Jerry Gile jtg@dana.ucc.nau.edu
Submitted as a partial requirement for ETC 677

               In order for a society to be successful, the learners and teachers of a society must be successful.  Those who enable the learners or teach should not only have the appropriate tools, by the understanding of how to use them properly.  Learning and teaching require both tools and models in which to use them.  The tools can be as simple as chalk, slate or a book and as complicated as a virtual city simulation on the Internet composed of different community groups separated across the world.  The tools themselves are not going to create the knowledge in students by themselves; it is the models that enable the tools to be used with purpose and success.  These models of learning and their relationship to the new field of On-Line Learning are quite interesting and very important to our society's role as a leader and technological power.  With the advent of tools such as computers and the Internet, the extent of learning can be exponentially great!  However, educators have a need to gain a better understanding of the basic principals of learning in order the effectively use these tools.  If new tools are not incorporated with a logical purpose and a means for the student to receive some sort of feedback, disaster is sure to follow.  A student is less likely to consider the full value of the tool after experiencing failure without feedback as to why the failure occurred.

 There are two basic theories that are crucial to the understanding of methods of the learners.  One is Constructionism or Constructivism (the difference being that with the “v” the learner is creating the knowledge by the learner not teacher and with Ann” implies that the knowledge is something that can be shared  (Examining an Interactive Model of Learning for Telecommunication Instruction Gary Tucker and Ann Batchelder 1998) and the other is Behavioralism.  Constructionism is broken down into two arenas.  One, Constructionism, is people actually building ideas from their own experiences.  The other concept is Distributed Constructionism or Constructivism, in which the constructs of learning are a collaborative effort by persons interacting with others and their environment (Distributed Constructionism, Resnick 1996).  Both areas are pertinent to creating a sense of ownership and active participation by the learner.  The value of ownership in the context of learning is paramount in motivating the student to pursue knowledge and to collaborate with other learners.  Participation is the engaging force that drives students to explore knowledge and ideas of their peers. Behavioralism is a very old sense of knowledge.  It is the basis of the old standby of teachers pouring the knowledge into the minds of the students. It can be likened to the concept of conditioning in which a subject will respond to a cue, such as a dog salivating after hearing a bell ring due to it being conditioned to being fed after hearing a bell (Behaviorism As A Learning Theory, Erika Black June 13,1995).  This is still a valid form of learning, but appropriate to concepts that require more reactive skills than cognitive ones.

The integration of computers and Online Learning into the classroom is a great step in the evolution of education.  Computers are powerful tools with very diverse areas of application.  The instructor who will be incorporating computers into his or her classroom must take on a great deal of work at the beginning.  The must pick the particular subject in which they wish to utilize the new tool.  In the past the computers were commonly only used in classes specific unto themselves (i.e. programming), today they can assist in the teaching of any curriculum with the appropriate teaching models and a lot of hard work from the educator. The computer is usable in both worlds of Teaching models ( Behavioral and Constructionism ).  The use may be as simple game that develops the behavioral skills in mathematics or an Online simulated polity that engages many students into the workings of a city government with students of different classes or even different schools.   These models must be not only created but they must also be  tested, and developed as the learning takes place.  There will always be the possibility of making the application of tools better and more productive (Models of Teaching 1996, Bruce Joyce and Marsha Weil).

 The use of computers and the development of online learning is a open door to a more effective society.  The online learning can assist in reaching those who might not otherwise be included due to physical boundaries, cultural boundaries or economics  (Social Constructionism and the Inner City, Alan Shaw) .  This tool can create a cohesive world community by bringing person together to work collaboratively who otherwise might not even know of the other's existence.  The economical boundaries that typically create the unspoken barrier between persons would become transparent.  I feel that students who develop knowledge together are more likely to respect one another and work more effectively in society.  Instead of the idea that the computers will create a deficit in social skills, I believe that if used appropriately they can enhance and even help nurture those necessary skills.
 

References:

Online:

Alan Shaw (no date available)   Social Constructionism and the Inner City
http://el.www.media.mit.edu/people/acs/introduction.html

Gary Tucker and Ann Batchelder, 1998.Examining an Interactive Model of Learning for Telecommunication Instruction,
http://www.coe.uh.edu/insite/elec_pub/HTML1998/re_tuck.htm

Resnick, 1996. Distributed Constructionism
http://el.www.media.mit.edu/groups/el/Papers/mres/Distrib-Construc/Distrib-Construc.html

Erika Black, June 13,1995.  Behaviorism As A Learning Theory
http://129.7.160.115/inst5931/Behaviorism.html
 

Book:

Bruce Joyce and Marsha Weil   Models of Teaching, Allyn & Bacon 1996.