EIPT 6333 : Week 6 Essay Activity (Calvinly.com)

Are all computer programs designed for instructional purposes effective for learners? cognitive development? Why or not?

Designing computer programs for instructional purposes are a great way of guiding and supporting learners. Many learners learn in different ways. Some learners prefer more support from tutors, some learners prefer hardly any support from tutors (they prefer exploring and finding out information on their own), and some learners prefer working in groups. Not all programs can provide these features and accommodate all the different types of learners. Also, I think it depends on the instructional topic.

Lajoie (1993) discusses the three different kinds of camps: the modelers, the non-modelers, and the middle campers. The modelers tend to design computer programs in which tries to trace and model student's thinking process. Essentially, the tutor (AI) traces the student's learning progress and tries to diagnose all the problems they encounter. The non-modelers tend to design computer programs which allow student the freedom to explore and generate their own knowledge. And the middle campers tend to design computer programs in which include both aspects of modeler and non-modeler's approach. They also tend to support collaborative learning environments. I think that all of these computer programs can provide effective instruction for certain learners. But some learners may prefer certain approaches more than others.

I also think that the instructional topic is important as well in decided if the computer program is effective for learners. For math problems, having computer programs that provide students with drill-and-practice exercise can be very effective. But for creating writing and critical thinking problems, drill-and-practice might not be as effective. So, I think it's possible for computer programs to design instructions that are effective for learners, but certain type of programs are effective for a set of learners while other types of programs are effective for another set of learners. Designers of computer programs for instructional purposes must be cautious and know their learners and the different types of activities that are suitable for specific topics.

What kinds of computer tools are qualified for the term cognitive tools?

Lajoie (1993) defines the term cognitive cool as any tool that can support aspects of learners' cognitive processes. One aspect can include taking over the lower-level tasks to free up the learner's cognitive space for higher order thinking sills. An example is the Writing Partner (Lajoie 1993). The Writing Partner is a tool in which serves as an intellectual partner to help learners improve their writing performance and skills. The Writing Partner provides the following assistance for learners:

Guides the writers through a forced process of planning their stories, in brainstorming, and outlining
During the writing process, writers can ask for ongoing assistance
Provides an "I'm Stuck" screen which helps writers diagnose where and with what they are stuck on
Provides memory support

The assistance helps to free up student's tedious and lower-level tasks and allows them to focus on higher order thinking

Another example is Episodic Learner Model: The Adaptive Remote Tutor (ELM-ART). ELM-ART (http://apsymac33.uni-trier.de:8080/Lisp-Course) is an interactive and sophisticated adaptive environment for learning the programming language LISP. This system provides pre-test on prior knowledge, complete diagnosis, intuitive navigation, on-demand help, system-generated help, information and related activities that are monitored, an online note pad where students can take and store notes, a chat room where students can have live discussions, and a feature to e-mail questions to a human tutor. There is also a window where LISP programs can be written and valuated as if in a real-time programming environment. ELM-ART has all the qualities that make it an excellent cognitive tool. All of these features, such as an online notepad, system-generated help, and on-demand help, can reduce the cognitive load for learners and help them concentrate on the higher level tasks.