Tech Close: Embedding technology training in instruction to foster realistic authenticity in the learning environment.
Abstract: The purpose of Tech Close is to foster the utilization of technology in the learning environment through the authentic placement of training. Training in technology has a troubled past in that there exists a disconnect between learning a new technology (often with a high extraneous load) and an application or integration of that technology. Often in the training environment the activity demonstrating the training is disassociated with the learner’s field of interest. Tech Close seeks to reduce the extraneous load in the learning environment of both learning technology and the application of the technology by embedding the training in the learning process. By adding authenticity to the training cycle the learner actively uses the technology being learned in the learning task, thereby eliminating the disconnect between the training and task at hand. Thus reducing the extraneous load of both activities and fostering the creation of a more germane learning environment.
Presider: Joyce Johnston, George Mason University