Theoretical perspectives influencing the use of information technology in teaching and learning
C. Dede
Historically, educational technology and pedagogy are in a perpetual search for the "silver bullet" to solve education's problems. The unshakable belief that each new interactive media is the solution, creates high hope in educators and students. According to Dede the big hang up is that old content and pedagogy in new instructional technologies does not produce major gains in effectiveness. Further, education is an organic person to person experience and the field of instructional design must recognize and integrate pedagogical models that apply technology with these considerations in mind.
Constructivist learning styles utilize student centered activities that compel them to manipulate, process and actively create individual meaning from the content. Mobile devices can be facilitated in such a way to support this kind of learning environment. Teacher centered didactic learning models of direct instruction are not that compatible with fully utilizing the inherent potential of mobile device. Mobile devices are very student centered devices. Pedagogies can be crafted to make that student centered engagement with a device educationally beneficial, measurable and social to support group and whole class understanding. I feel the initial stages of mobile device integration will supplement direct instruction and other traditional pedagogical models.
Information and communication technologies (ICT) are best understand as a tool in the classroom to aid with student engagement, communicating content, exchanging ideas / information and assessing students. ICT in classrooms today with the greatest benefit are mobile devices such as tablets, phones and laptops. The inherent strength of these tools at this point are for information gathering and communication of ideas and content. I believe that to effectively integrate mobile devices into the classroom a much more organic, student centered, investigative, open ended approach to classroom design must be made. Educators can play off the strengths that contemporary mobil devices offer. Which are collaborative, student centered yet socially engaged with course content.
I'm intrigued by your comment about maintaining the organic nature of learning simultaneously with the further integration of (mobile) devices. I like the idea of maintaining the organic person-to-person experience, as it is part of what makes teaching relevant. There's probably no one answer to this, but how do you see mobile devices facilitating or augmenting this aspect of teaching? Do you think this will change the role of the instructor in the classroom (e.g., like in flipped classrooms)?
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