Question 3 ( Finally completed)

In educational settings, how does technology enhance the teaching and learning environment?

Educators controvert many various ways to teach their students effectively. One of the best ways is to use technology to make the ideal environment for students in educational settings. If you are asked what the ideal environment is for teaching and learning, you might immediately have the answer, technology. This is because we have seen many examples on how technology works in educational settings. If so, how does technology affect the teaching and learning environment?

In general, people tend to categorize that technology is just mechanistic devices or machineries. Originally, the roots of technology drives from "Tekhnologia, systematic treatment of art or craft", "Techne (Skill) and Logos(A Study)" by Greek, or "Weave" and "Construct' by Latin. Also, it has the meaning that the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science and pure science. Technology is not just kinds of mechanistic devices nor machineries. It has revolutionalized the life of humans and has made the teaching and learning environment become advanced, convenient, and effective to have various experience for all students alike.

The most important impact is that technology advances educational settings. We have focused on using the computer as a medium including the internet as resourses in the classroom. This is the most popular issue in the modern era regarding educatinal technology. However, in 1709, the piano (pianoforte) was first revealed as the invention of an Italian harpsichord maker named Bartolomeo Cristofori. This could be seen as the beginning of the revolution of educational technology. The invention of the piano was not only music related but also proven science. It caused the teaching and learning environment to rapidly advance, especially music. Modern technology such as the computer, internet and such mediums make the educational environment adapt to a new style incorporating such inventions. As the piano has extensively spread out to people because of its positive educational influence, modern technology is also regarded in the same light.

Moreover, technology has made a convenient environment in educational settings. We set up our own homepage and blogs, made movies and animation, and discussed our opinions about technology through the Internet. We collected a huge amount of information in seconds by just clicking. Also, when we write some articles on the office word program, the incredible technology novel checks that we made a mistake, and warns the user by a red underline, so we can easily find out what the error was. Indeed, technology directly affects educators and students.

More importantly, technology is an effective mean for teaching and learning. Using computers and the Internet in the class are becoming more and more common in schools. No more are the days of a blackboard and chalk, 10lb. dictionaries, etc. Educators can find out useful information without wasting time, and students can have various experience directly whenever  they want. I think this is enough to tempt educators and students in educational settings.

So, what do the view points of Dewey, Bruner, Elliott, McLuhan, and Eisner provide for our consideration when thinking about technology, performing arts, and the process of teaching and learning?

John Dewey - "Educators must first understand the nature of human experience which is referred to as "instrumentalism". For example, my experience of a lesson will depend on how the teacher arranges and facilitates the lesson, as well my past experience of similar lessons and teachers.

Jerome Bruner - "Learning is an active social process in which students construct new ideas or concepts based on current knowledge. Bruner describes learning as what happens when one applies previous learning and life experience to the completion of a new task or the understanding of an unfamiliar concept.

Elliot W. Eisner - "The key to developing knowledge within schooling and other educational settings is to create a varied and stimulating environment in which people become immersed. People need access to the experience of different forms of representation or symbol systems.

Marshal McLuhan - "An extension occurs when an individual or society makes or uses something in a way that extends the range of the human body and mind in a fashion that is new. Every extension of mankind, especially technological extensions, have the effect of amputating or modifying some other extension.

David Elliott - "Musicianship is a form of cognition - a rich form of thinking and knowing - that is educable and applicable to all. The praxial philosophy holds that the process of developing musicianship is a particular kind of learning process that students can engage in and learn how to employ themselves.

Among their mainstream theories, I could find a common opinion that experience is important for teaching and learning. Also, people can have experience based on the practice and the process of teaching and learning. Interestingly, we have argued that technoogy is most advanced, convenient and effective tool for supporting their theories in contemporary era. So, people try to use technology as educational tools and they are getting used to being more and more and easier and easier to use technology. As a result, it helps the educational environment to have changed from subject-centered authoritarian practices, to student centered practices that strive for individual and social change as Prof. Gilbert said on the website. Therefore, technology and education have a direct relationship and have interacted to enhance the teaching and learning environment.