EDLD 5364 Wk. 1-Assignment

What I Learned this Week-EDLD 5364 This week’s videos and readings focused on three different learning theories related to teaching with technology.  While reading and watching videos about the theories, I was able to reflect on how I used technology in the classroom.  Sharing these theories would be a great way to convince the reluctant teachers to use technology in the classroom. The Constructivism Theory is the one I can relate to the most because it is based on a learner-centered classroom.  I tried to relate each lesson to the students’ personal experiences by providing opportunities to learn from a variety of sources. The Connectivism Theory focuses on the “changing nature of knowledge.” (Siemens, G.)  It talks about how “we rely more and more on a network model of learning.  The connections the learners make themselves, with others and with database is the primary point of learning.”  (Siemens, G.).  This theory says the connections are internal and external.  The learners can control the external connections because they make their own choices.  Because knowledge is rapidly evolving, the learner needs to stay current with learning in order to keep up. The Cyborg Theory was pretty weird to me.  I guess I’m not quite ready to accept that a chip can be implanted in my brain and I function somewhat like a robot.  This theory wants us to move away from being just regular humans into being more robotic.  This theory is waiting on the day that we “link ourselves to technology.” (Warwirk, K.).  They believe cyborg evolution will lead to a completely different type of education.  They hope that one day, for example, we won’t have to go on vacation.  We can have the image of that in our mind and have the experiences as if we were there. All three theories were interesting to read about and have one very important thing in common in my opinion, and that is the integration of technology as a tool to enhance learning. Resources: Citation: Abbott, J. (nd). Building Knowledge: Constructivism in Learning. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F00R3pOXzuk Citation: Southwest Educational Development Laboratory, (1999). Learning as a personal event: A brief introduction to constructivism. Retrieved from http://www.sedl.org/pubs/tec26/intro2c.html Citation: Siemens, G. (nd). The Changing Nature of Knowledge  [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMcTHndpzYg Citation: Warwirk, K. (nd). Cyborg Life [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB_l7SY_ngI