Course Description

Seminars are designed to provide students with the opportunity to collaboratively explore a specific issue in depth. In this seminar, we will focus on the relationship between cognition (thinking and learning) and technology. We will not get into the many other issues related to technology and education, such as issues of implementation, teacher change through technology use, the digital divide and so on. These issues are important, but, in the spirit of true doctoral seminar, I want to maintain a more narrow focus. Doing so will help us develop as a community of learners.

Throughout the course of the semester, we will simultaneous study cognitive theories of learning and technologies that are based on or supportive of these theories or learning. With each technology we study, we will ask the following evaluation questions:

What type of tool is this technology?
How does this technology influence cognition? How does it relate to theories of learning? What kind of learning is it designed to support? Is it effective in doing what it is supposed to do?
Does this tool offer anything fundamentally new (i.e., something the couldn’t be achieved by other means?) or is the technology just bells and whistles?

Course Materials

Bruer, J. T. (1993). Schools for thought: A science of learning in the classroom. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press.
Jonassen, D. H. (1996). Computers as mindtools for schools: Engaging critical thinking, (2^nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.
PDF Articles and other stuff available on WebCT (http://www.dl.utoledo.edu/login.htm)

Assignments

Reflection Papers

You will write a reflection paper on two of the readings. This paper will contain three parts:

A summary of the reading (about 1-2 pages, typed, double-spaced).
A reflection on the reading (~ 1-2 pages) in which you address questions such as

What does this reading mean to me?
How does this reading relate to other stuff we’ve discussed?
What do I find interesting or useful?
What criticisms do I have?

A set of discussion questions.

At the start of the semester you will sign-up for the two readings that you will write reflections on. You will post your reflection under the corresponding topic/date in the Discussion section of WebCT by the Friday before the date for discussing the reading. I will not grade these papers. If you do them, you get credit.

Contribution to WebCT Discussion

About every other week, I would like you to contribute to a threaded discussion on WebCT. The basis for each discussion will be the reflection paper posted by a class member for that week. Your job is to respond to issues raises in the reflection paper or issues raised by other responses to the reflection paper. I will explain how to do this in class.

Course Project

Choose one of the following:

Technology Evaluation. For this option, you will write an evaluation of a particular technology (e.g. software program, web site, distance learning tool). In this evaluation, I want you to address the following questions:

What type of tool is this technology?
How does this technology influence cognition? How does it relate to theories of learning? What kind of learning is it designed to support? Is it effective in doing what it is supposed to do?
Does this tool offer anything fundamentally new (i.e., something the couldn’t be achieved by other means?) or is the technology just bells and whistles?

Research Project. For this option, you will do a small-scale research project related to technology and learning. For instance, you might choose a particular technology and collect some data on student learning with the technology. The project should include:

A statement of purpose and significance
A theoretical framework including a literature review
A statement of your research question(s)
A description of the methods used
A description of the analysis
A description of the results
A discussion of the results and future directions

Research Proposal. For this option, you will write a proposal for doing a future research project related to technology and learning. The proposal should include the following:

A statement of purpose and significance
A theoretical framework including a literature review (should be more extensive that for the research project option)
A statement of your research question(s)
A description of your proposed methods
A description of your proposed analysis.

All projects should be typed, double-spaced. APA format is preferred.

Mini-conference

At the end of the semester, we will have our own mini-conference. At this conference you will have 15 min. to do a presentation of your project. You will also have about 5 min. to be a discussant for somebody else’s presentation.

Grade Breakdown

Participation (reflection paper, contribution to WebCT discussion, class participation)	40%
Course Project	60%

