Teaching+with+Technology+EDLD-5364

=**Teaching with Technology: Week One**=

This week we read and learned about constructivism, a learning theory that focuses on learner-centered teaching. The learning is student driven and it helps students relate new concepts to prior knowledge and experiences. As stated by Dr. Diane R. Mason in week one's lecture, slide 4, "....constructivism, is based upon the premise that learners begin with what they know about a subject, topic, or item." This means that the learner adds new concepts to what he or she already knows and builds upon this knowledge to create new knowledge and understanding. With constructivism the next step is to utilize technology to help students collaborate, solve real life problems and share documents. We also learned about connectivism a learning theory that believes we not only learn individually in our minds but also through different sources of information we gather by connections we form through the networks we create. Technology places a big role in this learning theory through educational and social networks such as wikis and blogs as well as interactive games such as Second Life. New generations of students are constantly bombarded with information through their portable devices, games and internet. We must constantly be learning and updating our knowledge due to the rapid changes that are occurring in technology today. Finally, we learned about cyborg learning theory, which means enhancing humans with computer chips that will allow humans to have the abilities that computers currently have. This theory believes that humans will eventually merge with technology to allow us to improve our memory, be able to view objects through sonar and even communicate telepathically from brain to brain. Cyborg learning theory believes that human evolution will change by actually adding technology into our bodies.

We also learned about the differences between "traditional" teaching in the classroom and learner-centered teaching. We learned that in the "traditional" method of learning the teacher does most of the work and the students are a non-participant audience many times not paying attention. In contrast, learner- centered teaching focuses on the students building on their prior knowledge and making connection so that they will better comprehend the new information or concept. Learner-centered teaching allows students to collaborate in teams and have hands on opportunities for learning. Teachers need to learn to give students more control of their learning and allow them to discuss and expand on their knowledge. We need to stop thinking that we must have a quiet class that is attentively sitting there while we teach or lecture to them. A great way to implement learner-centered activities is through technology, allowing students to create a PowerPoint, or surf the net to research a topic this helps students truly learn and expand their knowledge.