Page 58 - Educational Technology A Primer for the 21st Century

46 2 Learning in the Context of Technologies
(3) From the 1980s, constructivism started to become dominant. Interactive
multimedia, Internet, and other modern technologies were applied in teaching and
learning. In the technology-supported learning environments, learners could con-
struct their knowledge actively in interaction with the environment and through the
reorganization of their mental structures.
(4) With the rapid development of information technology, MOOCs, social
networking, cloud computing, etc., are widely used in teaching and learning. The
connection between people and people, people and knowledge, knowledge and
knowledge changed from ideal to reality. MOOCs are used in distance education
which were first introduced in 2006 and emerged as a popular mode of learning in
2012 (Lewin, 2013). It is an online course aimed at unlimited participation and
open access via the Web (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2016). Learning analytics is the use
of intelligent data, learner-produced data, and analysis models to discover infor-
mation and social connections for predicting and advising people’s learning (Sie-
mens, 2010).
Information technology has become an important tool of education, and it is not
only rich in information resources, but also can extend human capacity and expand
the social environment of supporting learning. The history of technology and
learning theory’s development reflects an evolution from individual toward com-
munity learning, from content-driven learning toward process-driven approaches,
from isolated media toward integrated use, from presentation media toward inter-
active media, from learning settings dependent on place and time toward ubiquitous
learning, and from fixed tools toward handheld devices.
In the future, with the development of information technology, learning theories
will be improved and developed further. The theories of instructional design will be
more mature and more scientific. The practice of educational technology will
promote the continuous development of the learning theory and will promote each
other.
Key Points in This Chapter

1. Learning theories are conceptual frameworks describing how knowledge is
absorbed, processed, and retained during learning. In the process of designing
and developing instructional systems, learning environments and learning
activities relevant to learning theories and psychological perspectives include
behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism, connectivism, and humanism.
2. The major idea of behaviorism includes: (1) The learning process is a gradual
attempt and error until the consistent success is attained. (2) The key to learning
success depends on reinforcement. (3) Learning involves a stimulus–response
sequence.
3. The nine instructional events include: gain attention, inform learners of objec-
tives, stimulate recall of prior knowledge, present the content, provide guidance
for learning, elicit performance “practice,” provide informative feedback, assess
performance test, and enhance retention and transfer.