Phong: Assignment 1

1. what did you find

1.1. interesting about the article? I find that the assertion that new educational technologies requires new strategies for content delivery structuring as the most interesting point of this article; particularly the practical application of this principle through the growth and reseeding model of knowledge construction.

1.2. not interesting about the article? The article was compact and as a result all points were interesting and relevant.

2. what do you consider the main message of the article? The article main message is that new computational technologies provides an opportunity to re-conceptualizes the structure and process of education. Specifically, increasingly society needs to move from a broadcast model where a teacher transmits knowledge to students to a collaborative model where a community of learners work together to construct new knowledge. Furthermore, learning is no longer circumscribed by biological stages of life but now extend throughout human life-span. Finally, knowledge is increasingly distributed where no single human being can possess complete knowledge about any topic. Thus, educational strategies must be mindful of these trends.

3. click on one of the words in blue and see what happens? Clicking on the words in blue takes the viewer to a glossary.

3.1. is this feature useful? Yes.

3.2. in which other situations have you encountered this feature? no.

4.1.2. Piaget: no

4.1.3. Papert: no.

4.1.4. Illich: no

4.1.5. Vygotsky: no.

4.1.6. Dewey: no.

4.1.7. ignore Taylor

4.2. select one of the six: Vygotsky

4.2.1. in case you know something ‡ write a paragraph what she/he has contributed to a deeper understanding of learning?

4.2.2. in case you do not know something, find out something about her/him ‡ write a paragraph what she/he has contributed to a deeper understanding of learning?

Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky was a Russian developmental psychologist (1896-1934) who developed the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) with regard to children's learning. ZPD is bounded on the lower end by what a child can learn unaided and is bounded on the upper end by what a child can learn with appropriate support. Researchers term this concept scaffolding and is often used in the field of education. Furthermore, researchers often acknowledge Vygotsky's contributions to the sociocultural approach to human development. Under this framework, each individual's cognitive ability is a direct result of social interaction with others to created shared knowledge; indeed, it takes a village to raise a child.

5. identify one website (and mention the URL) which you consider interesting and relevant for “learning”! Write a one paragraph justification!

I check the New York Times web site (www.nytimes.com) most days to find the latest news and information. Given the substantial information overload I find that the New York Times in invaluable in filtering, editing, and presenting the relevant information in the visual style and the textual language that I prefer. It also present the necessary background information to aid my understanding and in most cases provides the relevant links for deeper exploration of the topic.