The Journey of a Virtual Field Trip

This week, our class took a virtual field trip as part of our engineering unit. We are studying how engineers work to solve problems. A fine example of this is the Bosco Verticale (Vertical Forest), tree-covered residential towers built to absorb air pollution in Italy. Episodic memories, created through elaborate memorable experiences, are more powerful than those stored in declarative and procedural memory, according to Orey (Laureate Education, 2015). Cognitive learning theory is applied through the combination of field trip and graphic organizer (shown above) with sketches and labels. The virtual field trip was very effective.

Reference:

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Spotlight on technology: Virtual field trips [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

The Journey to Understanding Behaviorism in Educational Technology

The behaviorist learning theory has a poor reputation among educators today, but if teachers take the time to understand it better, they will see that it provides a valuable underpinning to what they frequently do to meet the needs of their students. Behaviorism goes far beyond Pavlov (1928) and his salivating dogs. Each learner has a collection of unique experiences, strengths, and weaknesses, and according to Hickey (2014) is a “co-creator of knowledge” (p. 17). Behaviorism, when combined with instructional strategies and today’s technology, can help all students increase knowledge.

Behaviorism is based on operant conditioning, which predominantly uses reinforcement, according to Orey (Laureate Education, 2015). The behaviorist approach favors a single, correct answer for assessment questions (Keramida, 2015). This concept can be applied using technology to provide differentiation for learners at different stages of readiness. In the classroom, when working on telling time, for example, all student can practice by playing an online game. For those needing remediation, the settings are adjusted to half-hour increments, on-level students practice telling time to the minute, and more advanced students work on determining elapsed time. The fifth student standard of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE, 2016) is met by the students using digital resources to test their knowledge and to practice skills. The fifth teacher standard (ISTE, 2008) is met when teachers plan for the differing needs their learners present.

Formative assessment, another application of behaviorism, is an important aspect of student-centered learning. Teachers can use technology to create online quizzes to determine student application of knowledge and next steps for teaching. Plickers and Socrative provide data in my classroom on a regular basis. By collecting information to inform instruction, I am meeting the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE, 2008) Standard seven. Students who do not demonstrate mastery with the correct response are given additional instruction. This follows behaviorism in helping students to produce the desired action.

Asynchronous instruction is another way to use technology using a behaviorist approach of mostly one-way communication from teacher to learner (Hickey, 2014). This week, my students will be taking a virtual field trip to Italy. Rather than presenting the online trip to all students simultaneously, thereby keeping some students waiting while others complete the graphic organizer more slowly, students will take the trip asynchronously. Students can work at their own pace by playing and pausing the screencast as needed. The graphic organizer, an artifact of student learning, can be saved for review by the students at another time, providing another behaviorist use of technology (Laureate Education, 2015).

During our Genius Hour time, we will be applying behaviorist concepts. I will encourage students to learn to code. I will facilitate learning by meeting with students to discuss its real-world applications and assisting when they meet with challenges as they learn from Hour of Code or Khan Academy videos. Tutorials, such as the coding videos offered by Khan Academy (2018), are based on Skinner’s behaviorism model of programmed instruction (Laureate Education, 2015). Today’s online tools use branching theory but are based on Skinner’s programmed instruction (Keramida, 2015). In these instructional modules, students are recognized for their correct answer, or given additional instruction until they produce the desired result.

Behaviorism uses operant conditioning by providing positive reinforcement of the desired response (Laureate Education, 2015). In our class, students use often use the Seesaw app to demonstrate new skills. Teachers can use technology to offer feedback for effort, delivering positive reinforcement, and as well as providing examples of good work for other students (Pitler, Hubble, and Kuhn, 2012).

Today’s teachers use the behaviorist learning theory in many applications of educational technology. Behaviorism is valuable in its application of asynchronous learning, assessment of student knowledge, reinforcement of desired outcomes, and in providing positive feedback for learners.

References:

Hickey, G. (2014). The impact of learning philosophies on technology selection in education. Journal of Learning Design, 7(3), 16-22. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2008). Standards for teachers. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/standards-for-teachers

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2016). Standards for students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/standards/for-students-2016

Keramida, M. (2015, May 28). Behaviorism in instructional design for e-learning: when and how to use. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/behaviorism-in-instructional-design-for-elearning-when-and-how-to-use

Khan Academy. (2018). Learning programming on Khan Academy. Retrieved from https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-programming/programming/intro-to-programming/a/learning-programming-on-khan-academy

Laureate Education (Producer). (2015). Behaviorist learning theory [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

Pavlov, I. P. (1928). Lectures on conditioned reflexes: Twenty-five years of objective study of the higher nervous activity (behaviour) of animals. New York, NY: Liverwright Publishing Corporation. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Pitler, H., Hubbell, E. R., & Kuhn, M. (2012). Using technology with classroom instruction that works (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

The Journey to Meaningful Learning is through Engagement, Collaboration, and Efficacy

Learning theories are the backbone of effective teaching. Having a learning theory helps teachers develop strategies and objectives that will guide them in facilitating student learning (Kivunja, 2014).  Each teacher can combine parts of major learning theories such as cognitivism, constructivism, and social constructivism, and apply the resulting paradigm to their own students. My personal learning theory is that meaningful learning occurs when engagement, collaboration, and efficacy are all present. Without all three parts, learning is compromised, and teaching is therefore ineffective. The best way to achieve these three necessary parts is through technology.

