Phenomenology. Shifting Perspectives in Educational Technology. Note: This article was originally published in The Technology Source ( as: Dirk Rodenburg "Shifting Perspectives in Educational Technology" The Technology Source, December 1998. Available online at The article is reprinted here with permission of the publisher. When we begin to seriously discuss what it means to learn, some interesting things happen. Although we begin by feeling that we share some understanding of what learning means, it rapidly becomes clear that there is a broad range of perspectives, each passionately articulated and defended. Pedagogical Frameworks and Educational Technology Educational technology has also shifted as these perspectives have emerged.
Constructivism A very important theoretical perspective, developed and influenced largely by science teaching, is constructivism. Situated Cognition and Cognitive Apprenticeship Extending the Paradigm Implications for Educational Technology. Journal of Educational Technology & Society. EARLI. What is UbD? Understanding by Design® (UbD™) is a framework for improving student achievement. Emphasizing the teacher's critical role as a designer of student learning, UbD™ works within the standards-driven curriculum to help teachers clarify learning goals, devise revealing assessments of student understanding, and craft effective and engaging learning activities.
Developed by nationally recognized educators Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, and published by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Understanding by Design® is based on the following key ideas: A primary goal of education should be the development and deepening of student understanding. Students reveal their understanding most effectively when they are provided with complex, authentic opportunities to explain, interpret, apply, shift perspective, empathize, and self-assess. In practice, Understanding by Design® offers: The potential of UbD™ for curricular improvement has struck a chord in American education. AAAS News Release - "Systemic School Reform Necessary for Science Education Improvements"
Improving education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), a bipartisan goal backed by politicians and business leaders alike, will require a new approach that views education as part of a larger, more complex enterprise that reaches far beyond the classroom, speakers said at a recent AAAS event. They spoke of using a systems approach to understand how STEM education works and doesn’t work—how components of the system, in school and beyond, interact and how they reinforce each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Researchers are using models to understand those interactions, with a goal of transforming the STEM education system for the 21st century. Rick Stephens “If we think about what’s going on in education, we tend to be focused on the policy about what’s going on inside the classroom,” said Rick Stephens, senior vice president of human resources and administration for the Boeing Corporation. The need to reach students is clear, Stephens said. Shirley Malcom.