EDTK2030

Assignment 1 - Due 23 Sept - 10%

Assignment 1
Discuss the affordances and constraints of email as an ICT tool for learning. In your answer, be
sure to define and fully describe all terminology used, and that your work is grammatically and
structurally sound.

Affordances and constraints are the attributes of the various elements of the teaching and learning
environment. Email as an ICT tool for learning will have affordances and constraints. For learning to take
place in a learning environment, students are expected to perform certain tasks. The use of email as a
learning tool in ICT is a definite plus but as with affordances there will be constraints they go together.
Emails have become one of the most used medium to communicate by people who have the necessary,
“tools and ability.” Email is an affordance that is used to communicate information of all kinds regarding
learning among students, teachers and facilitators to name a few. It creates a social network that is
unlike face to face contact but is very useful in that there can be close to real-time responses and
exchange of data. It has become the way to communicate formally and informally in many instances.
One example is the UWI Open Campus email system. I use it to communicate ninety percent of the time
with my peers and Lecturers and vice versa. The system affords us the choice of personal
communication of information as well as group sharing. It allows for the development of group or social
activity over the geographical area it covers. Differences in cultures, norms and the, like are not much an
issue as the emails unless specifically focused on culture are direct and to the point in most instances.
The typed information and other media like still photos allow us to read in the language we are
exchanging the information in. I have had conversations and exchange of information on UWI Courses
and personal information with many of my peers and I have no idea what they sound like and vice versa.
I think that the Open Campus is adamant that we, “post a close-up image/photo of ourselves shoulder
up for the affordance of email and other non-video interactive media, like pasting from word or
uploading a file onto the LE, to make it less of a, purely technological interaction.” The photo adds a
sense of human interaction with the technology. The email affordance allows us to have a large pool of
ideas and information exchanged and a myriad of different perspectives can be harnessed. We can save
the information, respond or archive it for later use or delete as necessary. We can choose with whom
we want to interact.

With affordances come constraints. In my first year at the UWI Open Campus I had issues regarding my
email. I did not have access to the internet and had to wait until I had access to receive and send emails.
This was a constraint that made me uneasy as I was at a disadvantage to others who had internet access
constantly. Instances of unreliable internet services is also a constraint, I have had peers with whom I
had to, “text via my mobile telephone,” while we were communicating for a group project, relevant
information that was readily needed because their internet service went down. Constraints of not
having the proper hardware and or software to download and upload information is an issue. In this
cyber world we sometimes assume that we have all the affordances that would allow us to
communicate but ironically, it’s like individuals, we are all different in some ways regarding the
affordances and constraints. Another constraint is the inability of individuals to understand how to use
the email affordance properly. I have had experiences with individuals sending me information on
Courses I am not involved in by mistake. Individuals can be constrained by their limited knowledge of
using the system.

According to EDTK2030/Unit-1 Page 9/34/UWI-OC/S-1/2018-19; “The teachers’ role is to plan and

manage the learning environment and orchestrate elements in the setting, such as visual cues,
questions, demonstrations, the tools and other components, in order to help learners’close this gap.
According to Salomon (1993), an affordance is the perceived and actual properties of something,
essentially being those properties that determine how the element could be possibly used in a specific
situation. Kennewell (2006) added that affordances comprise the attributes of the object or
phenomenon that provide a potential for action.”

According to Steve Kennewell,

“To achieve the task outcomes, students use their existing abilities, together with supporting features
of the setting. To achieve learning, some cognitive effort on the part of students is required to
overcome the gap between their existing abilities and the intended abilities Steve Kennewell 106 in
the setting (Salomon & Globerson, 1987). The teacher’s role is to orchestrate the supporting features –
the visual cues, the prompts, the questions, the explanations, the demonstrations, the collaborations,
the tools, the information sources available, and so forth – in an attempt to make it possible, but not
trivial, for learners to bridge the learning gap. The attributes of the supporting features can be
classified as affordances (Gibson, 1986) and constraints (Greeno, 1998). The affordances are the
attributes of the setting which provide potential for action; the constraints are the conditions and
relationships amongst attributes which provide structure and guidance for the course of actions.”

“The affordances are the attributes of the setting which provide potential for action; the constraints
are the conditions and relationships amongst attributes which provide structure and guidance for the
course of actions.”

Retrieved from; Steve Kennewell (2001) Using affordances and constraints to evaluate the use of
information and communications technology in teaching and learning, Journal of Information Techology
for Teacher Education, 10:1-2, 101-116, DOI: 10.1080/14759390100200105, Page 7/17.

According to, EDTK2030/Unit-1 Page 9/34/UWI-OC/S-1/2018-19; “the mere presence of computers and
other ICT hardware will not assure effective learning, and it is important for ICT-mediated teaching
and learning to be guided by relevant learning theories. In well-designed ICT-mediated teaching and
learning, the affordances of various ICT tools are exploited to facilitate the application of learning
principles that emerge from learning theories. ICT-mediated learning environments are environments
where students perform learning tasks that involve activity, realism, reflection and collaboration with
the support of ICT tools.”

