Topic: Unit II The Synergy of Technology with Basic Learning

Theories, Principles and Practices

Introduction
Quality teaching and learning is the outcome of the interplay of many
forces. These include learning theories and principles, educational
technology and content as related to the characteristics of growth and
development. It takes intelligent decision to be able to integrate, coordinate
and synchronize their proven contributions to provoke the most effective
teaching-learning.
Synergy Defined
Synergy is compounded words taken from synchronize and energy
which can be stated also as synchronized energy. The term is rather long
though so some parts are clipped to come up with the new term, synergy.
This implies that energy comes from various sources or factors which are
made to act simultaneously upon a certain teaching and learning situation.
This has been taken to mean that the effect of the individual factors or
sources becomes more pronounced and felt if they are in operation at the
same time rather than if they act singly one after the other. This is in line
with Gestalt Psychology, which states that the sum of the whole is greater
than the sum of aggregate parts.
Synergy in teaching and learning involves the concerted effects of
many factors like methodologies and strategies of teaching, principles of
teaching and learning, application of appropriate educational technology
and evaluative materials which are appropriate to the content.
The concern therefore of the teacher is how to create a synergy among
the different factors with educational technology. The teacher should know
what ICT tools are appropriate for certain content, methodology or strategy
so that the preset objectives shall be achieved. It must be noted that the
pedagogy should be the one to dictate the method.
Technology and the Development of 21st Century Skills
A comprehensive understanding of the complemental and
supplemental relationship between education and technology is very
important to convince teachers and students to use technology as a tool for
teaching and learning.
Since the basic function of the teacher is to facilitate learning and to
develop independent learners who will turn out to be lifelong learners with
the aid of technology, teachers must be well trained to integrate technology
fully well. One of such skill is to use technology to develop among the
students the 21st century skills. These skill are important as they can be the
gauge that authentic learning has taken place and that the students had
transformed from being sponge-minded or passive learners to creative,
critical and analytical thinkers.
Digital Age Literacy Skills
This means the ability to use the computer and its various applications
to search, process, organize and present information. The students
should not just be mere computer literate: he/she should be fluent so
as to allow him to work on the computer, particularly with ease and
confidence. He should know the appropriate software to use for a
particular project.

Digital literacy can also prepare the students to learn even after school
as learning is not co-terminus with schooling. He can be an
independent life-long learner.
Effective Communication Skills
Communication is a reciprocal influence of man which maybe face to
face or thru different media. It is the sharing of information, thoughts,
feelings and emotions, a process of encoding and decoding ideas and
concepts. One such powerful medium is the computer and its
applications.
To promote effective communication, the teacher can enhance the
skills of students by guiding them to surf the internet. She should teach
them to evaluate and choose a web site which is credible and
authentic. The site should be informative, factual, posted by known
organizations, institutions or authors, no bias and with related links. It
must be updated.
The teacher must also teach the students to process the information
they obtain from the internet.
Critical Thinking Skills
This involves the higher order thinking skills like analysis, synthesis
and evaluation (Blooms Taxonomy). Activities or questions must be
planned so as to enable the students to transcend from low level
thinking to the more advanced level. It is only when students develop a
critical mind that he/she can become creative and dynamic in solving
day to day problems and in coming out with innovations to promote
progress.
High Productivity Skills
Thru technology, teachers students can accomplish more targets
because it facilitates the execution of the different learning processes
such as providing information, explanation of concepts, illustrating
principles, giving examples, outlining procedures, demonstrating
processes, advancing arguments, highlighting points, asking questions,
giving feedbacks, exchanging ideas and performing tasks.
Using technology, one can work faster and accurately, and can design
projects with aesthetics impressions. One can accomplish much in so
short a time not only in relation to teaching and learning but also along
areas in practical life.
Societal Value Skills
This involves the development of favorable relationship and concern
for the welfare of others. Teaching and learning must not be purely
technology driven, it must still be based on the needs and problems of
the learners or the students during a specific stage of their
development.
As teachers use technology for teaching, she must alo be aware of
social issues incuding the recognition and understanding of legal and
moral codes like copyright and intellectual property rights, the
promotion of a healthy attitude towards the use of technology and the
proper monitoring of internet use to safeguard the development of
negative if not scandalous behavior. Teachers should build a
partnership with parents so that they, too, can monitor the use of
technology by their children as they can be vulnerable in visiting sites
which are not suited to their age.

Basic Learning Theories vis a vis Technology Application

A. Constructivist Theory
This theory underscored that learning is an active process where
learners acquire and construct new ideas or concepts based on their
past or current knowledge and experiences (Brunner, 1986 cited by
Madarcos, 2003). Individual learners make new choices about what
ideas or concepts they should accept to fit into their established views
of work, play, politics, business, occupations, values and relationships.
The previous knowledge, concepts and views of students about an
issue or issues are the starting point of learning.
To create a synergy of basic learning theories and educational
technology, teachers should be grounded with specific pedagogical
approaches and strategies
B. Cognitive Learning Theory
This was popularized by Piaget. The term cognitive comes from
the Latin word cognoscere, which means the act or process of knowing.
Cognition therefore involves the higher mental processes like thinking,
reasoning, judging, inferring, interpreting, classifying and the like.
2 Fundamental Characteristics of Cognitive Functioning:
Organization is the systematic arranging of perceptual and cognitive
information into meaningful patterns called cognitive structures. It is
actually putting the information, concepts and ideas gained together
and relating them into internally organized wholes.
Adaptation is the process thru which the person seeks an equilibrium
or balance between what he/she perceives, knows and understands.
This involves assimilation, which is the process of fitting what is
perceived and experienced into existing cognitive structures.
Educational technology will provide them manipulative as well as
cognitive experience where their critical thinking, creativity, aesthetic
sense, independence and resourcefulness come into play. These traits
are the basics of permanent learning or lifelong learning which should
be the end of the teaching-learning process.
C. Systematic Behavior Theory
According to this theory, behavior involves an interaction between
stimuli in the environment and the responses which the organism
makes towards the stimuli. This is the reinforcement which means that
any set of condition which when applied properly reinforces learning. It
states that the quantity of exposure or experiences that learners have
on a particular activity can facilitate their perception and
understanding of various stimuli in their environment. This is especially
true if they are actively involved in all experiences.
Basic Principles of Teaching and Educational Technology
The basic principle of teaching has been considered as the yardstick of
effective teachers. These are the various basic principles as outlined by
Gregorio (1976):
Principle of Active Involvement
This implies that for learning to take place, the student must be
focused or engaged directly with the activity or task where he may
draw knowledge, concepts, principles, attitudes, skills or habits. This is

