Learning with Technology

When I began to take classes online I was not sure how effective it would be for me. I realized rather quickly that this time around in college I was in charge of my own learning. I have had to learn not only the content of my classes but also to use technology resources and multimedia options. In doing so, I have experienced firsthand the fact that technology and multimedia allows us to be effective learners.

The impact technology has on online learning is remarkable. In a video presentation from Salman Kahn he could not have said it better when he stated that with the use of videos for learning, we can humanize technology. Using technologies for online learning, does not replace human interaction; instead it has the potential to increase it without having limitations such as differences in levels of knowledge or geographical location.

The use of technology is allowing us to acquire knowledge without having to be face-to-face with an instructor. Amin, A, & Roberts, J. (2008) share that: “As it becomes easier to communicate with distant others in real time and in increasingly rich ways due to the availability of sophisticated software and visual technologies, interest is growing in how the new environments support knowledge generation.” (p.11).

Peer collaboration is a key element which contributes to learning and technologies are developed with this in mind: wikis, chats, discussion boards, blogs, are but a few of the technologies which are useful for this purpose (Ferriter, B., 2009). As such, these are my favorites in moving forward to developing online learning. Not only for their usefulness in promoting collaboration, but especially so because learning to use them is rather easy and would not be a distraction from content. It is important to point out that using technologies without a specific purpose would not be effective in developing learning experiences. These should be used to enhance and further the learning experience, otherwise there is no point in using them (Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R., 2010).

Technology tools are changing the way we learn in online environments. We can collaborate with peer and instructors easily which is an effective way of learning. But also we receive new information in a variety of ways. We can read text, watch videos and see images. We end up interacting with our content in a variety of ways and this allows us to learn this content in a more effective way. However, as Beldarrain, Y. (2006) shares, these are tools and not all technology tools are appropriate for every situation and one has to consider first and foremost the learning objectives in the instructional design in order for these to be used effectively.

Resources

Amin, A, & Roberts, J. (2008). Knowing in action: Beyond communities of practice. Research Policy, 37(2), 353-369. doi:10.1016/j.respol.2007.11.003

Beldarrain, Y. (2006). Distance Education Trends: Integrating new technologies to foster student interaction and collaboration. Distance Education, 27(2), 139-153. doi:10.1080/01587910600789498

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Ferriter, B. (2009). Learning with Blogs and Wikis. Adult Learning, (February).

Kahn, S. (2011). http://www.khanacademy.org/