Objective 2: Explain How the Underlying Principles in the Use of Technology

Support Instruction

Let’s Begin:

In this lesson, you will learn about some models explaining how technology can support
teaching and learning. These models are the Theory of Cone of Experience by Edgar Dale and
TPACK. They can guide you as future teachers to see how technology can be effectively used in
classroom instruction to make learning meaningful to your learners.

Let’s Explore:

Go over the reading activity below to understand more about the Cone of Experience and
TPACK.

Dale’s Cone of Experience

“The cone is a visual analogy and like all analogies, it does not bear an exact and detailed
relationship to the complex elements it present.” - Edgar Dale

Reading Activity 1

The 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
reaches 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 stage 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 components 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.

To expand on each of the components, let us begin with the Direct Purposeful Experiences.
These are first hand experiences which serve as the foundation of learning. In this level, more
senses are used in order to build up the knowledge. Also, at this level, the learner learned by doing
things by him/herself. Learning happens through actual hands-on experiences. This level explains
and proves 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. This level also proves
that educational technology is not limited to the modern gadgets and software that are
commercially available nowadays. This shows that even the simple opportunity that you give to
each child could help them learn.

The next level would be the Contrived Experiences. In this level, representative models
and mock-ups of reality are being used in order to provide an experience that is as close as reality.
This level is very practical and it makes learning experience more accessible to the learner. In this
stage, it provides more concrete experiences, even if not as concrete as direct experiences, that
allows visualization that fosters better understanding of the concept.
 On the other hand, the next level would be the Dramatized experiences. In this level,
learners can participate in reconstructed experiences that could give them better understanding of
the event or of a concept. Through dramatized experiences, learners become more familiar with
the concept as they emerge themselves to the “as-if” situation.

The next level would be the Demonstrations. It is a visualized explanation of an important

fact, idea, or process through the use of pictures, drawings, film and other types of media in order
to facilitate clear and effective learning. In this level, things are shown based on how they are done.

Another level would be the Study Trips. This level extends the learning experience through
excursions and visits on the different places that are not available inside the classroom. Through
this level, the learning experience will not be limited to the classroom setting but rather extended
in a more complex environment.

The level of study trips is followed by exhibits. It is a somewhat a combination of some of

the first levels in the cone. Actually, exhibits are a combination of several mock ups and models.
Most of the time, exhibits are experiences that are “for your eyes” only but some exhibits include
sensory experiences which could be related to direct purposeful experiences. In this level,
meanings ideas are presented to the learners in a more abstract manner. This experience allows
students to see the meaning and relevance of things based on the different pictures and
representations presented.

The next levels would be the level of television and motion pictures and sti8ll pictures,
recordings, and Radio. I decided to combine these two stages since it is related to one another.
Because of the rapid development of modern technology, a lot of people believe that Educational
technology is limited to these stages. They are not aware that these sages are only a small portion
of EdTech. For television and motion pictures, it implies values and messages through television
and films. On the other hand, still pictures, recordings and radio are visual and auditory devices
that can be used by a learner/group of learners that could enhance and extend learning experience

Lastly, I also chose to combine the last two levels because they are used hand-in-hand. The
last two levels would be the Visual symbolic and Verbal symbolic. These two levels are the most
complex and abstract among all the components of the Cone of Experience. In the visual symbolic
level, charts, maps, graphs, and diagrams are used for abstract representations. On the other hand,
the verbal symbolic level does not involve visual representation or clues to their meanings. Mostly,
the things involved in this level are words, ideas, principles, formula, and the likes.

After going through the different components of the Cone of Experience, it could be said
that in facilitating learning, we can use a variety of materials and medium in order to maximize
the learning experience. One medium is not enough thus if we can take advantage of the other
media. There’s nothing wrong with trying to combine several mediums for as long as it could
benefit the learners. Also, through the levels provided by the Cone of Experience, it could be said
that concrete experiences must be provided first in order to support abstract learning. Lastly,
staying on the concrete experiences is not even ideal because through providing abstract
experiences to the learner, the more he/she will develop his/her higher order thinking skills which
is important for more complex way of thinking and for dealing with more complex life situations.
Through understanding each component of the Cone of Experience, it could be said that
Educational Technology is not limited to the modern gadgets that we have right now but rather it
is a broad concept that includes all the media that we can use to attain balance as we facilitate
effective and meaningful learning.

