Bransford, John D.; Brown, Ann L.; Cocking, Rodney R. (2000)
Technology to Support Learning
In Bransford, John D.; Brown, Ann L.; Cocking, Rodney R. (Eds.), How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, pp. 206–230
Google this publication · ScholarGoogle this publication · Google its collection · ScholarGoogle its collection · Find collection at Amazon.com
Related Topics: Tools for Communication and Collaboration
Review by: Reichert, Raimond (2004-08-23)
The book, How People Learn, summarizes many research results on the processes of learning in an easy-to-read and broadly understandable format. Chapter Nine, Technology to Support Learning, illustrates with many examples that technology has great potential to enhance student achievement if (and only if) it is used appropriately.
Two kinds of new curricula are discussed, both addressing ways to bring real-world problems into the classroom. The first kind of new curricula involves interactive learning environments which allow students, for example, to explore simulated real-world problems. The second kind of new curricula connects students with working scientists and / or with students at different institutions. The GLOBE project is mentioned as an example, where thousands of students submit atmospheric, hydrological and other data about their local environments to a central database which all students and also scientists can then access.
New software tools for educational purposes make it possible for people to perform and learn in far more complex ways than ever before. For example, computer scaffolding enables students to do more advanced activities than they could without such help. The STELLA modelling environment is cited as an example of an educational tool that has been applied in a variety contexts.
Software tools can help teachers and peers to give feedback. One example is the CoVis project which provides students with collaborative notebooks which scaffold their thinking by making structures of arguments explicit. In other examples, software tools themselves provide the learners with feedback. As an example, an electronics troubleshooting simulation is discussed where users diagnose problems in complex systems involving thousands of parts.
Technology can help connect classrooms to their communities, for example, by providing parents with easily accessible information on what is going on at school. This is still a relatively new phenomenon, and not too many studies explore this application of technology.
The book provides many pointers to seminal publications further reading on a broad range of topics, one of which is technology for supporting learning. Many interesting examples help make the point that technology can, if used appropriately, indeed make a difference in teaching and learning.