Until intelligent technologies become as ubiquitous as pencil and paper – and we are not there yet by a long shot – how a person functions away from intelligent technologies must be considered . Moreover , even if computer technology became as ubiquitous as the pencil , students will still face an infinite number of problems to solve , new kinds of knowledge to mentally construct , and decisions to make , for which no intelligent technology would be available or accessible . ( p . 5 )
Easy Learning ?
Many instructional innovations falsely promise to make learning fun and teaching easy ( Cuban , 1986 ). Cognitive tools make no such promises , either for learners or teachers . Instead , cognitive tools activate complex cognitive learning strategies and critical thinking . These tools not only extend the mind , they have the potential to reorganize mental functioning ( Pea , 1985 ) and engage learners in high level generative information processing ( Wittrock , 1974 ). In generative processing , deeper information processing results from activating appropriate mental models , using them to interpret new information , assimilating new information back into those models , reorganizing the models in light of the newly interpreted information , and using the enhanced mental models to explain , interpret , or infer new knowledge ( Norman , 1983 ). Knowledge acquisition and integration is a constructive process involving " mindful " cognitive effort ( Langer , 1989 ; Salomon & Globerson , 1987 ). When using cognitive tools , learners engage in knowledge construction rather than knowledge reproduction .
Cognitive tools are learner-controlled , not teacher-controlled or technologydriven . For example , when students build databases , they are also constructing their own conceptualization of the organization of a domain of knowledge . Cognitive tools are not designed to reduce information processing , that is , make a task easier , as has long been the goal of instructional systems design as a field . Learners can ’ t use cognitive tools effortlessly because they require learners to think harder about the subject matter being studied or the task being undertaken with the goal of generating original thoughts that would be impossible without these tools ( Perkins , 1993 ).
The nature and source of the task or problem is paramount in applications of cognitive tools . Past failures of " tool " approaches to using computers in education can be attributed largely to the relegation of the tools to traditional academic tasks set by teachers or the curriculum . Cognitive tools are intended to be used by students to represent knowledge and solve problems while pursuing investigations that are relevant to their own lives . These investigations are ideally situated within a constructivist learning environment ( Duffy , Lowyck , & Jonassen , 1993 ). Cognitive tools won ’ t be effective when used to support teacher-controlled tasks alone .
The Foundations for Using Cognitive Tools The following principles sum up the foundations for using cognitive tools :
21