Discussion about Dick Ng'ambi's research regarding the effective use of emerging technologies for maximising learning in higher and lower education institutions. Enjoy!

1. Discussion and Summary of the
article:
EDUC 9701 Week 3

2. Emerging Technologies (ETs).
The Role of ETs in effective
Learning.
Recommendations for maximum
learning effectiveness.
Group discussion, questions, and
conclusions.

3.  “...[t]here is a dichotomy between the technologies
supported and used in higher education
institutions (HEIs)..., and technologies owned and
predominantly in use among students (p. 652).
 “Many educators at higher education institutions
(HEIs), especially those located in developing
nations, the context/environment may constrain
the adoption of these emerging technologies, while
for educators in resource rich environments,
effective use would be constrained by lack of
guidelines on uses that transform practice (p. 652).

4.  “...[l]earning in a CHAT paradigm as
a process of constant interaction
with the environment and others and
knowledge as constructed by
individual learners, building on
existing historical experiences and
within the learners context” (p. 654).
•How did the use of ETs “enable interactivity between
learners and their environment? (p. 654).
•Did the enactment of ET tools “widen the learners access
to multiple perspectives? (p. 654).

5. Research Databases 75 % of users surveyed
Social Media 68 % of users surveyed
Wikis 54 % of users surveyed
Technologies used regularly
Virtual World/ immersive
Technologies
81 % of users surveyed
Tablet Computers 76 % of users surveyed
Technologies never used
“...questions designed to establish the ways in which ETs were
used and whether such uses had any transformative effect on
pedagogical practices.” (p. 655)

6. Distributed intelligence:
- Constructing knowledge
- Engagement with content via ETs
- Interaction (CHAT paradigm)
“This year I had a student I had never seen. She
received a distinction just through keeping up with
all the correspondence and submitting her work
online.” (p. 657)

7. Distributed expertise:
- Distributed resources
- Sharing knowledge/ideas
- Expanding distributed intelligence
- “[expertise] can extend student’s
thinking and learning beyond time
with them in the classroom, and by
being able to facilitate
communication between themselves
and the kinds of people they are
likely to engage with when they enter
the professional sector..” (p. 658)

8. Set an
educational
goal
Facilitate
students to
create something
using ETs
Students present
and record their
creation
Students reflect
on the last 2
processes
How might
I use ETs
next time?
• Metacognition
•Inquiry based learning
•Student – centred learning
•Collaboration
•Blooms Taxonomy (knowledge 
evaluation process)

9.  Question for everyone to think about:
** How would you implement Ng’ambi’s pedagogical guideline to
use technology effectively in your area of education or
industry?
 Group 1: Ng’ambi argues that intelligence and expertise result
when technologies are effectively utilised for learning (p. 660 ).
**Consider some areas that Ng’ambi didn’t discuss in much
detail such as socio – economic differences, culture,
differentiation and diversity, and how these things may impact
the effective use of emerging technologies in and outside of
the classroom.
 Group 2: Many of the technologies that were never used by
educators (e.g tablets and online games) have the potential to
increase learning. ** Why do you think these technologies are
avoided and how do you think they could be better
implemented into teaching practice, other than Ngambi’s
recommendation that was provided?

10.  Most educators use technology as a “support”
for traditional pedagogy.
 ETs have the potential to make learning
theories a reality (student centred, inquiry,
blooms, metacognition, CHAT, collaboration
etc).
 Proper understanding of pedagogical
approaches is needed to effectively
implement ETs into educational settings.