how?
Definitely.
The school I will be teaching at is at the forefront of high school
reform (redesign) in our province. It is expected that teachers use
constructivist methods such as personalized learning, inquiry and
project-based learning, reflection, collaboration, authentic learning
and cross-curricular to enhance learning and move students into 21st
century learners. Without the knowledge from this course about new
emerging learning theories I would say I would have been lost. I plan to
use a combination of the behaviourist and constructivist views as well
as parts of connectivism. I am so looking forward to the school year.
Select
three of the projects/assignments you created/wrote in this class and
read the description of the related AECT standard. Then answer this
question: How do these projects/assignments demonstrate my mastery of
the AECT standards?
Annotated Bibliography - This artifact falls under the AECT standards of 3 - Learning Environments and 5 - Research. The Annotated Bibliography
made me select appropriate resources to my learning as well as
demonstrate knowledge of learning theories, follow APA rules of citation
and decide if the resources were credible.
3 - Learning Environments
3.2 - Using - Make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate resources to provide optimal conditions for learning.
5 - Research
5.1 - Theoretical Foundations - Demonstrates knowledge of past and current theories of educational technology.
5.3 - Assessing/Evaluating - Applies formal strategies in assessing and evaluating resources for learning.
5.4 - Ethics - Conducts research using accepted professional and institutional guidelines and procedures.
Learning Theories Paper - This artifact falls under the AECT standards of 3 - Learning Environments and 5 - Research. The Learning Theories Paper
made me select appropriate resources to my learning and cite each
credible resources as well as demonstrate knowledge of learning
theories, follow APA rules of citation and decide if the resources were
credible
3 - Learning Environments
3.2 - Using - Make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate resources to provide optimal conditions for learning.
3.5 - Ethics - Foster a learning environment ethics guides practice and respects copyright.
5 - Research
5.1 - Theoretical Foundations - Demonstrates knowledge of past and current theories of educational technology.
5.3 - Assessing/Evaluating - Applies formal strategies in assessing and evaluating resources for learning.
5.4 - Ethics - Conducts research using accepted professional and institutional guidelines and procedures.
Synthesis Paper - This artifact falls under the AECT standards of 3 - Learning Environments and 5 - Research. The Synthesis Paper
made me select appropriate resources to my learning as well as
demonstrate knowledge of learning theories, follow APA rules of citation
and decide if the resources were credible
3 - Learning Environments
3.2 - Using - Make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate resources to provide optimal conditions for learning.
3.5 - Ethics - Foster a learning environment ethics guides practice and respects copyright.
5 - Research
5.1 - Theoretical Foundations - Demonstrates knowledge of past and current theories of educational technology.
5.3 - Assessing/Evaluating - Applies formal strategies in assessing and evaluating resources for learning.
5.4 - Ethics - Conducts research using accepted professional and institutional guidelines and procedures.
EdTech 504 - Reflection - Module 3
Emerging Theories and Strategies
Semester: Summer 2015
Instructor: Dr. Yang
Textbook: Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments - David Jonassen and Susan Land
Assignments:
Readings
- Dede, C. (2008). A seismic shift in epistemology. EDUCAUSE Review, 43(3), 80-81. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/seismic-shift-epistemology (normally EDUCAUSE would not be considered a credible research journal, but Chris Dede is a very well known scholar.)
- Required Reading: Koetting, J. and Januszewski, A. (1991). Theory building and educational technology: Foundations for reconceptualization. Proceedings of Selected Research Presentations at the Annual Convention of the Association for Educational Communications and Technology. Retrieved from http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=ED334991&ERICExtSearch SearchType_0=no&accno=ED334991
- Taylor, E. (2007). An update of transformative learning theory: a critical review of the empirical research (1999-2005). International Journal of Lifelong Education, 26(2), 173-191, doi:10.1080/02601370701219475 (located in the library guide)
- Required Reading: Moore, M. G. (2004). Research worth publishing. The American Journal of Distance Learning, 18(3), 127-130. Retrieved from http://www.ajde.com/Documents/pp127-130.pdf (Once on the journal website, you need to for the right volume (18) and issue (3) to locate the article. Please try to find this article from the BSU library -http://library.boisestate.edu/ if you have to pay for downloading the article from the journal website.)
- Cavanaugh, C., Barbour, M., & Clark, T. (2009). Research and practice in K-12 online learning: A review of open access literature. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 10(1). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/607/1182
- Gokool-Ramdoo, S. (2008). Beyond the Theoretical Impasse: Extending the applications of Transactional Distance Education Theory. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning. 9(3). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/541/1151
- What Connectivism Is? -http://halfanhour.blogspot.com/2007/02/what-connectivism-is.html) George Siemens is well known for his work in developing the theory of Connectivism. George articulates the meaning of his theory, how the theory of Connectivism translates into actual classroom practice and how we view the world from the perspective of our educational systems.
