Definition
Cognitive Information Processing is a theory that falls under cognitivism. It postulates that individuals learn by encoding information into their memories. This occurs through separate stages: environmental input, information processing, and output. Dependent on numerous factors such as relevance, repetition, and learning environment, information can either be stored as short-term memory or long-term memory.
Theorists
Learning Activity
The objective of the learning activity will be for learners to identify Adobe Photoshop's 16 basic tools and their corresponding functions. The tools to be identified are as follows: Magic Wand Tool, Move Tool, Marquee Tools, Lasso Tools, Quick Selection Tool, Fill Tool, Crop Tool, Object Selection Tool, Eyedropper Tool, Brush Tool and Eraser Tool, Magic Eraser Tool, Clone Stamp Tool, Healing Brush Tool, Dodge Tool, Burn Tool, Hand Tool, and Zoom Tool.
The Cognitive Information Processing model consists of three basic stages: environmental input, processing and storage, and learner output. And like cognitivism, it is quite broad in scope. As such, I will focus my learning strategy to highlight the concepts of serial processing and parallel processing. Serial processing asserts that one process must be completed at a time. Parallel processing asserts that multiple processes can be done at a time.
For my learning strategy, I will provide a brief description of what each tool does. I will then provide a photo for students to edit, but will limit which tools they can use dependent on what the editing goal for the photo is.
For example, I have a picture of a dog, but do not like that there are dirt spots on its brown fur nor do I like that the wall behind it is also brown. The editing goal is to get rid of the dirt and change the background color to be more contrasting against its fur. In this scenario, I will only allow learners to use the Move Tool, Clone Stamp Tool, Magic Wand Tool, and Fill Tool. These tools will be able to accomplish this task, but learners will need to figure out how to do it.
In this scenario, the input are the tools provided. The users will have to process how to use it and eventually store that information in their memory. The output will be how they edit the photo with those tools. Parallel processing will be applied here in that the learners are using multiple tools at once to accomplish the task. Several projects like this will be applied where they use multiple tools at once.
For other projects with more complex tools, I will limit the tool usage to only one. They will complete simpler tasks with that single tool before moving onto the next. This will align with the serial processing concept.
The Cognitive Information Processing model consists of three basic stages: environmental input, processing and storage, and learner output. And like cognitivism, it is quite broad in scope. As such, I will focus my learning strategy to highlight the concepts of serial processing and parallel processing. Serial processing asserts that one process must be completed at a time. Parallel processing asserts that multiple processes can be done at a time.
For my learning strategy, I will provide a brief description of what each tool does. I will then provide a photo for students to edit, but will limit which tools they can use dependent on what the editing goal for the photo is.
For example, I have a picture of a dog, but do not like that there are dirt spots on its brown fur nor do I like that the wall behind it is also brown. The editing goal is to get rid of the dirt and change the background color to be more contrasting against its fur. In this scenario, I will only allow learners to use the Move Tool, Clone Stamp Tool, Magic Wand Tool, and Fill Tool. These tools will be able to accomplish this task, but learners will need to figure out how to do it.
In this scenario, the input are the tools provided. The users will have to process how to use it and eventually store that information in their memory. The output will be how they edit the photo with those tools. Parallel processing will be applied here in that the learners are using multiple tools at once to accomplish the task. Several projects like this will be applied where they use multiple tools at once.
For other projects with more complex tools, I will limit the tool usage to only one. They will complete simpler tasks with that single tool before moving onto the next. This will align with the serial processing concept.
Other Learning Activities
Outside of the digital arts, I have a keen interest in working within international development. Here is one example in which I may apply this learning theory related to that field:
Learning the local language (chunking; converting short-term memory to long-term memory): Rather than attempting to learn multiple aspects of a language, staff and volunteers can opt to focus on one particular subject at a time. For example, learning only the words related to agriculture. To further enhance their learning, learners can select a subject that is relevant to the community they are in. This creates an opportunity to add meaning to their learning and thus convert their knowledge to long-term memory.
Learning the local language (chunking; converting short-term memory to long-term memory): Rather than attempting to learn multiple aspects of a language, staff and volunteers can opt to focus on one particular subject at a time. For example, learning only the words related to agriculture. To further enhance their learning, learners can select a subject that is relevant to the community they are in. This creates an opportunity to add meaning to their learning and thus convert their knowledge to long-term memory.