Roles of Technology for Teaching and Learning

Lesson Outcomes

1. Identified roles of technology in teaching and learning

2. Appreciated the value of technology in supporting student learning

As teaching and learning go together, let us explore what would be the roles of
technology for teachers and teaching and for learners and learning. According to
Stosic (2015), educational technology has three domains:

1. Technology as a tutor. Together with the teacher, technology can support the
teacher to teach another person or technology when programmed by the teacher can
be a tutor on its own. The teacher will simply switch on or switch off radio programs,
television programs or play DVDs, or CDs that contain educational programs. There
are on-line tutorial educational programs, too.

2. Technology as a teaching tool. Like a tutor, technology is a teaching tool, but can
never replace a teacher. This is like the handyman, which is just there to be reached.
Like any other tool, it is being used to facilitate and lighten the work of the teacher. It
will be good if the teacher can also create or develop technology tools that are needed
in the classroom.

3. Technology as a learning tool. While the teacher utilizes technology as the tool
for teaching, likewise it is an effective tool for learning. As a learning tool, it makes
learning easy and effective. It can produce learning outcomes that call for technology-
assisted teaching. Even the teachers who are teaching can utilize similar tools for
learning. As a learning tool, it is very interesting that even the elderly use these tools
for learning for life.

A. For Teachers and Teaching

There are numerous roles that technology plays in the job of teachers. As a tool,
technology has opened wider avenues in management of resources and management
of learning. Likewise, it has modernized the teaching-learning environment in schools.
Here are some examples of the myriad of roles that technology can do for teachers
and teaching.

1. Technology provides enormous support to the teacher as the facilitator of learning.

It transforms a passive classroom to an active and interactive one, with audio-visual
aids, charts and models, smart classrooms, e-learning classrooms which motivate and
increase attention level of learners. Many of these can be searched on the web.

2. Technology has modernized the teaching-learning environment. The teachers are

assisted and supplemented with appropriately structured instructional materials for
daily activities. There are varied available technology-driven resources which can be
utilized for remedial lesson or activities. Likewise, there are also a lot of technology-
driven resources that can be used for enrichment purposes. You may search for the
examples on the web.
3. Technology improves teaching-learning process and ways of teaching. This will
make the act of teaching more efficient and effective. There are arrays of teaching
methods and strategies that can use technology which are found compatible with
learning styles. The multiple intelligence theory of Howard Gardner tells us that there
is a genius in every child. This implies that there must be varied ways of teaching as
there are many varied ways of learning. All the learning styles can find support from
technology, so that teaching will be more effective and efficient.

4. Technology opens new fields in educational researches. The areas of teaching

testing and evaluation are enhanced by technologies for teaching and learning.
Current educational researchers will no longer find difficulty in interpreting tests,
assessment and other evaluation results. There are available programs that can
analyze and interpret results with speed and accuracy. Reference retrieval is also
hastened because many of the research materials are in digital form. Technology has
also provided access to big data that can be processed for problem solving and inquiry.

5. Technology adds to the competence of teachers and inculcates scientific outlook.

Through the utilization of theories of learning and intelligence, which are explained in
references uploaded in the net, the teachers are encouraged to imbibe skills to source
this information with speed and accuracy.

6. Technology supports teacher professional development. With the demand of

continuing professional development for teachers, the availability of technology
provides alternative way of attending professional development online. For those who
are involved as providers of continuing professional development like trainers,
facilitators or organizers, they can level up or enhance their delivery systems with the
support of technology tools.

B. For Learners and Learning

1. Support learners to learn how to learn on their own. All teachers fully understand
that subject matter or content is a means to achieve the learning outcomes. There are
three categories of knowledge according to Egbert (2009): declarative knowledge,
structural knowledge, and procedural knowledge.

a. Declarative knowledge consists of the discrete pieces of information that answers

the questions what, who, when, and where. It is often learned through memorization
of facts, drills and practice. It can be learned by simple mnemonics or conceptual
maps. Declarative knowledge is the fundamental knowledge necessary for students
to achieve more complex higher order thinking such as critical thinking and creativity,
inquiry and production.

b. Structural knowledge consists of facts or pieces of declarative knowledge put

together to attain some form of meaning. An example of declarative knowledge is
"pencil". The idea that evolved from a pencil is an understanding that: "it is something
used to write." This is referred to as structural knowledge. It can be presented by
concept maps, categorization or classification.
c. Procedural knowledge is knowledge in action or the knowledge of how to do
something. It is based on facts but learned through the process of procedural
knowledge. Examples include how to drive a car, how to use a cell phone, or how to
speak English. Procedural knowledge is indicated by a performance task or graphical
representation of a concept.

The traditional sources of knowledge are printed books, modules and journals.
Other sources are primary sources such as information taken from research. However,
knowledge or content can be learned in many ways.

But how can technology support the learning of declarative, structural or

procedural knowledge? To teach content, time is always an issue of teachers.
Oftentimes, we hear teachers say: "Too many things to teach, too little time to do."
Technology may be the answer; however, the challenge is for teachers to use
technology to learn the technology first. As a facilitator of learning, the teacher can
guide the students to look for the resources and to utilized them appropriately. There
are varied programs that can be used by students off-line or on-line for students. What
should be necessary is that the students are engaged, the tasks should focus on
questions like how, why and which in addition to who, what, when and where.
2. Technology enhances learners' communication skills through social Interactions.
This is commonly described as the transmittal of information from one person to
another as single individual or groups of individuals According to Shirly (2003) in
Egbert (2009), there are three basic communication patterns:

a. Point to point two-way or one-to-one like Internet chat, phone conversation or even
face-to-face conversation.

b. One-to-many outbound like a lecture, or television. There is no social interaction.

e. Many-to-many like group discussion, buzz session, heads together. This kind of
interaction provides opportunities for social interaction.

