Abstract:

Abstract
With the emergence of serious literature on instructional design and technology that corresponds to learning environment design, we have failed to capitalize on the effective and strategic use of technology to promote quality teaching and active student learning and engagement that produces a climate of inclusiveness, cultural interactions, and students with the ability to solve problems and apply metacognitive strategies for deep reflection and learning. The aim of this paper is to discuss the conceptual framework of how educators can use student centered technologies and strategies to facilitate cultural interactions that intern enhances the problem solving and metacognitive abilities within in the student. By incorporating concepts of situation cognition, project/problem based learning, and technology enabled instruction, students will have opportunities to make their thinking visible by connecting concepts from the subject domain to real world contents, thereby empowering them with metacognitive abilities and skills to work in diverse settings.

Introduction

The emergence of serious literature on instructional design and technology that corresponds to learning environment design within professional practice, we have failed to capitalize on the effective and strategic use of technology to promote quality teaching and active student learning and engagement that produces a climate of inclusiveness, cultural interactions, and students with the ability to solve problems and apply metacognitive strategies for deep reflection and learning.. Until recently, instructional designers of the past were concerned primarily with the fashioning of content, instead of the actual learning environment. The available literature, not surprisingly, tilted toward superficial aesthetics such as color and layout, instructional methodologies based on direct instruction, and the use of technological tools as the “new” magic bullet for instruction. Now, the research has tilted in the direction where methods are developed to aggressively facilitate an active learning environment, where culture plays, collaboration, and technology play an important role in learning. Within this context students are engaged with not only the content and instructional materials, but also with their peers, and the situation in which the content is presented. By incorporating strategies of situation cognition, project/problem based learning, and technology enabled instruction, educators allow students the opportunity to make their thinking visible by connecting concepts from the subject domain to real world contents, thereby empowering them with metacognitive abilities and the attributes to work in diverse settings with diverse cultures, and people.