Reading Summaries
Bransford, J. D., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Chapter five in this book discusses how we learn regarding brain functions, such as the important impact and benefit of experience on learning. Learners actively engage in learning by organizing data and making references through association and expert facilitation.
Friesen, N. (2007). "Ed Tech in reverse: Information technologies and the cognitive revolution". Educational Philosophy and Theory, 39(7), 720-736.
This article discusses the impact of the cognitive revolution on education and learning. Educational technology is the main focus of discussion regarding its potential benefits and drawbacks. This article discusses and makes suggestions regarding the positive impact of educational technology in the future.
Taylor, G. R. & MacKenney, L. (2008). Improving human learning in the classroom: Theories and teaching Practices. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
This book focuses on the two major learning theories of behaviorism and cognitivism regarding their similarities and differences. Both theories have impacted education by emphasizing the importance of memorization and inspiration. These theories are student-centered and promote the role of the teacher as a facilitator in order to enhance learning and critical thinking.
van Merriënboer, J. J. G. & Ayres, P. (2005). Research on cognitive load theory and its design implications for e-learning. Educational Technology Research & Development, 53(3), 5-13.
This article explains the cognitive load theory (CLT) regarding instructional strategies and design. CLT refers to how the learner stores and organizes information in their memory in order to use the information later. This article concludes that CLT is having a large impact on e-learning and instructional design.
Winn, W. (2004). Cognitive perspectives in psychology. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.), Handbook of research on educational communications and technology, 2nd Ed. (pp. 79-112). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
This reading focuses on the relationship between cognitive theory and education. Schema and educational technology are discussed in order to show more relevance between cognitivism and education. Especially regarding instructional design, cognitivism is a major contributing factor to educators and educational technologists.
What new things have I learned or thought about as a result of the readings and discussions?
I like how the readings clarify concepts regarding learning theories and how they are related to educational technology. I feel more and more confident in my understanding of the two main categories of learning theories: behaviorism and cognitivism. A few of the readings discuss how cognitivism refers to how the learners organize data through memorization and personal experiences. The article on cognitive load theory was also interesting in how it related the learning theory to educational technology and many aspects of this course. Obviously, cognitivism was the major focus for this module, and this theory has had a major impact on learning, instructional design, and educational technology.
The student-led discussion that I participated in examined how the learning theory of behaviorism impacts education and educational technology today. The members of this discussion all concluded that behaviorism definitely plays a major role in education and especially educational technology. Regarding education in general, behaviorism techniques work well for students practicing basic skills and seeking immediate feedback. Educational technology definitely incorporates behaviorist strategies in how activities, games, and tutorials online will often have immediate responses that alert the participant as to whether or not they chose the correct answer. Environmental factors also definitely show how behaviorism relates to educational technology.
How might my knowledge and experiences influence my actions, and the actions of those around me?
My knowledge and experiences will influence my actions on a daily basis. As a high school Spanish teacher, it is important for me to realize how students process information and how I can use theory-based instructional strategies to enhance student learning. Foreign language learning requires intensive cognitive skills regarding memorization and personal experiences with the language. My knowledge about cognitivism will influence how I conduct myself in the classroom and how I design my instruction and lesson plans. I need to focus more on the cognitive skills of my students and how they can improve their memorization of the language and how to process the new language. By encouraging cognitive skills, my students’ learning experiences will improve, and they will feel more confident in their language abilities if they have the skills. An educator must incorporate a variety of instructional strategies and learning theories into their instruction in order to appeal to all students and encourage a variety of learning skills.
What interactions have I had that have been the most valuable?
I definitely believe that the discussion with other classmates was the most valuable because I can compare my understanding of learning theories and concepts to other students. I like how the discussion leader opened up the discussion with a prompt that could easily relate to the course and the discussion participants as individuals and educators. In discussions, it is nice to be able to see and examine the relationships between the actual theories and the implementation of those theories. Many of the group participants shared their personal experiences with behaviorism and how it impacts their everyday professional lives. Each discussion participant has something different to offer and shares their opinion regarding behaviorism. I feel like I have a better understanding of the theory in general, how it relates to educational technology, and how it relates to me on a more personal level. Therefore, this type of casual discussion seemed the most valuable to me.
The resource or glossary item that I added to the wiki for the particular module.
I found a great resource that helps to explain behaviorism, social learning theory, and cognitivism. The web site provides study guides on learning theories that are intended to help students on exams for a doctorate program. These notes are great for helping anyone to understand the key points. I like how the notes are simplified and user-friendly, especially for people who are less confident in their knowledge of learning theories. The main page links to several other pages that explain and expand on the learning theories. Since it is a web site specifically meant for helping students pass an exam, there are some elements within the website which may seem unimportant regarding this course. However, I did notice that some of those concepts and terms that were discussed on the web site seemed familiar from past educational technology classes and may be beneficial in the future. Resource Link: http://teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/~lynda_abbott/Legoblocks.html
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