The Learning Theories that support ICT are; Activity-based Learning Theories, Reflection-oriented
Learning Theories and Social Learning Theories. Behaviourist or Activity Based Theory elements, are
recognized as being crucial to successful ICT-mediated teaching and learning. This theory places much
emphasis on the learner being actively engaged in exploring an environment to change the environment
in ways that can facilitate the discovery of meaning. Activity Theory, is focused more on learning
systems rather than human behaviour or cognitive information processing. People change when they
engage in productive activity and at the same time changing the environment as well. The interaction
with the objects leads to a potential for change and the activity gives the learner a deeper
understanding of the phoenomena, Engestrom (1999). Activity Theory is liked to ICT by the belief that,
“Learning is facilitated when the tools in the environment can be used to create representations of the
learners’ mental interpretations.” Discovery Learning is also regarded as a form of active learning where
learners learn from their mistakes. Bicknell-Holmes and Hoffman (2000). Authentic Learning Tasks that
also include Incidental Learning and which can reflect real life situations are relevant here, ICT can be
incorporated.

Reflection Based Theories regarding ICT are based on the Constructivist Theories of Learning. Here the
emphasis is focused on the cognitive aspect (mental processes) of the learner who reflect on their
actions and all the possible outcomes for varying their actions through reflection to facilitate learning.

“Reflection is when we look back on our past experiences to raise questions and make judgements on
what transpired, in order to make sense of these experiences. ICT can facilitate reflection by
superimposing critical questions in the course of instruction, by facilitating ‘what if’ scenarios when
learners can change values in a spreadsheet, and by replaying past events.” EDTK2030/Unit-2/UWI-
OC/S-1/2018-19. The learning process regarding reflective theory here is supported by; Reflection
Oriented Theories, Self-Regulated Learning, Kolbs Experiential Learning Theory and Problem Based
Learning.

Social Learning Theories, Vygotsky’s Social learning Theory, Situated Cognition and the Cognitive
Apprenticeship Model all support the use of ICT. “Vygotsky (1978) identified two developmental levels.
The first was the actual level of development of a child’s mental functions, and the second
developmental level was the level of development that could be achieved when the child was assisted
by a more competent person. Vygotsky (1978) called this difference between an individual’s actual
development and potential level of development the zone of proximal development ZPD.”

“Hennessy (1993) explained that situated cognition recognises the important role played by the social
and physical aspects of learning environments. Brown, Collins & Duguid (1989) suggested that
learning is naturally tied to an authentic activity, and is shaped by 58 EDTK2030 Information and
Communication Technologies in Education - UNIT 2 context and culture, because knowledge is situated
in, and also is an outcome of authentic cultural activities. Consequently there is recognition of the
important role played by the social and physical circumstances in which actions are situated.”

“Collins, Brown and Newman (1989) provided a cognitive apprenticeship model that gave practical
steps for applying situated learning theory. They have taken cues from the way apprentices learn in
the workplace, and the way that knowledge is shared among members of a work group. According to
Alger (2011) the cognitive apprenticeship model was influenced by ideas taken from traditional
apprenticeships where experts demonstrate, provide assistance, coach and gradually withdraw
assistance to allow learners to become independent problem solvers.”

Thee above theories in relation to guiding instruction in ICT mediated learning environments covered a
broad spectrum of the human condition in relation to how we learn. Three main areas of theoretical
thinking were emphasized, Learner Activity, Reflection and Social negation in communities of practice.
As with all theories there is no set situation. Learning is dynamic and highly complex even as we try to
explain how we learn. However, the evidence can be seen where these three theoretical postulations
have some credence in aiding and supporting ICT mediated learning environments.

I am a Primary School teacher from Trinidad and Tobago. In my classroom I have the affordance of my
laptop that I am using to do this assignment. It is old but works well. I use my laptop connected to my,
mobile telephone which acts as a WIFI hotspot that connects me to the internet. This allows me to show
my student videos regarding different elements of different subjects. For example, last week the topic of
grouping animals in General Science was done. In conjunction with the text book that had still photos I
used the laptop to show them videos of the same animals of varying groups, namely, Amphibians, Birds,
Fishes, Mammals and Reptiles in their live form in a manner they could observe and hear. They loved it
but are accustomed as I have been doing this over all subject areas for a while now. However, my laptop
is small, and a constraint is that I have to place it strategically for all to see. There is no projector. I have
devised a system of a semi-circle be formed with two rows, but it is still a constraint as some at times
some students cannot hear properly or see well. It takes up time as I rotate the students, to allow
everyone a fair chance of viewing. It means that I have to replay the same video an average of four
times.
The idea of linking a projector and external speakers to my computer will allow the class to view and
hear the presentations well enough so that the constraint would be eliminated. The affordance of a
projector with all accessories, (hardware and software) and external speakers will allow this to be
realistically implemented.

I have asked for these items to be provided for whole school use from the authorities and the school
itself to no avail. However, I have been saving for my personal use to purchase a projector with all
hardware and software and external speakers. I may realise this by the end of November in time for End
of Term Test and Class festivities (movies and the like) I will use the affordances of these elements of ICT
to add to my laptop to proactively implement my solutions. This may, I hope, show the administration
and the higher authorities the, “need,” to invest in the technology.

Regards,

Bobby Boodram.

References

Readings Units 1&2/EDTK2030/UWI-OC/S-1/2018-19

Steve Kennewell (2001) Using affordances and constraints to evaluate the use of information and
communications technology in teaching and learning, Journal of Information Techology for Teacher
Education, 10:1-2, 101-116, DOI: 10.1080/14759390100200105, Page 7/17.