It is often said that "When you do not know where you are going every road seems right!" That is why i couldn't agree more with Bransford (1999) that as teachers we need to know how people learn in order to be able to effectively adopt modern technology in the teaching and learning process.
I strongly think that in addition to knowing how people learn we must also heed the call by (McKenzie 2003) to evaluate softwares before we buy and use them in teaching and learning.
In doing so, we need to be aware that whatever Taxonomy we use in categorizing and assessing softwares A VERY IMPORTANT FACTOR TO CONSIDER IS HOW THE SOFTWARE DESIGN ADDRESSES BOTH EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES AND COGNITION. THIS APPROACH WILL ENSURE THAT THE LEARNER IS PUT FIRST IN THE APPLICATION OF TECHNOLOGY IN INSTRUCTION.
I ,therefore, find McKenzie (2003)'s proposed evaluation criteria very helpful. Indeed, if practitioners will carefully evaluate software from the point of view of its CONTENT, INTERFACE, DESIGN and DOCUMENTATION in relation to the learner then we shall be promoting technology not as an end in itself but as an educational tool. It is in this way that technology can help us stimulate multiple intelligences and achieve educational objectives.
As instructors who know where we are going with our students, it is our responsibility to choose the right paths (softwares) that will help us get the students there in such a way that when we can't carry own they can go on.
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Excellent summation of your thoughts on the McKenzie article and the connection to Bransford's thoughts in his book "How People Learn" - we all need a refresher with those thoughts and ideas. I am very carefully to always think about what students will learn as a result of using the technology. If I can't answer that, I probably shouldn't be doing the activity with students!
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