What I've Discovered: Social Constructivism and Technology Implementation Theory

Because I am in the second group, I still need to present my Implementation Theory presentation. However, my understanding of the Social Constructivism Theory and Technology Implementation Theory has significantly increased. First, I learn a lot about the founder of Social Constructivism, Lev Vygotsky. He was also the creator of numerous theories, such as the research and theory in cognitive development, cultural-historical psychology, and zone of proximal development (ZPD). I am not surprised after reading about his background and that he was a famous Soviet Belarusian psychologist who also studied law (McQueen, 2013).

After examing the readings, it takes a conscious effort as an instructor to think through the pedagogy for instructional materials, learning objectives, student needs, and learning environment. We want meaningful relationships or connections between the instructor and the student. It is essential that students feel connected. Learners who are engaged; retain individually acquired and relevant new knowledge (Germane Cognitive Load) for an extended time will result by focusing the classroom on the student and applying fundamental constructivist principles reinforced by digital technology in education. Social Constructivism indicates collaborative learning, communication, and shared experiences. Constructivists consist of two key theory concepts, one from a cognitive and the other social perspective. Vygotsky structured his constructivism in a social context, whereas Piadget structured his for an individual (Jonassen, 2004).

The article by Palincsar (1998) was very insightful, even though it was written years ago. It had many perspectives on how different studies investigated institutional, interpersonal, and discursive analysis. It discussed interpersonal interactions as one way to achieve high-order thinking through classroom discussion. In one example, Forman et al. (1995) study, they investigated learning activities in a middle school mathematics classroom. The results yielded 71% of the two hours analyzed in the student learning activities, 15% in student presentations, and 55% in close pair or small group work. 29% of teacher interactions were more facilitating than directive Palincsar (1998).

Technology Implementation Theory is concerned with integrating technology in order to improve learning results and promote student engagement. After reading and analyzing the theory, I realized that deploying technology must be consistent with the pedagogies for instructional materials and the whole curriculum. A single person did not create Technology Implementation Theory. The topic of technology implementation covers numerous related theories and frameworks established over time by multiple researchers and experts. Geoffrey Moore, Carliss Y. Baldwin, Clayton M. Christensen, and Everett Rogers are notable researchers in this field. There are other theories that work can co-exist or blend into the theoretical framework of integrating technology. A well-known one, Diffusion of Innovations, is a social science theory that describes how new ideas and technology spread among people in a social system. Everett Rogers, a communication scholar, devised the idea and published it in 1962, with subsequent revisions. Fusing social constructivism and technology must be considered a social process. The social context influences the process and must be an iterative process that considers stakeholders' feedback. The iterative process will provide a way to adapt and adjust to execute excellent learning outcomes.

I have been a fan of Vygotsky's theory since I took deeper dives into some of the learning technologies theorists. When Edx came out with its MOOC, the University of Maryland University College had a free beta course. I took the course and knew about him but did some analysis on the social constructivist theory as I have incorporated it into part of my philosophy on learning. The rest is history, and now I am in the doctoral program at the University of North Texas, my alma mater. I am learning so much about integrating learning strategies and combined theories to bring a holistic approach to effective learning, thinking possibly of doing something in the distance online learning for my dissertation.

References:

Jonassen, D. H. (2004). Handbook of research on educational communications and technology. Taylor & Francis.

McQueen, K. (2013). Beyond bounds? The terrorist teachers of Lev Vygotsky. History of Education Review, 42(2), 185-198. https://doi.org/10.1108/her-07-2012-0027

Palincsar, A. S. (1998). Social Constructivism perspective on teaching and learning. Annual Review of Psychology, 49, 345-375.