ETEC 511
Foundations of Educational Technology
"Building from the base; developing an expanding foundation."
This was one of two courses in my first term. Judging by the title, I expected the foundations to be clearly laid out, however, they were not. As the learners, we were to construct our own understandings of the foundations of educational technology, including definitions, implications, and justifications. Here, I was reminded of how many of my students who come from rote-learning traditions frequently ask, “Why don’t you just tell me what you want me to know?” Now I have an answer; for learning to transform into enduring knowledge, it must be personal, relevant, and applicable. By beginning the construction of knowledge, the concepts meet this criterion from the earliest stages, thus, increasing engagement, retention, and deep understanding.
More on Constructing Foundations
At this stage, I had no real direction or expectations for the program. I had yet to develop threads of passion, and was at a bit of a loss as far as a direction, or even topic to take here. Sherry Turkle’s article, A Flight from Conversation (2012), got me thinking about how technology affects the way that people learn. Simultaneously, I was reading about the way Google impacts the way we “know” things (Sparrow, Liu, & Wegner, 2011), thus the topic for the literature review below was born. This was also the first indication that my learning in this program would span through, across, and beyond courses. This was also the first time I came across the concept of distributed cognition, though I did not yet have the terminology for this phenomenon until the next term.
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More on Extending Learning
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More on Distributed Cognition
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Literature Review: Transactive Memory and the Internet: Implications for Pedagogy
The process of reading around to learn about how Google, in particular, affects the way we learn and form memories began to shift the ways in which I allowed and utilized mobile technology in the classroom. I shifted away from considering mobile technology to be a distraction and began regarding it as a tool. This shift in perception also altered the way I viewed my learners, a cohort always tied to handheld technology. Now, rather than expending energy controlling tech, I leverage the many ways it can be used appropriately in the classroom. When students view technology as a transactive memory, or distributed cognition, partner, inappropriate usage decreases, as students do not want to lose the privilege of such a powerful learning partner. What I did not explore, which is so pertinent to these times, is how does one judge the validity and credibility of the ultimate transactive memory partner, Google.
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More on Reading Around
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More on Credibility and Relaiablity
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Where to Next?
References:
Gibbs, G., & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 3-31. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/fast/pdfs/Gibbs%20and%20Simpson%202004-05.pdf
Jenkins, H. (2009). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Sparrow, B., Liu, J., & Wegner, D. M. (2011). Google effects on memory: Cognitive consequences of having information at our fingertips. Science (New York, N.Y.), 333(6043), 776-778. doi:10.1126/science.1207745
Therien, J. (2015). Transactive memory and the internet: Impications for pedagogy. Unpublished manuscript. University of British Columbia
Turkle, S. (2017). A flight from conversation. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html
Gibbs, G., & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1(1), 3-31. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/fast/pdfs/Gibbs%20and%20Simpson%202004-05.pdf
Jenkins, H. (2009). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Sparrow, B., Liu, J., & Wegner, D. M. (2011). Google effects on memory: Cognitive consequences of having information at our fingertips. Science (New York, N.Y.), 333(6043), 776-778. doi:10.1126/science.1207745
Therien, J. (2015). Transactive memory and the internet: Impications for pedagogy. Unpublished manuscript. University of British Columbia
Turkle, S. (2017). A flight from conversation. New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/opinion/sunday/the-flight-from-conversation.html