Employing Technology to Create Authentic Learning Environments

2010 ◽  
pp. 83-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Drew Polly
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Classroom Teachers ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Authentic Activities

The increased access to technologies in schools has opened avenues to explore non-traditional styles of teaching and learning. Educational theorists and researchers have long been calling for learnercentered instruction that situates learners in activities that allow them to explore concepts and construct understanding. However, as constructivist theorists and researchers continue to show the benefits of situating learning in meaningful tasks, many barriers still prevent the use of technology-enhanced authentic activities in classrooms (Ertmer, 2005; Shaw, 2003). This chapter aims to analyze the underlying theories of authentic learning and propose methods to support classroom teachers with the design, implementation and assessment of authentic activities.

Problem-Based Learning

2018 ◽  
pp. 280-293
Author(s):  
Ernest Ampadu ◽  
Emmanuel Adjei-Boateng
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Problem Based Learning ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Teacher Education Programs ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Strategic Approach ◽  
Supporting Teachers

Students learning and understanding is enhanced if the teaching and learning process is authentic. Authentic learning process leads to understanding and meaningful application of concepts learned. One way by which teachers can to provide authentic learning environment is through Problem-Based Learning (PBL). PBL offers opportunity for students to learn about something that is real and beneficial. Teacher education programs, pre-service or in-service, should help teachers to understand how to use PBL to provide students with authentic learning environments. The chapter aims at supporting teachers' understanding and application of PBL so that they can provide students with meaningful learning experiences. Specifically, this chapter is intended to assist teachers have a better understanding of PBL as a strategic approach to meaningful teaching and learning as well as identify effective ways to incorporate this approach into their pedagogical practices.

scholarly journals Patterns of engagement in authentic online learning environments

2003 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Herrington ◽  
Ron Oliver ◽  
Thomas C. Reeves
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Online Learning Environments ◽  
Educational Design ◽  
Student Activities ◽  
Learning Scenarios ◽  
Design And Practice ◽  
Authentic Activities

The use of authentic activities within online learning environments has been shown to have many benefits for learners in online units and courses. There has been renewed interest in the role of student activities within course units, as constructivist philosophy and advances in technology impact on educational design and practice. Courses based on these principles have been used successfully across a wide variety of discipline areas. In spite of the growing evidence of the success of authentic learning environments, they are not without their problems. In this paper we discuss patterns of engagement that have emerged from our own research on authentic learning tasks, in particular, the initial reluctance to willingly immerse in learning scenarios that some students experience, and the need for the suspension of disbelief before engaging in the task. The paper proposes ten characteristics of authentic activities, based on educational theory and research, which have been used as criteria for the selection of existing online units or courses for in depth investigation. The paper includes a short review of the literature, a description of the research and some preliminary findings and identification of issues related to the necessity for students to willingly suspend disbelief in order to fully engage in learning scenarios based on authentic tasks.

Authentic Learning on the Web

2011 ◽  
pp. 26-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Herrington ◽  
Ron Oliver ◽  
Anthony Herrington
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Situated Learning ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
University Teaching ◽  
Philosophical Approach ◽  
Models Of Teaching ◽  
Realistic Problem ◽  
The Web

In response to the growing influence of constructivism as a philosophical approach to learning, and a wide range of research studies investigating alternative models of teaching and learning over the last decade, many universities have experimented with the development of ‘authentic’ learning environments. How successful they have been in this quest is a subject of some debate. For instance, Gayeski (2005) has argued: Many of today’s programs are no better than those from the early days of interactive video—in fact, they are worse. We still see too many textbooks or PowerPoint slides ‘ported’ over to the Web with a few links or silly questions added to make them ‘interactive’ (p. 98) The challenge instructors face is to align university teaching and learning more substantially with the way learning is achieved in real-life settings, and to base instructional methods on recent theories of learning which reflect this shift, such as situated learning (Brown, Collins, & Duguid, 1989; Collins, Brown, & Newman, 1989; McLellan, 1996; Choi & Hannafin, 1995). Authentic approaches, as well as requiring students to apply theory, also allow students to create theories by starting with a realistic problem, and then developing their own knowledge within the practical situations in which the need for learning was created. This chapter proposes nine critical characteristics of learning as a framework for the design of more authentic learning environments on the Web. The elements are based on situated learning theory and other compatible research, with particular emphasis on computer and Web-based applications.

Putting authentic learning on trial: Using trials as a pedagogical model for teaching in the humanities

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 410-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Riddell
Keyword(s):  
Transformative Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
English Literature ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Undergraduate Teaching ◽  
Legal Studies ◽  
Learning Contexts ◽  
Learning Scenarios ◽  
Enhance Student Learning

Research on authentic learning has been predominantly focussed on skills-based training: there is a paucity of research on models of authentic learning available for adaptation in the humanities undergraduate classroom. In this article, I will seek to address this gap by proposing that legal trials are ideal models for designing authentic learning scenarios in undergraduate teaching and learning contexts, with a specific focus on the humanities. First, I discuss why and how the structure of legal trials can produce authentic learning environments. Second, I present an undergraduate classroom project that combined two disciplinary fields – Shakespearean drama and criminal law – in an effort to enhance student learning and engagement. I outline how the authentic learning scenario (ALS) was implemented and evaluated and, finally, reflect on the barriers, challenges and potentially transformative effect of authentic learning environments on students and educators. This new intervention combines legal studies and English literature in order to create authentic learning environments to increase interactions amongst students, enhance students’ learning, and foster conditions for transformative learning.