- Kop, R., & Hill, A. (2008). Connectivism: Learning theory of the future or vestige of the past? The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 9(3). Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/523/1137
- Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A theory for the digital age. Retrieved from http://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/connectivism.htm
- Angeli, C. (2009). Epistemological and methodological issues for the conceptualization, development, and assessment of ICT TPCK: Advances in technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPCK). Computers and Education (0360-1315), 52 (1), 154-168. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2008.07.006
Completed first draft - Synthesis Paper
Peer review of paper
AECT Standards:
3 - Learning Environments
3.2 - Using - Make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate resources to provide optimal conditions for learning.
3.5 - Ethics - Foster a learning environment ethics guides practice and respects copyright.
5 - Research
5.1 - Theoretical Foundations - Demonstrates knowledge of past and current theories of educational technology.
5.3 - Assessing/Evaluating - Applies formal strategies in assessing and evaluating resources for learning.
5.4 - Ethics - Conducts research using accepted professional and institutional guidelines and procedures.
Module 3 Reflection:
This
was the week to write our Synthesis Paper. To my surprise - totally my
fault - the first draft was to be completed by Friday, this left only
three days to write the paper. Luckily I had read all of the readings on
my topic, Connectivism. I read and wrote basically for three straight
days - literally 12 hours a day (this was just after I completed the
annotated bibliography as well). My greatest fears about writing papers
was realized. In the end, it was not so bad. I was very happy with my
first version of my paper and learned so much about the changing
definition of educational technology and about a new emerging learning
theory, connectivism. This paper is probably one of the most gratifying
to research and write that I have ever completed as I learned so much
more about how learning takes place in the classroom. I also found that
when I start teaching in a couple of weeks that it is time to change
some of my antiquated ways.
The
second part of the module was to peer review a classmate’s paper. I
found this very process very uncomfortable. Dr. Yang warned us about how
this could be a difficult process and how it has its rewards in the
end. She mentioned that classmates and colleagues provide a perfect
"first step" for feedback and insight. In the end it was a very valuable
experience.
My review was difficult in that the paper I was reviewing was not written with a high standard of word usage. I had to rewrite many of the paragraphs to meet a master’s level paper. The ideas of the paper were great but the style made is so hard to read. In the end, I only gave examples of areas to work on as I found there to be too many errors. I did not want to rewrite the whole paper. I hope it was beneficial for my colleague. On the other side of the equation, the review for my paper was very beneficial. There were not too many corrections. I did have to review some of my references. Also, my use of APA needed some work. Here is my final paper with the review at the end.
EdTech 504 - Reflection - Module 2
Theories of Educational Technology
Semester: Summer 2015
Instructor: Dr. Yang
Textbook: Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments - David Jonassen and Susan Land
Assignments:
- Readings
Historical overview of technology use in the classroom
- De Castell, S., Bryson, M., & Jenson, J. (2002). Object lessons: Towards an educational theory of technology. First Monday, 7(1). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/923/845 (Required free registration)
- Issroff, K., & Scanlon, E. (2002). Educational technology: The influence of theory. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 6. Retrieved from http://www-jime.open.ac.uk/2002/6/issroff-scanlon-02-6.pdf
- Lankshear, C., Peters, M., & Knobel, M. (2000). Information, knowledge and learning: Some issues facing epistemology and education in a digital age. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 34(1), 17-39. Retrieved from http://michaelbatie.com/papers/information_and_knowledge.pdf
- Reeves, T. C. (1994). Evaluating What Matters in Computer-Based Education. In M. Wild & D. Kirkpactrick (Eds.), Computer education: New perspectives, (pp. 219-246). Retrieved from http://www.eduworks.com/Documents/Workshops/EdMedia1998/docs/reeves.html
- Jonassen, D. H. (1991). Objectivism versus constructivism: Do we need a new philosophical paradigm? Educational Technology Research and Development, 39(3), 5-14. doi: 10. 1007-BF02296424.
- Wilson, B. (1997). Thoughts on theory in educational technology. Educational Technology, 37(1),22-27.
- Ross, S., Sullivan, H., & Tennyson, R. (1992). Educational technology: Four decades of research and theory. Educational Technology Research and Development, 40(2):5-7.
- Required Reading: textbook - Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments
- Chapter 7: Metacognition and Self-Regulated Learning in Student-Centered Learning Environments (Azevedo, Behnagh, Duffy, Harley & Trevors)
- Annotated Bibliography
- Jigsaw activity
AECT Standards:
3 - Learning Environments
3.2 - Using - Make professionally sound decisions in selecting appropriate resources to provide optimal conditions for learning.
5 - Research
5.1 - Theoretical Foundations - Demonstrates knowledge of past and current theories of educational technology.
5.3 - Assessing/Evaluating - Applies formal strategies in assessing and evaluating resources for learning.
5.4 - Ethics - Conducts research using accepted professional and institutional guidelines and procedures.
