Orey (2012) provided
that constructionism, originated by Seymour Papert, means allowing students to
get involve and start building stuff.
Papert asserted that students use artifacts to help them build, develop
and learn. This type of learning focuses on the individual learner and what’s
going on in that individual’s mind as they construct. If students are engaged
in learning something deeply enough, student achievement will improve. The
instructional strategy, “Generating and Testing Hypothesis” relates to
constructionist type learning because Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, and Malenosk
(2007) described it as being “engaged in mental processes, applying content
knowledge like facts and vocabulary, and enhancing their overall understanding
of the content” (p. 202). Moreover, just like when a constructionist uses an
artifact to construct, the Generating and Testing instructional strategy can
use technologies like spreadsheet software, data collection tools and web
resources to interpret and gather data to enable the student to construct and
build.
The
project-based learning tool that I explored was the wiki, used during the Flat
Classroom project. One of the required outcomes for the Flat Classroom projects
included a personal multimedia response (digital story/video). Therefore, the
students used the wiki to coordinate and collaborate when making this video.
Additionally, the use of the wiki correlates to the generating and testing hypotheses
instructional strategy because during the project we collected data from the
wiki and used spreadsheet software when conducting the quantitative analysis.
Laureate
Education, Inc. Orey (2011). Program seven: Constructionist and constructivist
learning theories [Video webcast]. Bridging learning theory, instruction and
technology. Retrieved from http://laureate.ecollege.com/
Pitler,
H., Hubbell, E.R., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K. (2007). Using Technology with
Classroom Instruction that Works. Denver, CO: Mid-continent Research for
Education and Learning.
Hi Craig
ReplyDeleteI just typed several paragraphs and then your spam detector was too hard to read and it all was lost! I am so sad.
So, here goes again- I suppose it will be better this time as I will summarise!
I enjoyed the way you connected the hypothesis testing strategy with the strategy/s of creating artifacts. That makes sense to me.
I wanted to let you know I have selected a webquest to try! It is a simple one to start - poetry. I chose it beacuse it matches with an artifact we already create (poetry anthology) but adds a new layer to the process of collecting poems.
I also am lookig forward to trying the voicethread. Have you used one before?
Lisa
Hello Lisa! Thanks for the feedback and sorry about my spam detector. I've lost information like that before so I know how you feel. As far as the voicethread, I'm sorry but I haven't used that before. I've heard about it but never used it. From this course and what I've heard, it's suppose to be engaging so I think it will serve the purpose. Good luck and I look forward to hearing how it went.
DeleteCraig
Hi Craig,
ReplyDeleteI was thinking that I had a different understanding of the role of an artifact in constructionist learning theory, but I think I can make your definition work for me with a small addition. I understood that the artifact is what the scudents create as an end product of learning. I wasn't thinking that students use the artifact to create something else. But I suppose that the students do use the artifacts to create understanding.
And Lisa, if the captcha image is too difficult to read, and I have that same problem frequently, there is a circular arrow that looks like the refresh icon on the web browser that will give you a different image to try and decipher. I have also noticed that the images edublogs uses are much easier to read.
Tracy
Hi Tracy,
DeleteThanks for the tip! I was wondering if my eyes were beginning to go.
Lisa
P.S. so cool you know what the proper term for that image is!
Hello Tracy,
DeleteYes, the artifacts can be used to create understanding. Another example is where researching how eReaders (Technology) impact student acheivement. Good luck with your projects!
Craig