in consonance with the principle of self-activity by Froebel which states

that learning is the result of the activity of the child himself. The
student should take an active role in the search for knowledge. He
should contribute his idea or concepts to solve issues.
With educational technology, students can be given various
materials from realia to contrived experiences; from pictures to
worksheets; projectors and computers and software to keep them
engaged and active in the quest for knowledge
Principle of Connectivity
This involves the building of relationships or linkages between and
among experiences. Learning is not seen as compartmentalized or
isolated concerns of the organism. This is meaningless unless a new
experience is related to the existing experiences of the individual and
is of use to real life situation. In fact the process of connectivity
facilitates remembering of names, dates, events, issues, processes,
including spelling, number combinations, grammatical relationship and
formula in mathematics.
The youth of today has that unique orientation to technology. It
becomes their focus of interest. Therefore, the teacher should provide
them opportunities to use technology to increase their performance.
Principle of Integration
This refers to the organization or putting together diverse
elements to form a unified and harmonious whole. The students should
be able to combine his previous experiences together in meaningful
patterns of understanding and application. One must be able to see the
similarities and differences of ideas, concepts, and issues including
various phenomena.
Principle of Intention (Motivation and Interest)
Learning does not take place unless the student has a purpose or
intention for undertaking the activity. He must have a clear idea as to
why he must do certain activities. In other words, learning is not by
accident, learning is intentionally undertaken; there is a purpose for
doing the activities to bring about the desired change in the behavior
of the learner. Learning becomes a personal affair because the will to
learn is largely dependent upon the intensity of the learners purpose
or goal.
Teacher must help the student create the need to perform and
once the need is created, it must be properly communicated to all of
them so that they are aware of the direction at which the activity is
heading to.
Principle of Creativity and Innovation
This refers to the ability to produce an original concept or idea
and translate it to some forms of expression. When some aspects are
changed to pave the way for the introduction of new aspects, the
original piece is transformed to something new. Creativity is shown in
this situation.
Creativity is a special talent, which most students and pupils
have. These are just waiting to be developed and appreciated. Give
students the chance to produce some projects involving educational
technology.
Principle of Discovery

This is what psychologists term as the Aha experience.

Students are elated at the thought of being able to discover by
themselves the solutions to the problems related to their topics and
assignments. They feel so accomplished if they are able to discover a
process, a relationship or a pattern of behavior with the least
assistance from their teacher. This is a situation where genuine
learning happens. The cognitive and affective states of the students
are being involved and so the impact is very strong.
With ICT as tools for learning, students can be afforded with
limitless discoveries. Aside from the vast information that can be
gathered from the web, they can also get vast presentation formats in
software which can enhance their learning. They may learn to
collaborate with their counterparts in the world thru chat or e-mail.
They can access the works of others and learn from them. They can
also form a network and be a part of the communities of learning.
Principle of Socialization
Learning promotes the acquisition of habits, attitudes, knowledge
and skills necessary for the smooth integration of the individual into
the larger society. One very important aspect of this integration is the
development of positive values and good human relationships because
to live is to be with people.
According to Essentialism, the school must be structured as a
miniature society where students learn the basics of living effectively
in ones own milieu. Therefore, the content, the technology used in
teaching and learning, methods and strategies should be relevant to
the development of basic skills necessary for the socialization of the
individual.
One pedagogical approach relevant to the use of technology to
promote social skills is cooperative learning. Here the individuals are
divided into small groups and together they work on certain problems
or issues. The aim is to persuade students to collaborate with each
other, to work harmoniously together, and to become responsible for
each other. They learn to deal with each other no matter what abilities
and status in life they may have.
Principle of Understanding
One cannot learn anything unless he/she comprehends the
situation, the process, the concept, the philosophy and the meaning of
the learning tasks. Understanding is seeing relationship, the
differences and or similarities of events and processes and how they
affect his life as a student. It is building relationships with what the
students already knows and understands so that he can have a clearer
grasp of the tasks on hand. Activities must be organized in such a way
that they are suited to the learners maturation, vocabulary level,
background of experiences, and their way of thinking. If activities are
fully understood and challenging enough to promote higher thinking
order thinking skills, the learners will learn faster and better.
The use of ICT tools will facilitate the understanding of concepts
because thru it these can be concretized. Educational technology can
also recreate history and make event available in the classroom.
Principle of Cooperative Process
Learning is more impressive if the students or the pupils share in
planning and organizing the learning activities with the guidance of the

teacher. If the pupils take part in the planning, they feel that they
belong and they, too, take the responsibility in implementing the plan.
The pupils share in researching and reporting findings in answer to the
specific learning problems. Cooperation promotes a feeling of
togetherness and belongingness. Sharing of responsibilities is insured,
group morale is high, motivation is intense, and learning is effective.