Using the COVA Approach to Promote Active Learning in Digital Learning Environments

2018 ◽  
pp. 22-44
Author(s):  
Cindy Cummings ◽  
Dwayne Harapnuik ◽  
Tilisa Thibodeaux
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Educational Institutions ◽  
Digital Learning ◽  
Master's Program ◽  
Learning Principles ◽  
Digital Learning Environments

Active learning pedagogies using digital technologies hold much promise. Yet over the past several decades despite all the advances we see in how technology impacts most aspects of society, the advances in our educational institutions have been much smaller. Why? We have focused on the technology as a quick fix and have not focused on the learning. Rather than look to the latest teaching trend or hottest activity of the day, we must reimagine all aspects of our teaching and learning and purposefully build our programs as significant digital learning environments that inspire, foster, and facilitate deeper learning. This chapter reveals how we have built a Master's program that uses the active learning principles of choice, ownership, and voice through authentic learning (COVA approach) and how we have created a significant learning environment (CSLE) that fully engages and equips our learners to be digital leaders.

Active Learning Strategies for Online and Blended Learning Environments

2017 ◽  
pp. 88-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Cummings ◽  
Diane Mason ◽  
Kaye Shelton ◽  
Katie Baur
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Active Learning Strategies

Students must be engaged in active learning opportunities that allow them to feel connected to the class and not just a passive spectator. However, that may require the instructor to learn and try different methods of teaching and learning that are more student-centered and less faculty-centered. The purpose of this chapter is to assist faculty in developing active learning strategies that will advance their personal skill sets to better embrace learner-centered instruction with the use of technology tools for online and blended environments.

Active Learning Strategies for Online and Blended Learning Environments

2015 ◽  
pp. 58-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cynthia Cummings ◽  
Diane Mason ◽  
Kaye Shelton ◽  
Katie Baur
Keyword(s):  
Active Learning ◽  
Learning Environments ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Student Centered ◽  
Skill Sets ◽  
Learner Centered ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Active Learning Strategies

Students must be engaged in active learning opportunities that allow them to feel connected to the class and not just a passive spectator. However, that may require the instructor to learn and try different methods of teaching and learning that are more student-centered and less faculty-centered. The purpose of this chapter is to assist faculty in developing active learning strategies that will advance their personal skill sets to better embrace learner-centered instruction with the use of technology tools for online and blended environments.

scholarly journals Multimodal Learning

2021 ◽  
pp. 35-54
Author(s):  
Bettyjo Bouchey ◽  
Jill Castek ◽  
John Thygeson
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Digital Age ◽  
Learning Approaches ◽  
Multimodal Learning ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
Emerging Trends ◽  
Technological Advances ◽  
The Future

AbstractThe widespread use of technology in the digital age continually shapes how individuals consume knowledge and learn. In the digital age, ideas are shared and represented in multiple formats and through the integration of multiple modes. Technological advances, coupled with considerations of the changing needs of today’s learners, call for exploring new directions for multimodal teaching and learning. Yet, society’s increasing reliance on, and use of, technologies for communication and learning has introduced expanded forms of meaning-making. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and the online networks that are facilitated by their use encourage educators to transform the way education is delivered. Learning environments are in need of becoming transformed so students are able to use immersive technologies to expand their learning opportunities. This chapter explores emerging trends and pedagogies in multimodal learning that seek to take advantage of the digital tools, texts, and learning approaches that are continually shaping the ways learning occurs inside and outside of higher education.This chapter is outlined to highlight what is found in the literature on multimodal instruction, what findings were realized at eXploring the Future of Innovative Learning Environments (X-FILEs) workshops, and lastly how multimodal instruction can be used to transform the classroom of the future. Throughout this chapter, readers will get to know a student of the future, Juan Delgado. He attends a 4-year university in Dallas, Texas, and is majoring in Mechanical Engineering taking his Introduction to the Fundamentals of Science course. Each aspect of the learning process as it relates to multimodal instruction in 2023 is outlined through the experiences of Juan to situate the impact to learners.

Technology-Enhanced Exploratory Installations to Support Constructivist Professional Development

2018 ◽  
pp. 1-32
Author(s):  
Ann Terrill Musgrove ◽  
Angela Gunder ◽  
Jessica L. Knott ◽  
Frank Tomsic ◽  
Phylise Banner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Development ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Technological Fluency ◽  
Use Of Technology ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Experience ◽  
Learning Pathways ◽  
Novices And Experts ◽  
Construct Meaning

The growth in technology tools and their uses continues to grow at an exponential pace. Whether it is for personal or professional use technology is everywhere, and it is ubiquitous. It is changing the way we seek knowledge, interact with information, and process the world around us to construct our learning pathways. Technology has made it simple for us to be consumers of information, but how do we evaluate and synthesize this information to construct meaning and create value? The technology test kitchen is a curated and managed makerspace designed for exploratory installation where novices and experts engage in deep, meaningful, constructive uses of technology for teaching and learning. The goal of the test kitchen is acquisition of “native-expert” use of technology in support of authentic learning, engendering deeper levels of technological fluency within a constructivist professional development experience.

Providing an Environment for Authentic Learning Experiences

2020 ◽  
pp. 71-86
Author(s):  
Matthew Treskon
Keyword(s):  
Learning Environments ◽  
Undergraduate Students ◽  
Software Design ◽  
Real World ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Proof Of Concept ◽  
Capstone Projects ◽  
Authentic Learning Experiences

The Loyola Notre Dame Library provides authentic learning environments for undergraduate students by serving as “client” for senior capstone projects. Through the creative application of IoT technologies such as Arduinos and Raspberry Pis in a library setting, the students gain valuable experience working through software design methodology and create software in response to a real-world challenge. Although these proof-of-concept projects could be implemented, the library is primarily interested in furthering the research, teaching, and learning missions of the two universities it supports. Whether the library gets a product that is worth implementing is not a requirement; it is a “bonus.”

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