Week 1 discussion

Understanding the demands and limitations of the brain during the learning process has much potential impact on how educators work with their students. With Dr. Wolfe’s discussion of the brain and brain research and Dr. Orey’s discussions of learning styles and multiple intelligences in mind, reflect on the uses of educational technology described in the excerpt Theoretical Foundations in the Lever-Duffy text. Consider how research on the brain and learning might support the use of educational technology to facilitate and enhance student learning.


Lever-Duffy and McDonald (2008) state “Each person has their own tendencies and preferences when it cone to cognition” (p.20). The use of technology can easily be adapted to facilitate peoples individual learning styles. According to theorist Seymour Papert, you want to provide diverse opportunities in learning for children to construct meaning through their experiences. The use of technology in the classroom would support Papert’s Theory. Brain research explained by Dr. Pat Wolfe describes how messages in the brain are passed on through a neural network composed of axions and dendrites. When a message is transfered between nerve cells, a chemical is released at the synapse. In order to speed up transmission of impulses at these synapses, the nerve cells must be used. It is very similar to a new born baby according to Dr. Wolfe. Another comparison can be made to an elderly senile person who does nothing all day compared to someone who is active, playing games like Scrabble to keep the mind in top shape. My grandmother says you need to use it or lose it. An olympic athlete is able to run faster because of quicker neural transmissions from training. Brain research helps explain that practice trains the brain to become faster with recall. According to Dr. Wolf, recall is what learning is all about. So how does brain research link to the use of technology for learning. It is another form of making connections in the brain. The more ways one tries to make these connections through visual, auditory, kinesthetic means the better ones ability to recall a learned fact is. Technology provides many ways for these connections to take place. Technology is also fun, cool, hip to our students. Some students see it as a reward (Piage) or a behavior that can easily be reinforced because students enjoy it (the behavioralist Skinner).

Lever-Duffy, J. & McDonald, J. (2008). Teaching and learning with technology (3rd ed. pp. 2–35). Boston: Pearson.