Home PublicationsJRTEPast IssuesVolume 33 Number 1

Edited by Dr. David J. Ayersman, Mary Washington College, and Dr. W. Michael Reed, New York University

formerly Journal of Research on Computing in Education

JRCE, Volume 33, Number 1, Fall 2000

Susan Rodrigues
University of Stirling, Scotland

Abstract

Much of the current software is marketed as constructivist, primarily because access to information is nonlinear and because it offers scope for personal or communal interaction. As a result, instructional systems designed along the lines of open access are often considered constructivist, simply because the pathway taken by the user is user-determined and not overtly preordained by the designer. This article questions the degree of this influence by illustrating the difficulties in translating constructivist philosophy into objectivist reality. Grounding multimedia design in constructivist philosophy is problematic for two main reasons: (1) interpretation and shared understanding of terms and (2) limits with respect to the technology. The process of interpretation is a key factor in translating wants into reality. Progress in technological development may be providing opportunities to address some constructivist ideals, but fundamental issues of metacognitive strategies and scaffolding are more difficult to incorporate.

Contributor

Dr. Susan Rodrigues is Director of Initial Teacher Education at the University of Stirling, Scotland. Her research interests include student use of a range of information communication technologies (ICT) and the role of context in student learning.

Address: Dr. Susan Rodrigues, Institute of Education, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA Scotland; s.g.a.rodrigues@stir.ac.uk.

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Copyright © 2000, ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education). All rights reserved.