Class Schedule

Aug. 24	Introduction
Aug. 31	Theories of Mind and the Role of Technology Reading Assignment: Bruer, Ch. 1 & 2; Wertsch, Voices of the Mind: A Sociocultural Approach to Mediated Action, Ch. 2; Langham, The common place MOO: Orality and literacy in virtual reality.
Sept. 7	Overview of Different Types of Technologies and Their Purposes Reading Assignment: Jonassen, Ch. 1; Hokanson & Hooper, Computers as cognitive media: Examining the potential of computers in education; Skinner, Programmed instruction revisited.
Sept. 14	Mediated Cognition and Technology: Technology as Cognitive Tools I Reading Assignment: Bruer, Ch. 3 & Ch. 6 (p. 205-213); Salomon, On the nature of pedagogic computer tools: The case of the Writing Partner. Sample Technologies: Writing Partner; Critical Performance Guide (my lame attempt at doing something like the Writing Partner);
Sept. 21	Mediated Cognition and Technology: Technology as Cognitive Tools II Reading Assignment: Kaput, Creating cybernetic and psychological ramps from the concrete to the abstract: Examples from multiplicative structures. Sample Technologies: ICE Environments; Endnotes/Bookends (what kind of tool are they?) COURSE PROJECT PROPOSALS DUE
Sept. 28	Equilibration, Schema Theory, and the role of Technology in Problem Solving Reading Assignment: Bruer, Ch. 4; Jonassen, Ch. 7; Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt, The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program description, and assessment data. Sample Technologies: Jasper Series.
Oct. 5	Conceptual Change and Technology as Rich Problem Spaces: Microworlds and Simulations Reading Assignment: Bruer, Ch. 5; Jonassen, Ch. 8; Snir, Smith & Grosslight, Conceptually enhanced simulations. Sample Technologies: Density Labs; Weather Unit Tools; Visual ANOVA; Zoo Tycoon/The Sims or other simulation games.
Oct. 12	Networks of Knowledge, Transfer of Learning and Hypertext Reading Assignment: Jonassen, Ch. 4 & 11; Spiro, et al., Cognitive flexibility, constructivism, and hypertext: Random access instruction for advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains. Sample Technologies: KANE; Inspiration and Kidspiration (installed on computers in lab).
Oct. 19	Social Cognition and Technology I: Collaborative Knowledge Construction Tools Reading Assignment: Bruer, Ch. 7; Scardamalia & Bereiter, Computer support for knowledge-building communities. Scardamalia, CSILE/Knowledge Forum. Sample Technologies: Knowledge Forum.
Oct. 26	Social Cognition and Technology I cont’d. Reading Assignment: Brown, Collins, and Duguid, Situated cognition and the culture of learning; Zhao, Mishra, and Girod, A clubhouse is clubhouse is a clubhouse. Sample Technologies: KLICK!; 5^th dimension; Motivation Project.
Nov. 2	Social Cognition and Technology II: Communication Tools Reading Assignment: Jonassen, Ch. 12 & 13.
Nov. 9	Course Project Workshop Day
Nov. 16	Educational Games Reading Assignment: Kusunoki, Sugimoto, & Hashizume, A group learning support system enhancing the externalization of thinking; Bjorklund & Rosenblum, Context effects in children's selection and use of simple arithmetic strategies.
Nov. 23	NO CLASS (THANKSGIVING)
Nov. 30	TBA
Dec. 7	Project Presentations COURSE PROJECTS DUE
Dec. 14 (5-7pm)	Project Presentations (Final Exam Time)

*Information in this syllabus is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.

Reference Information for Readings

Bjorklund, D. F., & Rosenblum, K. E. (2002). Context effects in children's selection and use of simple arithmetic strategies. Journal of Cognition and Development, 3, 225-42.

Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.

Cognition and Technology Group at Vanderbilt. (1992). The Jasper series as an example of anchored instruction: Theory, program description, and assessment data. Educational Psychologist, 27, 291-315.

Hokanson, B., & Hooper, S. (2000). Computers as cognitive media: Examing the potential of computers in education. Computers in Human Behavior, 16, 537-552.

Kaput, J. J. (1995). Creating cybernetic and psychological ramps from the concrete to the abstract: Examples from multiplicative structures. In D. Perkins, J. Schwartz, M. West, & M. Wiske (Eds.), Software goes to school: Teaching for understanding with new technologies (pp. 130-54). New York: Oxford University Press.

Kusunoki, F., Sugimoto, M., & Hashizume, H. (2002). A group learning support sytem enhancing the externalization of thinkng. Systems and Computers in Japan, 33, 580-87.

Langham, D. (1994). The common place MOO: Orality and literacy in virtual reality. Computer-mediated Communication Magazine, 1 (3), 7-x.

Salomon, G. (1993). On the nature of pedagogic computer tools: The case of the Writing Partner. In S. P. Lajoie, & S. J. Derry (Ed.s), Computers as cognitive tools (pp. 179-196). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

Scardamalia, M. (in press). CSILE/Knowledge Forum. Educational technology: An encyclopedia,

Scardamalia, M., & Bereiter, C. (1994). Computer support for knowledge-building communities. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 3(3), 265-283.

Skinner, B. F. (1986). Programmed instruction revisited. Phi Delta Kappan, 68, 103-110.

Snir, J., Smith, C., & Grosslight, L. (1995). Conceptually enhanced simulations: A computer tool for science teaching. In D. Perkins, J. Schwartz, M. West, & M. Wiske (Eds.), Software goes to school: Teaching for understanding with new technologies (pp. 106-29). New York: Oxford University Press.

Spiro, R., Feltovich, P. J., Jacobson, M. J., & Coulson, R. L. (1991). Cognitive flexibility, constructivism, and hypertext: Random access instruction for advanced knowledge acquisition in ill-structured domains. Educational Technology, 31(x), 24-33.

Vygotsky, L. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Wertsch, J. V. (1991). Voices of mind: A sociocultural approach to mediated action. London: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Zhao, Y., Mishra, P., & Girod, M. (2000). A clubhouse is a clubhouse is a clubhouse. Computers in Human Behavior, 16, 287-300.