Monday, August 24, 2009

LOO 880 Learning Theory for Computers and Education

This site is the workplace for students of the Sudan University of Science and Technology working towards their Masters Degree in Computers for Education.

Rationale
Students should be able to defend their teaching approach and their selection of technology and methodology based on solid theoretical foundations of teaching and learning.


Outcomes
At the end of this course students should be able to:
Define and defend behaviourism and constructivism as contemporary learning theories.
Formulate heuristics to determine the best match between technology and methodology within each one of the two theoretical foundations.
Explain the value of computers for individual learning.
Define cooperative learning and show how computers can facilitate it.
Position themselves in terms of the debate on the influence of media on learning.


Learning tasks
Individual task 1

Read the article by Cronje (2006) and develop a spreadsheet that will measure the extent to which a learning event or lesson was presented along behaviourist or constructivist lines.
Use the spreadsheet to evaluate a lesson that you developed and presented in any of the previous modules.
Write up your findings in an essay of 1000 words.
Due date: Monday 31 August

Individual task 2
Conduct intelligent searches on the Internet, as well as in the University Library Catalogue for references on learning theory, individualized learning, constructivist learning, and behaviourism.
Make a database in XML that you populate with full references of articles, and significant quotes.
The database should be relational.
One section of the database should contain information about the author(s), date, publication, etc.
The related section of the database should contain a selection of quotations from the sources that you have found.

Special buttons should allow you to search through the database to reveal:
What does individual learning bring to computers?
What do computers bring to individualized learning?
What does constructivism bring to computers?
What do computers offer to constructivism?
What does behaviourism bring to computers?
What do computers offer to behaviourist learning?

Load your database onto the Internet and put the link on your blog by the due date.
Due date: Monday 21 September


Team tasks


Due Date: Tuesday 6 October


Team Clark and Team Kozma
Read the arguments for and against your specific theorist and defend his perspective in a debate against the opposing team.


Team Behaviourism and Team Constructivism
Investigate the advantages and disadvantages of both behaviourism and constructivism, and debate against the other side that behaviourism and computers make the best combination for optimal learning; or that constructivism and computers make the best combination for optimal learning.


Team Individual and Team cooperative
Investigate the advantages and disadvantages of both individual learning and cooperative learning, and debate against the other side that computers are best for individual learning, or that computers are best for cooperative learning.


References
Alessi, S. M. & Trollip, S. R. (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Clarke, R.E. (1994) Media will never influence learning. Educational Technology Research and Development 42(2) 21-30.
Cronjé, J.C. (2006) Paradigms Regained: Toward Integrating Objectivism and Constructivism in Instructional Design and the Learning Sciences, Educational Technology Research and Development, 54(4) 387 – 416
Kozma, R.B. (1994). Will Media Influence Learning? Reframing the Debate. Educational Technology Research and Development, (42)2, 7-20.
Further references:
Previous M.Ed CIE course links: http://hagar.up.ac.za/catts/ole/lro/lroref.html
Various articles will be sent to you from time to time. These need to be included in your database.


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