Educational Technology 2

A diagram is a symbolic representation of information according to some visualization technique. Diagrams have been used since ancient times, but became more prevalent during the Enlightenment.

The affinity diagram
It is business tool used to organize ideas and data. It is one of the Seven Management and Planning Tools. People have been grouping data into groups based on natural relationships for thousands of years; however, the term affinity diagram was devised by Jiro Kawakita in the 1960s[1] and is sometimes referred to as the
KJ Method.

The tool is commonly used within project management and allows large numbers of ideas stemming from brainstorming[2] to be sorted into groups, based on their natural relationships, for review and analysis.[3] It is also frequently used in contextual inquiry as a way to organize notes and insights from field interviews. It can also be used for organizing other freeform comments, such as open-ended survey responses, support call logs, or other qualitative data.

The affinity diagram organizes ideas with following steps:

• Record each idea on cards or notes.
• Look for ideas that seem to be related.
• Sort cards into groups until all cards have been used.

Once the cards have been sorted into groups the team may sort large clusters into subgroups for easier management and analysis.[4] Once completed, the affinity diagram may be used to create a cause and effect diagram.[5]

In many cases, the best results tend to be achieved when the activity is completed by a cross-functional team, including key stakeholders. The process requires becoming deeply immersed in the data, which has benefits beyond the tangible deliverables.

Fishbone diagram

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Also Called: Cause–and–Effect Diagram, Ishikawa Diagram

The fishbone diagram identifies many possible causes for an effect or problem. It can be used to structure a brainstorming session. It immediately sorts ideas into useful categories.

When to Use a Fishbone Diagram

When identifying possible causes for a problem.

Especially when a team’s thinking tends to fall into roots.

Fishbone Diagram Procedure

Materials needed: flipchart or whiteboard, marking pens.

Agree on a problem statement (effect). Write it at the center right of the flipchart or whiteboard. Draw a box around it and draw a horizontal arrow running to it.

Brainstorm the major categories of causes of the problem. If this is difficult use generic headings:

• Methods
• Machines (equipment)
• People (manpower)
• Materials
• Measurement
• Environment

Write the categories of causes as branches from the main arrow.

Brainstorm all the possible causes of the problem. Ask: “Why does this happen?” As each idea is given, the facilitator writes it as a branch from the appropriate category. Causes can be written in several places if they relate to several categories.

Again ask “why does this happen?” about each cause. Write sub–causes branching off the causes. Continue to ask “Why?” and generate deeper levels of causes. Layers of branches indicate causal relationships.

When the group runs out of ideas, focus attention to places on the chart where ideas are few.

Tree Diagram

Also called: systematic diagram, tree analysis, analytical tree, hierarchy diagram

The tree diagram starts with one item that branches into two or more, each of which branch into two or more, and so on. It looks like a tree, with trunk and multiple branches.

It is used to break down broad categories into finer and finer levels of detail. Developing the tree diagram helps you move your thinking step by step from generalities to specifics.

When to Use a Tree Diagram?

When an issue is known or being addressed in broad generalities and you must move to specific details, such as when developing logical steps to achieve an objective.

When developing actions to carry out a solution or other plan.

When analyzing processes in detail.

When probing for the root cause of a problem.

When evaluating implementation issues for several potential solutions.

After an affinity diagram or relations diagram has uncovered key issues.

As a communication tool, to explain details to others.

Tree Diagram Procedure

Develop a statement of the goal, project, plan, problem or whatever is being studied. Write it at the top (for a vertical tree) or far left (for a horizontal tree) of your work surface.

Ask a question that will lead you to the next level of detail. For example:

For a goal, action plan or work breakdown structure: “What tasks must be done to accomplish this?” or “How can this be accomplished?”

For root–cause analysis: “What causes this?” or “Why does this happen?”

For gozinto chart: “What are the components?” (Gozinto literally comes from the phrase “What goes into it?”

Brainstorm all possible answers. If an affinity diagram or relationship diagram has been done previously, ideas may be taken from there. Write each idea in a line below (for a vertical tree) or to the right of (for a horizontal tree) the first statement. Show links between the tiers with arrows.

Do a “necessary and sufficient” check. Are all the items at this level necessary for the one on the level above? If all the items at this level were present or accomplished, would they be sufficient for the one on the level above?

Each of the new idea statements now becomes the subject: a goal, objective or problem statement. For each one, ask the question again to uncover the next level of detail. Create another tier of statements and show the relationships to the previous tier of ideas with arrows. Do a “necessary and sufficient check” for each set of items.

Continue to turn each new idea into a subject statement and ask the question. Do not stop until you reach fundamental elements: specific actions that can be carried out, components that are not divisible, root causes.

The Cone of Experience

Dale’s Cone of Experience is a visual model that is composed of eleven (11) stages starting from concrete experiences at the bottom of the cone then it becomes more and more abstract as it reach the peak of the cone. Also, according to Dale, the arrangement in the cone is not based on its difficulty but rather based on abstraction and on the number of senses involved. The experiences in each stages can be mixed and are interrelated that fosters more meaningful learning.

