Lesson 11

 The Computer as the Teacher’s Tool

In the previous lesson, we saw how the computer can act as a tutor, particularly along with the behaviorist and cognitivist approach to learning. But we also saw how certain computer software programs have been developed to foster higher thinking skills and creativity.

In this lesson, we shall again look at the computer, but this time from another perspective the computer as the teacher’s handy-tool. It can in fact support the constructivist and social constructivist paradigms of constructivist learning.

Constructivism was introduced by Piaget (1981) and Bruner (1990). They gave stress to the knowledge discovery of new meaning/concepts/principles in the learning process. Various strategies have been suggested to foster knowledge discovery, among these, is making students engaged in gathering unorganized information from which they can induce ideas and principles. Students are also asked to apply discovered knowledge to new situations, a process for making their knowledge applicable to real life situations.

While knowledge is constructed by the individual learner in constructivism, knowledge can also be socially constructed. Social constructivism. This is an effort to show that the construction of knowledge is governed by social, historical and cultural contexts.

In effect, this is to say that the learner who interprets knowledge has a predetermined point of view according to the social perspectives of the community or society he lives in.

The psychologist Vygotsky stressed that learning is affected by social influences. He therefore suggested the interactive process in learning. The more capable adult (teacher or parent) or classmate can aid or complement what the learner sees in a given class project. In addition, Dewy sees language as a medium for social coordination and adaptation. For Dewey human learning is really human languaging that occurs when students socially share, build and agree upon meanings and knowledge.

Learning framework --Constructivism  --Social Constructivism

Assumption  --Knowledge is constructed by the individual --Knowledge is constructed within a social context

Definition of learning --Students build their own learning --Students build knowledge influenced by the social context

Learning Strategies --Gather unorganized information to create new concept/principle --Exchange and share from ideas, stimulates thinking

General Orientation --Personal discovery of knowledge --Students discuss and discover meanings

Example --8*5 – 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 --Two alternative job offers Option 1 – 8 hrs./day for 6 days/week

Option 2 -  9hrs./ day  for 5 days a week

The Computer’s Capabilities

Given its present-day speed, flexibility and sophistication, the computer can provide access to information, foster creative social knowledge-building, and enhance the communication of the achieved project package. Without the computer, today’s learners may still be assuming the tedious task of low-level information gathering, building and new knowledge packaging. But this is not so since the modern computer can help teacher-and-students to focus on more high level cognitive tasks.

Based on the two learning theories, the teacher can employ the computer as a/an:

• An information tool

• A communication tool

• A constructive too

• As co-constructive tool

• A situating tool