Technology

can
play
a
traditional role, i.e. as delivery
vehicles for instructional
lessons or in a constructivist
way as partners in the
learning process.

In a constructivist way, technology

helps the learner build more
personal interpretations of life in
her/his world. Technology is a
learning tool to learn with not
from. It makes the learner gather,
think,
analyze,
synthesize
information and construct meaning
with what technology presents

Technology as tools to support

knowledge construction
1. For presenting learners ideas,
understandings and beliefs
2. For producing organized, multimedia
knowledge bases for learners

 Technology as information vehicles

for exploring knowledge to support
learning-by-constructing:
1. For accessing needed information
2. For comparing perspectives, beliefs
and world views

Technology

as context to support
learning by doing
1. for representing and simulating
meaningful real-world problems,
situations and contexts
2. for representing beliefs,
perspectives, arguments, and
stories of others
3. For defining safe, controllable
problem space for student thinking

Technology

as a social medium to
support learning by conversing
1. For collaborating with others
2. For discussing, arguing, and
building consensus among
members of the community
3. For supporting discourse among
knowledge building communities

Technology
1.
2.

3.
4.

as intellectual partner
For helping learners to articulate
and represent what they know
For reflecting on what they have
learned and how they come to
know it
For supporting learners internal
negotiations and meaning making
For constructing personal
representations of meaning for
supporting mindful thinking

Whether used from the traditional or

constructivist point of view, when used
effectively,
research
indicates
that
technology not only increases students
learning, understanding, and achievement
but also augments, motivation to learn,
encourages collaborative learning and
supports the development of critical
thinking and problem-solving skills
(Shacter and Fagnano, 1999)

Proper
implementation
of
technology in the classroom gives
students more control of their
own learning and tends to
move classrooms from teacherdominated environments to ones
that are more learner-centered
(Russel and Sorge, 1999)

Educational
technology
plays
various roles. Form the traditional
point of view, it serves as presenter
of knowledge just like teachers. It
also serves as productivity tool.
With the internet, technology has
facilitated communication among
people. From the constructivists
perspective,
educational
technology is a meaningful learning
tools by serving as a learning
partner