Educational technology can play both traditional and constructivist roles in learning. Traditionally, technology delivers instructional content similarly to a teacher. However, from a constructivist perspective, technology helps learners build their own interpretations of the world by engaging them in active, meaningful learning processes. It can serve as a tool for knowledge construction, an information vehicle for exploring perspectives, and a social medium and intellectual partner for learning through discourse, reflection, and problem-solving in real-world contexts. When used from either role, research shows technology increases student learning, understanding, achievement, and motivation to learn collaboratively.

1. ROLES OF
EDUCATIONAL
TECHNOLOGY IN
LEARNING
Prepared by:
Kyla Kathreen DG. Pineda
2SED-En

2. Traditional Role of
Technology
The learner learns the content
presented by the technology in the
same way that the learner learns
knowledge presented by the teacher.
Delivery vehicles for instructional
lessons

3. Technology like computers is
seen as a productivity tool.
The popularity of word
processing, databases,
desktop publishing in the
1980s points to this productive
role of technology.

4. Constructivist Role
Technology helps the learner build
more meaningful personal
interpretations of life and his/her
world.
Partners in the learning process.

5. It engages learners in active,
constructive, international, authentic
and cooperative learning.
It provides opportunities for
technology and learner interaction for
meaningful learning.
It is used as facilitator of thinking and
knowledge construction.

6. ROLES OF TECHNOLOGY
IN LEARNING FROM
CONSTRUCTIVIST
PROSPECTIVE

7.  Technology as tools to support
knowledge construction:
- for representing learner’s ideas,
understandings and beliefs.
 Technology as information vehicles
for exploring knowledge to support
learning-by-constructing:
- for comparing perspectives, beliefs and
world views.

8.  Technology as a social medium
to support learning by
conversing.
-for supporting discourse among knowledge-
building communities.
 Technology as intellectual
partner to support learning by
reflecting.
-for helping learners articulate and represent
what they know.

9. • Technology as context to
support learning-by-doing.
 for representing and stimulating meaningful
real-world problems, situations and
contexts.
 for defining a safe, controllable problem
space for student thinking.
 for representing beliefs, perspectives,
arguments and stories of others.

10. Did you know that?
Whether used from the traditional or
constructivist role of technology, when
used technology, research indicates that
technology not only “increases students
learning”, understanding and
achievement but also augments
motivation to learn, encourages
collaborative learning.