Module 3 Reflection:
This
week continued with a lot more reading, again, not my favourite part of
the MET program. However, the readings were interesting but many were
hard for me to read. It took quite some time to comprehend the concepts
as their were so many new to me. It was surprising to me of how little I
knew about learning theories but I am now starting to understand these
concepts.
The
first assignment - after the readings - was to do a learning jigsaw.
Each person in the class had to take detailed notes of any of the
remaining unread chapters from the textbook. I chose Chapter 12 - What
Is Communities of Practice and How Can We Support It? The notes were to
be discussed with anyone else who read Chapter 12. Once the notes were
approved by all Ch. 12 members, they were put on the discussion thread
for the rest of the class to read. I really enjoyed this as I found the
textbook quite hard to read. By reading only the detailed notes from
each group, it saved a lot of time and my understanding of the chapters
grew much more than if I had to read the entire book. It is an activity I
will surely use in my classroom moving forward.
I
did not have enough time to go through all of the notes for each
chapter so I have them on my reflection to read at a later date. Here
are the chapter summaries including chapter 12.
Chapter 6 - Theory and Practice of Case-Based Learning Aids
Chapter 10 - Activity Theory in the Learning Technologies
The
second assignment was very time consuming. Although we only had to do
seven to ten references for the annotated bibliography, is took me so
much time to find articles to match topics. Dr. Yang gave us the course
in advance so we knew what are topic was in regards to our synthesis paper.
This research could have - and should have - been used for research for
our final paper. My original thought process for my paper was on
constructivism but when I began to read some articles on connectivism
and I became very intrigued. I changed my research in mid stream so only
a couple of the readings were used for my final paper. One thing to
note however, the readings did create in me a need to change my teaching
techniques. Here is my annotated bibliography.
EdTech 504 - Reflection 1 - Introduction to the Field, Epistemology and Theory
Semester: Summer 2015
Instructor: Dr. Yang
Textbook: Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments - David Jonassen and Susan Land
Assignments:
- Self - Introduction
- Readings
Historical overview of technology use in the classroom
- Required Reading: Valdez, G., Mcnabb, M., Foertsch, M., Anderson, M., Hawkes, M., and Raack, L. (2000). Computer-based technology and learning: Evolving uses and expectations. Revised Edition. Naperville, IL: North Central Regional Educational Laboratory. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service Number: ED456816).
- Required Reading: Luppicini, R. (2005). A systems definition of educational technology in society. Educational Technology & Society, 8 (3), 103-109. Retrieved August 26 from http://www.ifets.info/journals/8_3/10.pdf
- Required Reading: Damasio, A. (2002). How the brain creates the mind. Scientific American Special Edition, 12(1), 4-9.
- Required Reading: Ertmer, P.A., & Newby, T.J. (1993). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 6(4), 50-72.
- Learning Theories and Instructional Design - University of Georgia http://projects.coe.uga.edu/ITFoundations/index.php?title=Learning_Theories_and_Instructional_Strategies
- Required Reading: Textbook--Theoretical Foundations of Learning Environments
- Personal Definition of Educational Technology
- Learning Theories Paper
AECT Standards:
5 - Research
5.1 - Theoretical Foundations - Demonstrates knowledge of past and current theories of educational technology.
5.3 - Assessing/Evaluating - Applies formal strategies in assessing and evaluating resources for learning.
5.4 - Ethics - Conducts research using accepted professional and institutional guidelines and procedures.
Module 1 Reflection:
This
was a very exciting week as we had almost two full months off with the
changing timetable at Boise State. It was time to get back to work.
I
was a little concerned with this course as I thought it would require
the two things about education that I do not necessarily like. Reading
of theory and writing papers. Wouldn’t you know it, the first module was
exactly this. There were numerous readings required in this module. I
was dreading this but I found the readings very interesting. I learned
so many new things about student learning and how teaching and learning
must change for the 21st century teacher and learner. I learned about
behavioursim, constructivism, connectivism, communities of practice and
the concept of student-centred learning environment. Most of this was
quite new to me.
In
the first assignment we were to make up our own definition of
educational technology. With the help of Januszewski and Molenda’s
definition of educational technology and with collaboration with others
in the class, I came up with this definition.
Educational
Technology is the practice of facilitating personalized and student
centered learning by creating and using technological processes and
resources to improve student motivation and learning capabilities.
The
second assignment in the module was the writing of a paper on a
learning theory. I chose Bruner’s Discovery Learning theory - part of
the constructivist views on learning. I found the paper very difficult
to write for two reasons. First, I did not know anything about this
theory. I use it in my class but did not know there was a theory that
went along with this teaching strategy. There was so much research to be
done. Second, I knew very little about consructivism - until the
readings of the module. I will be returning to a new school - after this
year’s sabbatical - and my new school is a leader in high school reform
in our province. I thought it would be prudent to study a new type of
learning. Before I could write this paper, I had to learn so much about
constructivism as well. It was a lot of research to say the least. Here
is my learning theory paper on Discovery learning.
References
Januszewski, A., & Molenda, M. (2008). Educational technology: A definition with commentary. New York: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
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