How Technology Has Changed The Way We Learn

ICT can be used in most (if not all) subjects.  It is no longer refined to the IT class.  It is now “a much more flexible tool which can greatly enhance the learning experience.” (Ager, 2000, p. 15)

From slate to paper; blackboards to photocopiers; OHPs to USBs; interactive whiteboards to mobile technologies, new advances to the learning resources available is ever expanding.  This blog post aims to outline just a small number of ways technology has changed the way we learn, focusing on current technology.

Online courses and MOOCs

In reaction to the continued expansion of Internet access, many higher education courses are now offered either solely or partially online.  These can be course for qualifications, such as those offered by The Open University for example, or the can be stand-alone lessons for the purpose of gaining knowledge.  A MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) is an effective way to overcome the problem of over-recruiting onto a particular course as it an online course with an unlimited capacity of students.  Studying online also provides the opportunity to collaborate via online discussion groups.  Online discussion groups are effective ways of supporting learning and collaborated research, whether used as part of an online course or a traditional classroom (Armitage, et al., 2007)

Podcasts 

In addition to MOOCs learners now have access to lectures and classes via podcasts.  Podcasts are purpose-created audio files that students can use at any time, place and on any device.  As well as the convenience, podcasts have the added benefit of developing spoken language skills, especially to second-language speakers.  “Lectures in HE have used this to replace traditional lectures suggesting that it frees up time for smaller group activities and promotes widening participation.” (Stothart, 2006 cited in Armitage et.al. 2007 p.128)

VLEs and File-Sharing

(Photo: www.theguardian.com)

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) such as Moodle are effective ways to generate discussions amongst students, making announcements and sharing information. Shared resources such as OneNote, Google Drive, and DropBox, can be used in a similar way to VLEs but students can get more involved and share different types of material. 

Using file-sharing technology as a collaboration tool can raise standards of communication among students.  Leask highlights three ways learners can get involved in collaborative online learning communities:

•          Browsing: The student uses the technology to gain information, and in turn interprets this to               draw their own conclusions
•         Interacting: The student develops and helps to shape the information through communication
•        Collaborating: The student shares information and knowledge (2001)

When the student begins to interact and collaborate, their learning moves from the passive (browsing) to the active.  The students are themselves directly involved with the learning process.

Within the classroom

“Technology’s visual and interactive qualities can direct students’ attention toward learning tasks.” (Roblyer & Doering, 2014, p. 35)

Allowing students to use technology to produce something of their own creation, such as a poster; a blog; graphs and charts; or a newsletter can give them a great sense of achievement.  Further to this, allowing students to publish their work online makes them more likely to work harder on the project at hand.  (Roblyer & Doering, 2014)

Technology can also improve the feedback a teacher can give on a piece of work, which in turn helps the student reflect and improve their learning.   Most colleges and universities today use Turnitin to receive assignments.  Turnitin allows comments to be made on the digital copy of the work (making teachers’ comments more legible for the student than handwritten notes), as well as feedback in a voice recording.

Filming and recording lessons can be a good way to assess learning. Digital cameras or in-phone cameras can be used in a classroom to “record evidence of learning and promote motivation”. (Armitage, et al., 2007, p. 123)

Conclusion

In conclusion, recent technology has opened up more opportunities for people to learn, outside of the traditional methods.  More and more people have access to education and educational material due to online innovations.  As one social network creator put it: “The internet has flattened the world… It allows us to learn anything we want.  A teenager with a smartphone has access to more knowledge than the president did a few decades ago.”(Alexis Ohanian, creator of ‘Reddit’ quoted in Robson, 2014)

References

Ager, Richard The Art of Information and Communication Technology for Teachers (London: David Fulton Publishers, 2000)

Armitage, Andy, et al. Teaching and Training in Post-Compulsory Education 3rd Edition (Berkshire: Open University Press, 2007)

Britland, Matt. "What is the Future of Technology in Education?" The Guardian . June 19, 2013. http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jun/19/technology-future-education-cloud-social-learning (accessed December 1, 2014).

Leask, Marilyn (ed.). Issues in Teaching Using ICT (London: Routledge, 2001)

Roblyer, M.D., and Aaron H. Doering. Intergrating Educational Technology into Teaching (Pearson New International Edition. Essex: Pearson, 2014)

Robson, David. “How Computers Change the Way We Learn.” BBC Future. 22 October 2014. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20141022-are-we-getting-smarter (accessed December 1, 2014).