MODULE 3

The Roles of Educational Technology in Learning

Focus Question:

 What are the roles of educational technology in learning?

TECHNOLOGY CAN PLAY:
- TRADITIONALLY, teaching is seen as a delivery vehicle for instructional lessons
-Students learn from technology
- In a constructivist perspective, technology is seen as a partner in the learning process
-Students learn with, not from technology.

INTRODUCTION
After understanding the comprehensive meaning of educational technology, let us now
dwell on the roles of educational technology 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.

Answer:
Educational technology helped me learn about accessing information that I wanted to
know like news. It help me also to finish my research paper during my college days.

2. Get a partner then share your experience.

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 learner
learns 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 his/her world. In the constructive approach,
technology is a learning tool to learn with, not from. It makes the learner gather, think, analyse,
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.

DR. EPIFANIO P. SAN GASPAR JR., LPT. SIENA COLLEGE TIGAON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 1
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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 program 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 eruption 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-
construction:
For accessing needed information
For comparing perspective, 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 other
For defining a safe, controllable problem space for student thinking
 Technology as a social medium to support learning by conversing:
For collaborating with others
For discussing, arguing, and building consensus among members of community
For supporting discourse among knowledge-building communities
 Technology as intellectual partner (Jonassen 1996) to support learning-by-reflecting:

DR. EPIFANIO P. SAN GASPAR JR., LPT. SIENA COLLEGE TIGAON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 1
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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 and personal representation of meaning
For supporting mindful thinking

Whether used from the traditional or constructivist point of view, when used
effectively, research indicates that technology “increases student’ 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 student 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 ‘s perspective,
given above, identify under which role and process is illustrated by each of the
following:
A. Water samples from ponds, steams and faucets were analysed 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.
(Jonnasen, et al,p.26)

Answer:
• Technology as a social medium to support learning by conversing:
B. Students were asked to give a graphic presentation of the causes and effects of
alcoholism.

Answer:
• Technology as tools to support knowledge construction:

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C. Students were asked to conduct an in-depth research on the causes and effects of
global warming by the extensive used of books, journals and the internet and to
give a power point presentation of their findings.

Answer:
• Technology as information vehicles for exploring knowledge to support
learning-by-construction:

D. Students were assigned to gather proposals from various sector 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.

Answer:
• Technology as context to support learning-by-doing:

E. Student groups were asked to read and analyse a comic strip and present their own
thinking also by way of a comic strip.

Answer:

2. Give at least 3 uses or function 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 teacher Technology as partner in learning

1.video presentation on the tourist spot in 1.Setting up an experiment shown

the country through video presentation and requiring
1. VIRTUAL OR ONLINE CLASS the student to predict the outcome of the
2. LISTENING TO PODCAST experiment
3. WATCHING VIDEO 1. WATCHING POWERPOINT
STREAMINGS TO GATHER PRESENTATION TO
SOME INFORMATION UNDERSTAND THE TOPIC
2. DOING EXPIREMENT SHOWN
THROUGH VIDEO

3. The constructivists’ thinking is this: Technology cannot teach students. Rather learner
should use the technologies to teach themselves and other. Do you agree with the

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constructivists? Discuss with your group. You will be asked to share your answer
with the class.

Answer:
In a CONSTRUCTIVIST THINKING, I agree that technology cannot teach
students alone rather technology can use by the students to teach their self in the most
advanced form of learning.

4. Is there anything pedagogically wrong with the traditional used 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.

Answer:
A big No, because using traditional technology as a presenter of knowledge also
meet our desire of learning and if that kind of learning suits you there’s nothing
wrong with it. Yet, learning using a new technologies is more efficient than
traditional but learning using traditional or old technology is more fun specially in
Mathematics that require step by step calculations to get the correct answer.

5. Why used 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.

Answer:
. Teaching with Technology in learning is fine, like nowadays we used
technology for our flexible type of learning, this type of learning incorporate both
modular and online learning which technology plays a vital role in this kind of
learning process.

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

DR. EPIFANIO P. SAN GASPAR JR., LPT. SIENA COLLEGE TIGAON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 1
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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.

Answer:

I remember when I attend a seminars, when I was working in Kuwait, particularly

in Exchange Company about measurement and counting of paper bill by estimating in terms of
height, the facilitator ask everyone to measure the height of 200 pcs of 5kd bill, the speaker
allows us to reflect and to construct our own methods of measurement rather than introducing the
used of counting machine.

Personal Postscripts

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 computer. The younger
crop of teachers, unlike the older generation, was blessed with basic computer courses in their
college curriculum. But if the 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.

DR. EPIFANIO P. SAN GASPAR JR., LPT. SIENA COLLEGE TIGAON EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY 1