Social interaction occurs in two ways where the participants ask for clarification, argue,
challenge each other and work towards common understanding. Social interaction
through communication occurs through technology (directly between two persons via
email, a cell phone or other communication technology). It can also occur around
technology like students discussing about a problem posed by a software program or
with support of technology like teachers and students interacting about the worksheet
printed from a website. In all the three modalities, communication occurs and
technology is involved.

For this particular role, what are the benefits derived from technology- supported
communication?

a. Enables any teacher to guide the learners virtually and making

learning unlimited because communication and social interaction go

beyond a school day or a school environment

b. Enhances students' freedom to express and exchange ideas freely without the
snooping eyes of the teacher face to face

c. Enables learners to construct meaning from joint experiences between the two or
more participants in communication

d. Help learners solve problems from multiple sources since there is limitless sources
of information that the teacher can direct or refer to the learners

e. Teaches learners to communicate with politeness, taking turns in sending

information and giving appropriate feedback

f. Enhances collaboration by using communication strategies with wider community

and individuals in a borderless learning environment

g. Develops critical thinking, problem solving and creativity throughout the

communication

There are several technology tools and software programs that you will learn in the
coming modules.

3. Technology upgrades learners' higher-order-thinking skills: critical thinking, problem

solving and creativity

Twenty-first century learning requires the development of higher-order- thinking

skills.

Technology has a great role to play in the development and enhancement of

these skills. Let's discuss this in the lesson.

Critical thinking is part of the cluster of higher order thinking skills. It refers to
the ability to interpret, explain, analyze, evaluate, infer and self- regulate in order to
make good decisions. With the use of technology, one will be able to evaluate the
credibility of the source, ask appropriate questions, become open-minded, defend a
position on an issue and draw conclusion with caution. All of these competencies are
covered by Bloom's Taxonomy of Analysis, Synthesis and Evaluation.

Teachers play a significant role in supporting learners with technology. How?

As a role model, teachers should display and practice critical thinking processes, so
that the learners can imitate them. Here are some ways that teachers can do to
develop critical thinking.

a. Ask the right questions.

Most often teachers ask questions to find out if the students can simply repeat the
information from the lesson. Although these are necessary questions like what, who,
when and where, these do not develop critical thinking. Critical thinking questions
should ask for clarity, accuracy, precision, relevance, depth, breadth and logic.
Clarity: Here are some examples: Can you give examples of ...

Accuracy: What pieces of evidence support your claim?

Precision: Exactly how much

Breadth: What do you think will the other group say about the issue?

b. Use critical thinking tasks with appropriate level of challenge.

Teachers should be mindful of the readiness of the students. Students who have
higher ability may find the task too easy, thus getting bored early, while those who
have low ability may find the task too difficult. Thus, there is a need to have activities
that are appropriate for the learners. These can be determined by interview,
observations and other forms to determine the level of readiness.

What are some simple ways that teachers should do?

1. Vary the questions asked.
2. Introduce new technologies.
3. Modify the learners' grouping.
4. Modify the critical thinking task.
5. Encourage curiosity,

By nature learners are curious. They ask lots of questions all the time. Why is the sky
blue? Why do I have to learn geometry? How do people choose what will they become
in the future? Can robots solve the problems of climate change? How?

These questions will lead to critical thinking, but some of these questions cannot be
answered by the teacher. The unanswered questions are avoided or answered
unsatisfactorily, Sometimes teachers shut down the question that curtails the first step
in critical thinking. The internet as a problem solving and research tool can help find
answers to the questions,

Creativity is characterized as involving the ability to think flexibly, fluently, originally,

and elaborately (Guildford, 1986 & Torrance, 1974 in Egbert, 2009). Flexibly means
able to use many points of view while fluently means able to generate many ideas.
Originally implies being able to generate new ideas and elaborately means able to add
details. Creativity is not merely a set of technical skills, but it also involves feelings,
beliefs, knowledge and motivation.

Seven Creative Strategies (Osborn, 1963). These have been simplified into fewer
categories. To be creative, one can use any of these strategies.

1. Substitute Find something else to replace to do what it does,

2. Combine Blend two things that do not usually go together.
3. Adapt Look for other ways this can be used.
4. Modify/Magnify/ Minify - Make a change, enlarge, decrease,
5. Put to another use - Find other uses.
6. Eliminate Reduce, remove.
7. Reverse-Turn upside-down, inside out, front-side back.

All together, the strategies will be labelled as SCAMPER.

What should teacher do to support student creativity? Here are some

suggestions:

1. Provide an enriched environment.

2. Teach creative thinking strategies.
3. Allow learners to show what they can do.
4. Use creativity with technology.

Further, teachers can do the following to develop and enhance critical thinking,
problem solving and creativity. As a future teacher, try these suggestions.

1. Encourage students to find and use information from variety of sources both on-line
and off-line.
2. Assist students to compare information from different sources.
3. Allow student to reflect through different delivery modes like writing, speaking, or
drawing.
4. Use real experiences and material to draw tentative decisions.
5. Involve students in creating and questioning assessment.

To do these, the teacher should see to it that right questions are asked, student's tasks
should be appropriate to the levels of challenge and curiosity is encouraged.

There are several critical thinking tools and technology software that can support
critical thinking skills. Some of these you will encounter in the succeeding modules:

1. Encourages digital production projects

2. Popularizes e-learning modalities

3. Enhances global awareness and citizenship

Reference:

Bilbao, Et al. (2019). Technology for Teaching and Learning. Lorimar Publishing Inc.