LESSON 11

The Computer as the Teacher’s Tool

In this lesson, we shall 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 for constructivist learning.

Constructivism gave stress to knowledge discovery of new meaning/ concepts/ principles in learning process. While social constructivism is constructing knowledge by the individual learning in constructivism, knowledge can also be socially constructed.

SUMMARY OF THE TWO LEARNING PERSPECTIVES

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 unauthorized information to create new concept/ principle	Exchange and share form ideas, stimulates thinking
General Orientation	Personal discovery of knowledge	Students discuss and discover meanings
Example	8*5-8+8+8+8	Two alternative job offers OPTION 1: 8 hrs./day for 6 days/wk OPTION 2: 9 hrs./day for 5 days/wk

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

·         Information Tool – the computer can provide vast amounts of information in various forms such as text, graphics, sounds and video.

·         Constructive Tool – computer can be used for manipulating information, visualizing one’s understanding and building new knowledge.

·         Co- constructive Tool – can use constructive tools to work cooperatively and construct a shared understanding of new knowledge.

·         Situating Tool

·         Communication Tool

DISCUSSION

1.       What do you say if teachers ask you to gather and memorize information from the internet? The idea is to prepare you for objective tests, which are the main evaluation tool of your teacher for his classes.

·         If my teacher asks me to gather and memorize information from the Internet, well I will say that memorization is a good idea for evaluation tool since it is objective test. But this should not be her main evaluation tool, she should also focus to the cognitive skills of the student since we have individual differences.

2.       What do you say if the teacher himself/ herself shows students that he/ she can most creatively construct multimedia learning packages, and students just listen to his presentations. The idea is to make learners simply listen and absorb lessons during classes.

·         Yes, she can creatively construct multimedia learning packages but as a teacher we should not let our learners to just simply listen to the presentation. Because learner can’t absorb lessons even she pays attention to that presentation. They still need the guidance of the teacher for better understanding. Multimedia tools are just a helping tool of a teacher not to substitute the teacher.

3.      Teachers are told not to use computers as a situating tool if a pre-school child, for example, can actually play-and-build using actual  Logo blocks. Can you name other situations in which actual, physical and hand- on activities can be more productive and computer activities?

·         In hands- on activities such as performing Laboratory activities and performing actual dance than performing it in the computer.

4.      Situating tools can put users in Africa, the North Pole or the solar system. How can interactive Situating Tool computer activity be fun and exciting in these cases?