Intrinsic motivation is when a learner engages in an activity because it produces inherently positive consequences such as becoming more knowledgeable, competent and independent (Burwell, 2008). According to Ariely (Ted Talks, 2009), intrinsic motivation is internally driven and revolves around three major sense of accomplishments: autonomy, mastery and purpose. Autonomy is the urge to direct our own lives, mastery; the desire to get better at something that matters and purpose, the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves (Ted Talks, 2009). Extrinsic motivation on the other hand is referred to as the rewards and incentives approach (Ted Talks, 2009). It refers to a behavior that is driven by external rewards such as money, fame, grades, and praise and it arises from outside the individual (Cherry, 2015).
As a learner, my motivation is both intrinsic and extrinsic. It is intrinsic because the desire I have to accomplish something and the joy that I derive from getting something done are my number one driving force. The drive to be greater than what I am today (self-direction) gives me a high sense of purpose and motivates me. On the other hand, extrinsic motivation is important because when I am not intrinsically motivated enough, the external rewards from completing a task or punishment that results from failure to complete one serves as the driving force. For example, in this class, I know that if I don’t get my work done, then, I am setting myself up to do poorly so in order to avoid that, I am motivated to get assignments, projects and papers done as at when they are due.
The theoretical framework to which I connect my motivation will have to be intrinsic motivation because irrespective of rewards and incentives, that internal drive and desire has to be present in order for me to derive a sense of accomplishment. I will take teaching as an example; there is a sense of fulfillment that I get when I hear good reports about my students. When children transition from my class to say a preschool classroom and their new teacher tells me how surprised she is that the children are fully potty trained or that they know their shapes, colors, can say their first and last names etc. There is such unexplainable joy that emanate from within upon hearing such reports but to get to that point, one has to envisage that outcome and work towards it.
The effective integration of technology allows for student participation and engagement and hence boosts performance. It keeps students focused and interactive and can be used to personalize learning (Bygrave, 2014). Some of the advantages it offers include being naturally motivating for students and it has the potential to help each student advance faster (Bygrave, 2014). It is also rewarding for teachers in the sense that it allows them to reflect on how students normally consume information and it can help them set an interactive assignment by creating an online practice set (Bygrave, 2014). Integrating technology also creates versatility among students because it allows them to be active participants in their learning. It also brings out the internal desire to learn and become the best they can be. Technology integration in the classroom can also present some cons such as a distraction among students. Students may be socially disengaged from one another and the classroom may be void of interaction between students because everyone is so caught up on the devices (Montano, 2015). Lastly, students who do not have an equal access to these devices may be lagging behind in classroom assignments and other class engagements hence limiting their learning (Montano, 2015)
One important concept I derived from this and will definitely bring to my practice is that increase in rewards or incentives do not produce greater results, if at all, it leads to a poorer performance (Ted Talks, 2009). In order to achieve better results and achieve higher performance, the solution is not to do more of the wrong things, for example, giving more incentive or greater punishment (Ted Talks, 2009). As educators, we have to build a learning environment that is intrinsically rewarding because students perform better when they are internally driven than when they are offered rewards.
The link below has some interesting examples for this concepts:
How do we handle students that we know definitely need some form of reward to motivate them before they can get anything done? Do we keep giving them rewards just so they can get things done, even though we understand that it won’t necessarily change the outcome or cease the rewards altogether?
References
Ariely, D., (2009). Dan Pink: The puzzle of motivation. Ted Talks.
Bygrave, J., (2014). Motivating learners using technology.
Cherry, K., (2015). What is intrinsic motivation? About Education. Retrived from: http://psychology.about.com/od/motivation/f/intrinsic-motivation.htm
Montano, J., (2015). The 6 pros and cons of using technology in your classroom. Top Hat.
Rona, E., (2013). What motivates you more- internal drive or rewards?
Boyd, N., (n.d.). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in education: Definition and examples. Retrieved from: http://study.com/academy/lesson/intrinsic-and-extrinsic-motivation-in-education-definition-examples.html
Image retrieved from: http://mozuku.edublogs.org/files/2013/02/AmyKimIntrinsiceTrumpsExtrinsic-1kszawq.png
Aniekpeno Udofia- "thenewfaceofeducation" 