The first facet, engagement, is necessary for meaningful learning because students thrive when immersed in learning (Laureate Education, 2015).  According to Orey (Laureate Education, 2015), a commonality between the behaviorism, cognitivism, constructionism, and social constructivism is that the learner is active. Without the learner’s active engagement, meaningful learning does not result.

The second element vital to student learning is collaboration. According to the social constructivist theory, students learn best when they interact with each other (Beaumie, 2010). Students take on ownership and develop self-worth by working together (Beaumie, 2010). Richardson (2015) implores teachers to have students collaborate outside the confines of the school. Vygotsky, a proponent of social learning, would suggest students work with those they can model themselves after (Lever-Duffy & McDonald, 2015).  Collaboration enriches a student’s learning experiences.

Priede and Vigule (2016) found that a student must feel that they have a “certain influence on the surrounding world” (p. 77). Students are motivated by having the power to affect situations they deem important. It is my belief that learning that lasts can be achieved when students are engaged, working in collaboration, and feeling empowered. I believe that all students can learn most effectively when all three characteristics of learning are combined.

In working towards my degree, specializing in educational technology integration, I have come to recognize the fundamental value of a technology-rich environment. Today’s students are tech-savvy, spending more time online than any before them. In 2015, 83% of children, age 3-18, used the internet at home, up from 2010 (NCES-National Center for Educational Statistics, 2017). Technology is part of almost every aspect of their experiences in the present world. Therefore, I believe it is essential to use technology to enhance learning and to give students the skills to learn with technology (International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), 2018). Every year, I will continue to seek more ways to use technology to teach students meaningful content in a way that promotes student engagement, collaboration, and efficacy.

My students have been using technology on a regular basis in a myriad of ways, including leveled instruction and practice, research, word processing, and presentations. This year, my third graders will begin blogging and using a class Twitter account. In both experiences, students are engaged by authentic audiences and feedback to their posts (Richardson, 2015). Additionally, technology provides engagement through opportunities for local and global problem solving (Sulla, 2018). According to Petty (2018), the ability to collaborate with peers and experts across the world.  Engagement can be attained with technology.

By next year, it is my plan that my students will digitally collaborate with partners at other schools across the United States and that they will reach out to experts for further information. Technology also affords students the ability to collaborate with classmates or to work asynchronously with people around the world. Digital choices exist that will help students reach goals with just right challenges, which can promote self-efficacy (Wang, 2010). My students regularly use technology to work on open-ended problem-based tasks where they seek ways to better the world, whether through writing, creating, giving, or researching.

All children can learn, and it is the teacher’s duty to prove this adage true for every student every year. An educator must create activities to facilitate learning, taking into account key differences including student readiness, culture, learning styles, interests and more (Laureate Education, 2016). Not accounting for these key individual factors will negate engagement because students will become frustrated. Collaboration cannot occur on an equal basis if students feel disrespected or academically inferior to their classmates. Students will not feel powerful if teachers see limitations instead of endless possibilities in all their students.  It is the mission of Walden University (n.d.) to promote social change through the university community. I extend positive social change by creating a class environment based on understanding, where students respect each other and embrace differences.

Although “currently, there is no complete, perfect theory of education,” according to Henson (2010, p. 180), each educator must create one that feels right for them. My personal learning theory is that meaningful learning requires engagement, collaboration, and efficacy and is best achieved with the support of technology.

References:

Beaumie, K. (2010). Social constructivism. In Orey, M. (Ed.). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved from http://textbookequity.org/Textbooks/Orey_Emergin_Perspectives_Learning.pdf

Henson, K.T. (2010). Curriculum planning: Integrating multiculturalism, constructivism, and education reform [Kindle edition]. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. 

International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2018). Standards for students. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/standards/for-students

Kivunja, C. (2014). Do you want your students to be job-ready with 21st century skills? Change pedagogies: A pedagogical paradigm shift from Vygotskyian social constructivism to critical thinking, problem solving and Siemens' digital connectivism. International Journal Of Higher Education, 3(3), 81-91.

Laureate Education. (2016a). RWRCOEL Diversity Proficiencies. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Lever-Duffy, J., & McDonald, J. (2015). Teaching and learning with technology (custom edition for Perdue University) [etextbook]. Boston, MA: Pearson Education.

NCES-National Center for Educational Statistics. (2017). Children’s access to and use of the internet. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cch.asp 

Petty, B. (2018). Illuminate: Technology enhanced learning. San Diego, CA: EdTechTeam Press.

Richardson, W. (2015). From master teacher to master learner. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.