Technology in Education

WALDEN UNIVERSITY Ed.D. Program Certification of Authorship: I certify that I am the author of this paper and that any assistance I received in its preparation is fully acknowledged and disclosed in the paper. I also have cited any sources from which I used data, ideas, or words, either quoted directly or paraphrased. I certify that this paper was prepared by me specifically for the purpose of this assignment, as directed. Introduction The use of technology in education has seen an increase since the eighteenth century. With the inception of President George W. Bush 's "No Child Left Behind" Act, technology will continue to be the focus of lawmakers and educators. From the early uses of Blackboards to textbooks and the Internet, technology has been an integral part of classroom instruction. Theories on learning have been around for many years. Many schools of thought have been argued. These theories strived to explain how people acquired and constructed learning. Among the most highly recognized theories are Behaviorism and Constructivism Learning Theories. Behaviorism is a learning theory that stated that learning can be molded by external factors through positive and negative reinforcement or by repetitive tasks. Theorist like John B. Watson, Ivan Pavlov, B.F. Skinner argued that learning is therefore defined as a change in behavior in the learner. Constructivism is rooted in the thought that the learner is the constructor of information. The information constructed is linked to the learner 's prior knowledge on a given subject or experience. As Karen Shaw (2005) reported in,"A Constructivist Model for Thinking About Learning Online," all learning is therefore intimately tied to experience and the contexts of experience, no matter how or where that learning takes place." Compare Learning Theories: Constructivist Perspective Use of technology from the behaviorist perspective mirrors traditional classroom Conclusion References

References: Brush, T., & Bannon, S. (1998). Characteristics of technology leaders: A survey of school administration in the United States. International Studies in Educational Administration, 26(2), 47-56.