To understand more the Cone of Experience, you may refer to this picture:

from:https://teachernoella.weebly.com/dales-cone-of-experience.html

Reading Activity 2

The increasingly ubiquitous availability of digital and networked tools has the potential to
fundamentally transform the teaching and learning process. Research on the instructional uses of
technology, however, has revealed that teachers often lack the knowledge to successfully integrate
technology in their teaching and their attempts tend to be limited in scope, variety, and depth.
Thus, technology is used more as “efficiency aids and extension devices” (McCormick &
Scrimshaw, 2001, p. 31) rather than as tools that can “transform the nature of a subject at the most
fundamental level” (p. 47).

One way in which researchers have tried to better understand how teachers may better use
technology in their classrooms has focused on the kinds of knowledge that teachers require

in order to use technology more effectively. Shulman ( 1986 ) proposed that effective teaching
requires a special type of knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge (or PCK), that represents
“the blending of content and pedagogy into an understanding of how particular topics, problems,
or issues are organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse interests and abilities of learners,
and presented for instruction” (p. 8). The central idea of PCK is that learning to teach a particular
subject matter requires not only understanding the content itself but also developing appropriate
instructional strategies and skills that are appropriate for learners.

Mishra and Koehler’s (2006) formulation of the technological, pedagogical, and content
knowledge (TPACK) framework extended Shulman’s (1986) characterization of teacher
knowledge to explicitly consider the role that knowledge about technology can play in effective
teaching. Specifically, three major knowledge components form the foundation of the TPACK
framework as follows:

• Content knowledge (CK) refers to any subject-matter knowledge that a teacher is responsible for
teaching.

• Pedagogical knowledge (PK) refers to teacher knowledge about a variety of instructional

practices, strategies, and methods to promote students’ learning.

• Technology knowledge (TK) refers to teacher knowledge about traditional and new technologies
that can be integrated into curriculum.

Four components in the TPACK framework, address how these three bodies of knowledge
interact, constrain, and afford each other as follows:

• Technological Content Knowledge (TCK) refers to knowledge of the reciprocal relationship

between technology and content. Disciplinary knowledge is often defined and constrained by
technologies and their representational and functional capabilities.

• Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) is to Shulman’s (1986) notion of “an understanding of

how particular topics, problems, or issues are organized, represented, and adapted to the diverse
interests and abilities of learners, and presented for instruction” (p. 8).
• Technological Pedagogical Knowledge (TCK) refers to an understanding of technology can
constrain and afford specific pedagogical practices.

• Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK) refers to knowledge about the

complex relations among technology, pedagogy, and content that enable teachers to develop
appropriate and context-specific teaching strategies.

The TPACK framework suggests that teachers need to have deep understandings of each
of the above components of knowledge in order to orchestrate and coordinate technology,
pedagogy, and content into teaching. Most importantly, TPACK is an emergent form of knowledge
that goes beyond knowledge of content, pedagogy, and technology taken individually but rather
exists in a dynamic transactional relationship (Bruce, 1997; Dewey & Bentley, 1949; Rosenblatt,
1978) between the three components (Koehler & Mishra, 2008; Mishra & Koehler, 2006). An
important part of the TPACK framework is that TPACK does not exist in a vacuum but rather is
grounded and situated in specific contexts as represented by the outer dotted circle in the TPACK
diagram.

From: The Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge Framework

Matthew J. Koehler , Punya Mishra , Kristen Kereluik , Tae Seob Shin , and Charles R. Graham
https://www.punyamishra.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/TPACK-handbookchapter-2013.pdf