According to one of the principles in the selection and use of teaching strategies, the more senses that are involved in learning, the more and the better the learning will be but it does not mean that concrete experience is the only effective experience that educators should use in transferring knowledge to the learner. Like what was mentioned above, the experiences in each stages can be mixed and are interrelated thus, a balance must be achieved between concrete and abstract experiences in order to cater the and address all the need of the learner in all the domains of development and in order to help each learner in their holistic development.

Moreover, the generalization about the Cone of Experience that was presented above is not enough. Actually, we should try to go deeper in each of the component of the cone since Educational Technology basically revolves around the Cone of Experience. By going one-by-one, starting from concrete to abstract, we will understand more the different components of the cone that will help us in grasping the real meaning of educational technology.

 In this lesson, I have learned that in teaching learning process, there are many ways or steps to be followed. That when teaching, the teacher should not get stuck in the concrete experience but he should also strives to bring the students to the symbolic or abstract level to develop their higher thinking skills. That the teacher must use many instructional materials to help the students  conceptualize his experiences. That the  cone of experience proposed by EDGAR Dale is very useful in the teaching learning process. That aside from Dale,Jerome Burner's three-tiered model of learning is  also important. That according to him  students will likely learn best through a sequence of action, (enactive), followed by a series of illustrations, (iconic) and finally, through a series of symbols (symbolic).

In my real life, I can apply my learning through organizing my experiences and activities accordingly.

Roles of Technology in Learning

Technology has many roles in learning. In terms of  traditional role, technology is a delivery vehicles for instructional lessons. In this role, he learner learns from the technology and the technology serves as a teacher. In other words, the learner learns the content presented by the technology  in the same way that the learner learns knowledge presented by the teacher.   From the traditional point of view, technology serves as sourse and preseter of knowledge and it is assumed that knowledge is embedded in  technology.

      From the constructivist point of  view, educational technology serves as learning tools that learners learn with.   It engages learners in" active ,constructive, intentional, authentic, and cooperative learning. It provides opportunities for technology and learner interaction for meaningful learning.  Technology  serves as  supporter of knowledge construction such as representing learner's ideas, understanding and beliefs,producing organized,multimedia knowledge bases by learners. It serves as information  vehicles for exploring knowledge to support learning by constructing such as accesing needed informatin,comparing perspectives ,beliefs and world views.It serves as context to support learning -by - doing like representing and simulating meaningful real- world problems,situation and contexts,defining a safe ,controllable problem space for student thinking.  It serves as a social medium to support learning by conversing like for  instance  collaborating wih others, discussing, arguing,and building consensus among members of the community. It serves as  intellectual partner to support learning- by- reflecting such as helping learners articluate and represent what they know,reflecting of what they have learned and  how they come to know it,supporting learner's internal  negotiatins  and meaning making.

      Whether  used from traditional or constructivist point of view,when used effectively, research indicates that techology increases student's learning, undrestanding,and achievement but also augments motivtion to learn , encourages collaborative learning and supports the development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills.By effectively using the technology, I can now apply my learning.

Both teachers and the students are convinced about the important contributions educational technology can offer. If properly selected and used, instructional materials can do the following:

1.) Arouse and sustain the interest and attention of the pupils/students to learn.

2.) Concretize abstract concepts/ideas to promote meaningful learning.

3.) Makes learning more permanent because of the rich experiences that they provide.

4.) Provide self-activities for independent learning.

5.) Increae vocabulary by eliminating verbalism.

6.) Develop continuity of thought.

7.) Increase the quality of learning while decreasing the time spent.

8.) Check pupils preparedness.

9.) Make learning more interactive, hence learning is improved.

What is Educational Technology?

Educational technology is the effective use of technological tools in learning. As a concept, it concerns an array of tools, such as media, machines and networking hardware, as well as considering underlying theoretical perspectives for their effective application.

Educational technology aims to improve education. Technology should facilitate learning processes and increase performance of the educational system(s) as it regards to effectiveness and/or efficiency.

Educational technology is a very wide field. Therefore one can find many definitions, some of which are conflicting.

Technology means the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical task. Therefore, educational technology is based on theoretical knowledge from different disciplines (communication, psychology, sociology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, computer science, etc.) plus experiential knowledge from educational practise (Natalie Descryver)

Educational technology is the use of technology to improve education. It is a systematic, iterative process for designing instruction or training used to improve performance. Educational technology is sometimes also known as instructional technology or learning technology.

... As an academic discipline, the study of educational technology prepares individuals by helping them acquire a deeper understanding and mastery of:  learning resources: messages, people, materials, devices, techniques and settings;

processes for analyzing and devising solutions to those problems through research, theory, design, production, evaluation, utilization;

the processes involved in organization and personnel management.

The focus is on effective processes to facilitate learning using technologies and understanding the impacts of technology on learners and organizations.

Educational technology is the study and ethical practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using, and managing appropriate technological process
es and resources.