Constructivism Paper

As a whole, the Internet is a vast learning center if used correctly. It is more appealing to the eye, and is much more efficent to access information. As Tim Wilson, a technology-intergration specialist states, "...how do we communicate with students today who have grown up with technology..." (Source B). Teachers have lost hope with students over

Their primary findings was that participation and communication is certainly a requirement for successful completion of online courses. When instructors are involved and encourage students to participate it motivates students to not give up or drop the class. They were able to classify students into different categories, and they found these types of students in the online class:

Beaudoin (2002) and Sutton (2001) suggested that students can learn sufficiently by observing (L. Nagel, A.S. Blignaut and J.C. Cronje, 2009). Research by Nagel, Blinaught, & Cronje (2007); Rovai & Barnum (2003) Klemm (1998), indicate that participation is vital to be a successful online student.

The Internet provides learners and trainers with the ability to access large amounts of information quickly and easily. Turning this information into a valuable learning resource requires organisation, planning, and careful selection of material. Trainers/Tutors should select websites that are appropriate to the needs of their learners and that support the objectives of the curriculum. Learners should be encouraged to develop a variety of analytical, searching and critical thinking skills and strategies to become confident and competent users of the Internet. Selected websites will need to be revisited regularly, however, to ensure that the content and/or the URL have not changed.

There are many characteristics for online learners. My characteristics are scared, overwhelmed, and excited all in the same breath. However there are three main characteristics found in every person, entry characteristics, participation behaviors, and course outcomes. Such characteristics can be broken down into age, race, gender, and employment status. Although these are the main characteristics found in this article, I think there are much more to the characteristics to online learners then meet the eye. (British Journal of Education Vol 44

This section of the encyclopedia talks about what students and teachers can contribute to online learning environment. It talks about who the average online learner is and the online relationship between the student and the teacher, and the student and their peers. Above all the author stresses that thinking differently is important to make online education work.

Scheidet, R.A. (2003). Improving Student Achievement by Infusing a Web-Based Curriculum into Global History. Journal Of Research on Technology in Education. International Society for Technology in Education, 36(1), 77-94. Retrieved from: Ashford University Library

This course gave me the opportunity to rediscover and learn and understand my learning style and strategies. It provided me with a better understanding of the different learning styles and theories. What I found surprising was the fact that as an instructional designer you can increase the motivation level in the learner. Instruction designers can achieve learning environments and stimulate and sustain motivation, even though they cannot control it. The learner is the one responsible for their motivation, but it is clear that the environment can have a strong impact on both the direction and intensity of a person’s motivation. Furthermore, constructivism and social learning theories are very enlightening. The information of learning constructivist theories brings an understanding of the circumstance in which learning occurs and the social contexts that learners bring to the learning environment. The learning theories give a good foundation on the academic level and developments in the motivational research area, and the ARCS Model makes it possible to apply it to the online learning environment. I was also surprised to learn that I am also a social learner. I am a very private person and didn’t consider myself a social learner, however, I have learned that I enjoy more socializing in an online platform than in the classroom or a face-to-face contact. I also learned that I use

In this next section I will explain and give examples in contemporary literature of the Policy Feedback Theory and Social Construction Theory being applied in the U.S. political system. In “ Reconstituting the Submerged State: The Challenges of Social Policy Reform in the Obama Era”, Mettler applies the concept of the “submerged state” to explain the challenges President Barack Obama endured when trying to enact his social welfare policy agenda. The focuses of his social policies were tax expenditures, emphasis on higher education, and a reform on healthcare. Mettler defines a submerged state as, “ a conglomeration of existing federal policies that incentivize and subsidize the activities engaged in by private actors or individuals.” (803)

The internet and technology have been continually transforming the development of educators. In this age, the internet and technology are useful resources in the classroom. These resources allow for teachers to apply new ideas into the classroom, which allows for teachers to evaluate and analyze the impact of these resources. Like printed media and magazines, sources found on the internet have pros and cons. The effectiveness of the resources on the internet can vary depending on the needs of the user. It is important to look at a website in depth in order to judge the effectiveness of the website. Teachers, like students, need to learn and grow from their experiences, that is why it is important to check the effectiveness of a source before it is used in the class. Having access to so many websites

According to Young (2014), an effective learning environment is “an environment [that] provides relevant content, clear learning goals and feedback, opportunities to build social skills, and strategies to help students succeed”. Arbaugh (2000) stated that “instructor(s) effort to create an interactive classroom environment” was one of the most important factors in a classroom environment. Other important aspects to consider for online higher education classes are how difficult the ‘software course’ is, the flexibility of the classroom environment online, and occasionally ‘technological sophistication’ is required for ultimate classroom efficacy (Arbaugh, 2000). In an effective classroom environment, an interesting “two parallel process” takes place: there is a transformation in the students into active reflective learners, while both the students and teachers, through engaging more with technology, become better digital citizens (Office of Academic Planning and Assessment, n.d), thus this a component that online classroom environments should try to emulate to reach their effective potential. Essentially, the accessibility of online classroom, frequency of classes, consistency of curriculum with digital resources, and pedagogy are some of the most critical aspects found in effective classroom environments (Office of Academic Planning and Assessment, n.d; Allan and Clarke, 2007; Arbaugh, 2000). Moreover, a study conducted by the University of Alberta (Garrison, D., Anderson, T. & Archer, W.; 1999) found that there are “three elements essential to an education transaction”: cognitive presence, social presence, and teach presence. Furthermore, Allan and Clarke (2007) stated that the “most conducive” learning environments include the following three: the “skill oriented outcomes” that are expected of

The use of webquest in the classroom is a tool that every teacher should incorporate in their classroom. Not only is this a new way to teach our future students but it is also an alternative from traditional teaching. Using webquest in the classrooms gives students a boost of motivation, this means that they will be more likely to put forth more effort than what they normally would. Although with using webquest in the classrooms comes with a wide range of benefits, as well as some quite substantial downfalls.

Constructivism is a coherent theory of learning that emerged as a prevailing paradigm in the last part of the twentieth century. Constructivism is a theory which brings cogitation to pedagogy (Bruner, 1966). Constructivism capitalizes on the ways in which human beings create their own personal construct of reality by understanding and experiencing the world. The main underlying assumption of constructivism is that individuals are actively involved right from the birth in constructing personal meaning.

Technology is changing every aspect in our lives, even the way we learn. Online classes are a rapidly growing trend it today’s society. Online classes are a cost-effective substitute for traditional courses and more convenient for many, so more schools and universities are offering this option. Due to the increase in online course enrollment, people are questioning if students truly learn something from online classes because it’s not a traditional learning environment. Online classes are just, if not more, effective as traditional classes because grades have increased and online discussions provide students with the chance to interact through networking while earning a degree for less than what it would cost to enroll at the same university.

E-Learning is trying to provide a more individualized, self-paced, self-directed learning experience (Clark). A survey by a Sociology Professor at CSU-Northridge showed that students in his virtual class performed 20% better than students in his traditional class (Clark). On the other hand, issues concerned with E-Learning includes the fact that students may not be as motivated since, another survey found out that only 66% of the students involved with E-Learning earned credit with a passing grade for their classes (Washington