Teacher's+Notes

**Introduction**
Information and communication technology (ICT) has become increasingly prevalent in the field of education in the past decades, having a strong influence on what is being learnt and stimulating innovations to the way students are learning. Changes from content-centered curricula to competency-based curricula are being associated with shifts from teacher-centered teaching to student-centered forms of delivery. Through ICT-facilitated approaches to learning and teaching, contemporary education settings aim to empower students to take ownership and develop a sense of responsibility for their learning. The integration of ICT as a requisite education platform has coincided with an increasing recognition of the principles of constructivism (Oliver, 2002). According to Duffy and Cunningham (1996), the constructivist view on learning is that it is 'an active process of constructing rather than acquiring knowledge’ and ‘instruction is a process of supporting that construction rather than communicating knowledge’. Moreover, understanding is inherently facilitated by context (Lebow, 1993), and social interactions have a pivotal role in the processes of learning and cognition (Vygotsky, 1978). In analyzing the implications of cognitivist principles on ICT-mediated learning, Oliver (2002) comments that the main strength of constructivism is its intrinsic focus on learning as a process of personal understanding and meaning making in ways which are both active and interpretative. Furthermore, Jonassen and Reeves, 1996 draw attention to the distinction between meaning construction and memorization of facts. ICT-based educational frameworks not only facilitate but also encourage constructivist learning by enabling resource-based, student-focused, interactive settings that encourage learning to be related to context and practice (Barron, 1998).

PerspectivesOnTourism - an expression of constructivist learning
//PerspectivesOnTourism// is webquest-type activity that engages students of the International Issues and Perspectives (IIP) course in an online investigation on issues related to tourism. The sequence of tasks comprising the activity is intended for the early part of the course and aims at introducing key concepts and skills, such as the notion of stakeholder and research or online communication skills. The IIP course aims to challenge the students to examine the world from a variety of different perspectives and to think about the world as a place where people, institutions, issues and events impact on each other. Acting as a facilitator, the teacher has the role of guiding the students through a process of active learning, and not to provide content or conclusions. The IIP course adopts a blended learning approach, where students are engaged in both face-to-face interactions and ICT-mediated learning.

Central to the IIP course and implicitly the //PerspectivesOnTourism// tasks are the principles of constructivism. In line with Bruner’s view (1971, cited in Duffy and Cunningham, 1996), //PerspectivesOnTourism// aims at generating learning through the activities therein, and engage the students in a process of learning thorough discovery and investigation ‘in a personally and societally relevant’ context, tourism. Knowledge is not to be found in the task outcomes but in the process of inquiry and reflection needed in order to achieve the task outcomes (Bruner, 1990). Knowledge is in the challenge to understand instructions, in the struggle to achieve the tasks and not least in the effort to master the technology. It is the experimentation of the project, rather than the ultimate achievement of the task that generates learning. Since most of the tasks need to be done in teams, collaborative learning is at the core of the project; hence, knowledge construction is done through interpersonal interaction within a definite context. Overall, the tasks are not thoroughly prescriptive; this enables some flexibility of interpretation and uniquely personal construction. Moreover, systematic scaffolding of each task (see task instructions - Tasks ) enables the articulation of a meaningful purpose for learning and inductive knowledge construction from the part of the students, who can be seen as apprentices in their learning; they are expected to learn by doing (for example, learn some tips on online research and then follow a task to do the actual research in their team on their own - Task 1 - Research ). Although it could be argued that such a strongly student-centered activity may fail to familiarize the students with the basic content, IIP is not meant to be a content-focused course, but rather a course that employs content as a way to prompt prior knowledge and to develop confidence in thinking parameters and learning skills. Hence, in terms of learning validity, it is by measuring the viability, or acceptability of approaches of a task that the validity of the learning is established, and not by determining certainty or accuracy of factual implicit knowledge (Bruner, 1990). In line with constructivist views on validity, it is through reflection that learning is evaluated, and even in this case, //PerspectivesOnTourism// is consistent with its student-driven learning goal (see Reflection ). Another underlying purpose for the Reflection is to strengthen connections between elements of information in a higher-level thinking (Jonassen and Reeves, 1996). Moreover, evaluation of learning is associated with an online QUIZ aimed at reinforcing key concepts rather than enforcing a summative test. The quiz is designed to give feedback automatically, so that teacher intervention is reduced to minimum.

Computer-mediated communication between team members is encouraged through specific instructions for use of the Discussion forum ( Task 2 - Local Investigation : Use the Discussion tab above to access the forum for your discussions. Use your own team thread.). This enables a computer-supported collaborative work setting that fosters reciprocal teaching and meaningful learning construction (Jonassen and Reeves, 1996).

In this context, the role of the teacher is to design and facilitate the webquest and monitor the students ready to assist with guidance and clarifications should these be necessary. It is the students that are encouraged to address the facilitator with their queries rather than the teacher actively offering support. This enables //PerspectivesOnTourism// to contribute meaningfully to the students’ progress towards becoming independent learners (Bruner, 1990).

Conclusion
In conclusion, by integrating an effective student-centered focus through ICT-mediated inquiry and communication, //PerspectivesOnTourism// enables students’ original knowledge construction; and by promoting evaluation of learning through reflection, a higher-order thinking is attempted. This underlying goal of //PerspectivesOnTourism// makes this ICT-based learning project profoundly congruous with key coordinates of constructivism. Bibliography Barron, A. (1998). Designing Web-based training. //British Journal of Educational Technology, 29//(4), 355-371. Bruner, J. (1990) //Acts of Meaning//. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Duffy, T., & Cunningham, D. (1996). Constructivism: Implications for the design and delivery of instruction, //Handbook of research for educational telecommunications and technology// (pp. 170-198). New York: MacMillan. Jonassen, D. & Reeves, T. (1996). Learning with technology: Using computers as cognitive tools. In D. Jonassen (Ed.), //Handbook of Research Educational on Educational Communications and Technology// (pp 693-719). New York: Macmillan. Lebow, D. (1993). Constructivist values for instructional systems design: Five principles toward a new mindset. //Educational Technology, Research and Development, 41//(3), 4-16. Oliver, R. (2002). The Role of ICT in Higher Education for the 21st Century: ICT as a Change Agent for Education, Retrieved 1 June 2011 from [] Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). //Mind in Society: The development of Higher Psychological Processes//. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Created by Adina Stan (3231580) in June 2011