Lesson 3 - The Roles of Educational Technology in Learning

Summary:
Educational Technology from the traditional perspective, serves as source and presenter of knowledge like the teaching sequence in programmed instruction in films and television programs or in the internet. While from the constructivist’s point of view, educational technology serves as learning tools that learners learn with. It involves the learners in active, constructive, intentional, authentic and cooperative learning and provides opportunities for technology and learner interaction for meaningful learning. In this way, educational technology is used as facilitator of thinking and knowledge construction.
My Learning:
The role of Educational Technology can be both in a traditional way in which it serves as source and presenter of knowledge and in a constructivist way in which it serves as learning tool or partner. But in this stage of human development wherein mental or cognitive development are of major concern; I would prefer the constructivist’s perspective that educational technology should serve as a learning tool rather than just a mere presenter of knowledge so that it would engage the learner in a more active, constructive, interactive and cooperative learning in order to develop the learner’s creativity and abstract or high order of thinking.
My Application:
As a teacher, it would be of great advantage in employing technology in the teaching and learning process. Aside from learning different approaches, methodologies, strategies to suit the different developmental stages of the learners, I should also learn the use of technology so I could present an interesting, stimulating, engaging and challenging activities so that learning can be made fun at the same time. Moreover, learning the use of modern technology will make more of the teaching tasks fast, easier and convenient. There is no other way than to learn the use of technology and that is one of my greatest challenge at present.