Name: Shaun Matthew Niyo-Ramdas

Class: EDCI 516 Computers in Curriculum

Summary Week 5
In the article Visualizing Solution: Apps as Cognitive Stepping-Stones in the learning process, the
authors explore the use of tablet applications in the classroom as a way of integrating technology into the
classroom, and making the learning in classrooms more student-centric and customizable. The authors discuss
several arguments that lend merit to their case and back up their claims with several research studies that have
been conducted in classrooms. The article starts out by laying the framework for using technology in the
classroom; that technology is so pervasive in all aspects of life that tablets offer the opportunity to develop new
teaching methodologies which can make education more individualized to students needs. The authors argue
that students can now use technologies to engage in their learning process (Web 2.0) and become content
creators in their own right and further contributing to their own learning and the learning of their peers.
The authors go on to present several case studies of how technology has been growing in use in the
classroom and how it has benefitted students learning. From educational applications on tablets to smart
phones, the authors explore how students can use applications to supplement their education and assist them in
the learning of context and application. They use the example of English language learners in South Korea as a
case study where technology has successfully been integrated into the fabric of their education system. They
also talk about how allowing students to personalize their use of applications allows students to play to their
strengths to achieve similar learning outcomes.
The authors introduce a cognitive model of learning, where the use of certain apps can supplement or at
times replace several cognitive levels of learning, (quoting Hedberg & Reeves), putting forth the specific
technological tools that can assist educators in their teaching.
Striving to provide a balanced argument of sorts, the authors end the article trying to address several of
their detractors, addressing the issue of infrastructure-led thinking, and fear of technology replacing teachers,
stating that there are always challenges with implementing new pedagogies but these are challenges that can be
overcome.
Personally I was surprised and how much integration one can achieve from using technology in
education. I have always used technology in my teaching, but more as an aide for instruction. The authors
introduce technology as the best and primary way to achieve student-centric learning. They do not seek to
replace or substitute current teaching pedagogy, but introduce a whole new way of learning where every
students experience with education is slightly different because of the customized experience they get when
learning through these apps. However implementation of this approach is a major obstacle simply because
teachers are not fully trained in teaching through these apps. I got the impression that a computer programmer
creating these educational apps would be considered the teacher if we were to go fully along with the pedagogy
presented by the authors. Additionally, the authors neglected to mention how they would address the students
abuses of technology that would variably occur considering the very individualized form of instruction use of
these technologies would employ. Additionally, Im not sold on the idea that apps can fully replace students
learning at every cognitive level simply because different students have different learning styles that technology
can sometimes hinder. For example, some students learn better from listening to a teacher. Would you replace
that with an audio file on a tablet? And would that take away from the students interaction with his classmates?
And to what extent do we want to customize learning? To the extent that students might as well stay at home
and do individual learning?

Moving forward, my main takeaway from this article is that technology can be used at every level of
teaching and regardless of whatever content I might end up teaching, there are technological tools out there that
can assist me in making my teaching more student-centric. Perhaps this will encourage me to experiment more
in implementing the use of technology in students deeper levels of cognitive learning.

References:
Stevenson M, Hedberg J, Highfield K and Diao M. (2015),Visualizing solutions: apps as cognitive steppingstones in the learning process, The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 13 (5). 366-379.