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.
Articles in PDF format available on the WebCT site.

Assignments

Reflection Papers

Nearly each week, you will write a reflection paper on one 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.

Each week I will assign people to do reflection papers on the readings for the coming week. The reflection papers will be due on TUESDAY of the coming week. On that date, you will email your assigned reflection paper to all members of the class (including me). I will not grade these papers. If you do them, you get credit.

Guiding a Class

This assignment is somewhat flexible. In general, I would like each student to be in charge of one class. This may involve choosing a topic of interest and finding readings for us to discuss. Alternatively, it could involve something like presenting a draft of your course project and seeking feedback on the project. It could even involve a combination of these two things. We will discuss options 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. At the end of the semester, you will do a 30 min. presentation of your project.

Grade Breakdown

Participation (reflection paper, guiding a class)	40%
Course Project	60%

Class Schedule

Jan. 15 Introduction

Jan. 22 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.

Jan. 29 Overview of Different Types of Technologies and Their Purposes

Reading Assignment: Jonassen, Ch. 1; Hokanson & Hooper, Computers as cognitive media: Examing the potential of computers in education, Skinner, Programmed instruction revisited.

Feb. 5 Mediated Cognition and Technology: Technology as Cognitive Tools

Reading Assignment: Bruer, Ch. 3 & Ch. 6 (p. 205-213); Salomon, On the nature of pedagogic computer tools: The case of the Writing Partner.

Feb. 12 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.

COURSE PROJECT PROPOSALS DUE

Feb. 19 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.

Feb. 26 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.

Mar. 4 Social Cognition and Technology I: Collaborative Knowledge Construction Tools

Reading Assignment: Bruer, Ch. 7; Scardamalia & Bereiter, Computer support for knowledge-building communities; Scardamalia & Bereiter, Higher levels of agency for children in knowledge building: A challenge for the design of new knowledge media.

Mar. 11 SPRING BREAK

Mar. 18 Social Cognition and Technology II: Communication Tools

Reading Assignment: Jonassen, Ch. 12 & 13; TBA.

Mar. 25 TBA

April 1 TBA

April 8 TBA

April 15 NO CLASS (I WILL BE AT A CONFERENCE)

April 22 TBA

April 29 Project Presentations

COURSE PROJECTS DUE

May 6 Final: Project Presentations (5-7pm)

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

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