believer that people learn best from a combination intense study, hands on
experiences and practical application.
I’ve always felt that initially we (as lifelong learners) encounter a
situation or scenario in which we take in a great deal of data.
This data can be in written form, auditory, sensory or visual. From this point, we now engage the new
stimulus by physically or virtually manipulating it and further discovering its
origin, what it is composed of and how it relates to something in our past. Finally, we take in all of these
experiences and evaluate how they are used in our everyday lives.
Of course, there are intricate processes that are more in depth, but this
theory encapsulates my assertions on the high points of how we maximize our
learning experiences.
With this being said the purpose of learning theory in educational technology centers
on the fact that people do not learn from the use of technology and instruction
alone, people learn from their experiences and how they process events and
situations surrounding them. Various activities put the power of thinking into
motion. These activities can be presented by a wide range of technical tools
that adapt to the learner. As a result, technology is an extraordinary tool that
plays an ancillary role in learning: Technology can stimulate and support
learning when it is used as tools that help learners to think meaningfully
(Jonassen, 1999). Behaviorism explains that all human behavior is directed by
objectives; as a result technology takes on the role or duty of satisfying the
needs of the learners. Cognitivism, which examines cognitive processes during
learning, asserts that technology should be crafted as a cerebral tool that
helps to construct meaningful explanations which are helpful in a given course
of study. Constructivism proposes that technology should assist students to
become active learners so that they can build their own knowledge and
experiences. Therefore, learners
and technologies become intellectual partners in a learning process (Jonassen,
1999).
Reference:
Jonassen,
D. (1999). Learning With Technology: A constructivist perspective. Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Prentice Hall.