What is learning? First and foremost learning is a life-long process that involves the acquiring and utilization of new skills and knowledge. I believe that we learn best if we can identify with the concepts and content that we are interacting with. If we are learning about something that we can apply to our daily lives, then we have more opportunities for recalling and retaining that knowledge.
Vast amounts of time and effort has been put into the studying and analysis of education and training. Fundamentally I have always believed in the existence of multiple intelligences and learning styles – they are what makes each of us and our students unique. By integrating a number of different learning styles and strategies into our lesson plans we have the ability to address the needs and learning styles of our students. Not every lesson needs to address each intelligence or learning style; however, as educators it is our duty to provide as many different learning opportunities for comprehension and understanding as possible for our students.
With the increase in technology, specifically social technologies, we have the ability to make the world our classroom. We can connect our students with experts in a specific field and we can provide our students with cultural experiences that they otherwise would not have had the opportunity to experience. As technology use increases within the classroom, I believe the role of the instructor will change from someone imparting knowledge to a group of students to someone facilitating the curation, exploration, and understanding of concepts and content in both a formal and informal manner.
However, instructors must recognize the most opportune times for including technology into their classroom. While technology is an ever-present factor in the lives of today’s student population, it does need to become the sole learning enabler – not every situation will warrant the use of technology, nor will technology always be the best solution for a given situation. Educators will need to train students on the correct use of technology, specifically how to be safe on technology, verify the credibility of sources, and how to discover content.
It will become increasingly important for educators to establish skills in questioning and communicating with students. Gone will be the days of lectures and teaching content as fact A, fact B, fact C. Students will be encouraged to search out information and communicate with subject matter experts and communities of interest to discuss and facilitate ideas and concepts in a way that relates to their daily life. The student will become an active participant in their education and customize their education in a meaningful way – students will become creators in social learning.
Additionally, educators will need to determine a way to evaluate the understanding and comprehension that students have obtained while utilizing technology. Assessments, in the traditional sense, provide a way to determine what students know and don’t know. However, does this really tell us that students have an understanding of the concept? That they are able to apply this knowledge to situations and use it in the correct context? Assessments should not be a matter of taking a paper and pencil test, answering multiple choice questions, or even writing essays. Students should be assessed based upon their ability to collaborate with others and use new found knowledge to address and solve problems relevant to them. The more we can show students that material is applicable to their lives, the more likely they will be to make connections and remember what they have learned.
Technology should enable learning and the communication and collaboration of students, instructors, and experts that are separated by distance and culture. It should be used as a way to encourage discovery and the enrichment of the learning experience. Technology will enable us to provide students as well as adults with learning opportunities as soon as a question or desire to learn occurs.