ICT as Constructive Tool

Through the lesson on Construction tool, I could learn about the applications we can address and categorize to applications of construction tool. The ideas of the lesson also helped me understanding about how the tool helps learners to make use of the information in meaningful way. Similarly, I could also understand how the applications of the tool can help one in visualizing their understanding to construct or build knowledge. Moreover, I could draw an idea that the general purpose of the constructive tool is to manipulate information and construct knowledge of understandings based on the prior knowledge of the learners.

The ideas of this tool could help me in to make reflection on what we learned about the constructivism approach in teaching and learning. The lesson on this tool could help me understand about the connection of ICT and its applications to constructivism approach of teaching and learning. As emphasized by the constructivist approach; students’ construct their own understanding considering them as makers of meaningful knowledge, the students are also found generating new ways of understanding in teaching and learning through use of technology. The construction of learners’ knowledge is said to be determined by the experiences and influenced by new events in response to their existing knowledge. Since the construction of knowledge is emphasized through learners’ active participation, the technology is viewed as opportunities for active participation in teaching and learning. These ideas of connection could ultimately help me in retaining what I learned and remember based on my earlier experience in this topic of constructivism approach. 

By now, I can identify various applications that benefit knowledge construction. The constructive tool such as electronic bulletin boards, MS Publishers, multimedia authoring tools, social networking sites like Blogs, Facebook and twitter, and the simulations are some examples that I learned which are also seen to benefit learners’ knowledge construction. For example, the learners can organize and awake their knowledge through the ideas presented using the format of Desktop publishing program. Similarly, the students can easily visualize ideas and the relationships presented through the Concept map. The applications such as Word, Spread sheet and PowerPoint are also seen to help learners in building new knowledge on their prior learning.

The use of constructive tools is great shift towards learners centered pedagogy. Therefore, the constructive tools benefit learners in vast scale. The tool fosters students’ learning since the active participation is encouraged through use of its applications. The technology also triggers learning through exploration, adoption and practice with use of wide range of resources. Not only it benefits learning but also fosters critical thinking to motivate learning. For example, Microsoft Word manages to help students learn correct use of sentences since the word processors include spell checking and the grammars. Such application can really help learners in learning language. These are some of the benefits of ICT’s applications as constructive tool.

                                                Blogs to benefit knowledge construction

Word Processor including grammar checking