Technology enabled Learning (TeL)
Overcoming the barrier of face-to-face communication is one of the biggest obstacles for online education. Some might argue that there is no replacement for face-to-face communication but with growing advancements in technologies, this claim may not hold true in the future. And if you look at how much time it takes to develop lifelong relationships with people who are sitting right next to you at your workplace, it’s pretty clear why an online course may be more efficient in achieving success faster and cheaper than a traditional classroom setting.
Focusing on the theoretical underpinning for Technology enabled Learning (TeL). One could apply these along the eLearning continuum that is face-to-face, blended and online learning environments.
After going over session 1 videos and resources, I am going to talk about in detail on the following practices and major components within them:
· Community of Inquiry (CoI)
· Technology Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK)
· Technology Integration Matrix (TIM)
Community of Inquiry – A CoI is a “small number of people who come together with the explicit purpose of sharing knowledge, solving problems, and/or exploring issues” (Gardener, 1999). To explicitly explain the functioning of CoI, we should discuss on its 5 constituents as follows:
1. Learning Network (LN) - Learning networks are social structures through which individuals can connect with each other for knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas as well as to find out more information. (Gardener, 1999) suggests that learning networks are necessary components of CoI because they help to build a knowledge base which is critical to searching and finding relevant resources, innovating new ideas, and improving decision making. The knowledge base of a learning network contains different kinds of shared resources, such as experiences, concepts, beliefs, ideologies, etc. The network also maintains records of the knowledge shared within it and other groups.
2. Community of learners (CoL) - A community of learners is a group of individuals who share similar interests and goals for collaborative problem solving. Members in this community work together to gain knowledge by “collective inquiry” – an ongoing process where members examine problems from various angles using their individual skills and then combine the pieces into new solutions which are then disseminated across the network for further usage. This community aims at solving problems relevant to its members working in varied domains or fields such as medicine, education or business management among others.
3. Learning Agent (LA) - A learning agent is a tool that allows access to knowledge in a specific domain or field. It provides computational processes which help create and disseminate new knowledge within the network by supporting people who are working on common problems, thus making collective inquiry possible. The existence of learning agents in this network also improves the problem-solving skills sets of its community of learners by providing access to specialized knowledge from other domains and allowing for the consultation of human experts who are not accessible otherwise due to physical distance. Various current learning agents such as IBM’s Watson, Google’s search engine, etc., can be coupled together to form a powerful and dynamic CoLing system. (CoLing - Community of Learning)
4. Content providers (CP) - Content providers are organizations that contribute resources including data or media which can be accessed by members or learning agents across the network for collaborative problem-solving tasks purpose. They provide structured information about their organizations such as product catalogues, historical information, information about employee competencies, etc. Content providers can be private or public institutions and they can be further classified into two categories: one that maintains the coLing infrastructure and content (CoLing service provider) and another that is part of the coLing ecosystem to share knowledge (CoLing user).
Technology Pedagogy and Content Knowledge (TPACK) - According to the TPACK framework, specific technological tools (hardware, software, applications, associated information literacy practices, etc.) are best used to instruct and guide students toward a better, more robust understanding of the subject matter. The three types of knowledge – Technical Knowledge (TK), Pedagogical Knowledge (PK), and Content Knowledge (CK) – are thus combined and recombined in various ways within the TPACK framework (see Figure below - (Mishra & Koehler, 2006)). Technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) describes relationships and interactions between technological tools and specific pedagogical practices, while pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) describes the same between pedagogical practices and specific learning objectives; finally, technological content knowledge (TCK) describes relationships and intersections among technologies and learning objectives. These triangulated areas then constitute TPACK, which considers the relationships among all three areas and acknowledges that educators are acting within this complex space.
TPACK Combinations (TPACK: Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework)
Technology Integration Matrix (TIM) - The TIM incorporates five interdependent characteristics of meaningful learning environments: active, collaborative, constructive, authentic, and goal-directed. These characteristics are associated with five levels of technology integration: entry, adoption, adaptation, infusion, and transformation (Toledo, 2005) (Guzman & Nussbaum, 2009).
The five levels of technology integration are explained below:
1. Entry: The lowest level of use, entry simply means the presence or availability of some form(s) or type(s) of technology in a classroom.
2. Adoption: Teachers may choose to adopt certain technologies for their classrooms and integrate them with pedagogy and content instruction that is already happening in class without changing any other aspects about the way they teach at this level—it's just another tool being thrown into an existing mix.
3. Adaptation: Here teachers have made conscious decisions to change how they do things by adding new elements like incorporating different types software programs/tools, altering lessons as needed while teaching, modifying assessment strategies (e.g., using more online forms), etc... This step requires active engagement but it can be done gradually if desired because changes don't need to happen all at once; instead individual steps can be taken over time until you reach your ultimate goal – adaptation!
4. Infusion: In this phase you are deep into the integration game if technology is now becoming a fundamental source of your instruction. This step involves teachers purposefully using technology to engage students and guide them through a learning process as opposed to simply using it as an additional aid or tool.
5. Transformation: The final step involves teachers who are utilizing technology not only as a tool, but they have adopted it completely into their repertoire of possibilities to aid them in reaching a genuine purpose. Technology is not an end in itself but just one more aspect of the learning process. This can be accomplished by intentionally designing educational plans that incorporate technology, making tech-based content visible and accessible to students through personalized learning, or by making changes to the classroom environment or curriculum that are meant to bring out the best in digital tools.
References
Gardener, S. (1999). Participation in a “community of inquiry” nourishes participants perspective-taking capacity:. In H. S. Palsson, Philosophy for.
Guzman, A., & Nussbaum, M. (2009). Teaching competencies for technology integration in the classroom. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 25(5), 453-469. Retrieved 5 8, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2729.2009.00322.x
Mishra, P., & Koehler, M. J. (2006). Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge: A Framework for Teacher Knowledge. Teachers College Record, 108(6), 1017-1054. Retrieved 5 8, 2022, from http://one2oneheights.pbworks.com/f/mishra_punya.pdf
Toledo, C. (2005). A Five-Stage Model of Computer Technology Integration Into Teacher Education Curriculum. Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher Education, 5(2), 177-191. Retrieved 5 8, 2022, from https://learntechlib.org/primary/p/4910
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