Reflection on Mindtools Article

Jonassen, D., et al (1998) stated that – “technologies should not support learning by attempting to instruct the learners, but rather should be used as knowledge construction tools that students learn with, not from. In this way, learners function as designers, and computers function as Mindtools for interpreting and organizing their personal knowledge.” Have we seen a super computer without operating system software? Is it possible to carry a title of an engineer without the ability to imagine, be creative, and inventive? A seasoned engineer has some if not all of these characteristics. Think about the bridges, airplanes, roads, and greenhouse etcetera; they were inventions in the mind of the inventors made available to us today employing engineering, resources, and tools. The engineer conveys his ideas effectively using tools; thereby making an airplane a reality.

Instructional Technologists have the responsibilities of using computers as mindtools for engaging learners in critical thinking. According to Jonassen (1998), “mindtools scaffold different forms of reasoning about content. That is, they require students to think about what they know in different, meaningful ways.” All the beautiful architectural works of Rome, Athens - Greece are representations of human creative minds. The ideas sprung from critical thinking and great minds. It goes to show that we all have some gifts that can be transformed using technology. To implement a technology, someone also has to critically think and apply information in ways that bring results. All of these are knowledge construction ultimately resulting in constructing things. Computers have a place in our life; it is not that of replacing human thinking ability. Rather, it is that of intellectual partnership. Humans have can enhance computer capabilities, and computer can enhance thinking and learning resulting in a great partnership. As specialists, we do not want to be controlled by the tool, neither should computers control learning. Jonassen, D., et al (1998) concluded that “computers should be used as tools that help learners to build knowledge.” They also stated that “that there is the possibility of qualitatively upgrading the performance of the joint system of learner plus technology.” We can conclude that a “symbiotic” interaction between learners and mindtools should be the goal of an instructional technologist.

A successful “marriage” of these will empower the technologist. Computers effectively support meaningful learning and knowledge construction; it should be a cognitive amplification tool for reflecting on what students know and what they are learning. Rather than using the power of computer technologies to disseminate information, they should be used in all subject domains as tools for engaging learners in reflective, critical thinking about the ideas they are studying (Jonassen, D., et al 1998). The process will make obsolete, the traditional methods of computer-based instruction now available. Learning is an active, constructive, and social process by which the learner strategically manages available cognitive, physical, and social resources to create new knowledge by interacting with information already stored in memory (Shuell, 1988). I agree with Papert when he said “when learners function as designers of objects, they learn more about those objects than they would from studying about them.”

References:
Carr, C., Jonassen, D., H., & Yueh, H., (1998). Computers as mindtools for engaging learners in critical thinking. Techtrends, 43(2), 24-32.
Papert, S., (1993). The children’s machine: Rethinking school in the age of the computer (pp. 82-103).
Clark, R. E. (1994a). Media and method. The media influence debate: Read the fine print, but don't lose sight of the big picture. Educational Technology, Research & Development, 42(2), 7-10.