Module 6: Has technology redefined learning?

I truly believe that technology has redefined learning in every aspect of our lives.  Seventeen years ago I became an official educator and ventured in a world that I thought was full of changing technology and excitement.  I didn't have a clue what was about to happen to our learning environment.

The way I used technology in my classroom was more for visual enhancement and to catch my students attention and get them through another long day of school so they can learn a piece of history.  Now I feel technology has become a tool that can be used to create new doors of exploration.  As a history teacher this new technology of how one can connect with someone across the world in seconds is priceless.  The way people can connect with others and explore and collaborate is amazing.  In one of my books I was reading for W531, A New Culture of Learning, the authors give an example of how these professional scientist and armatures across the world were viewing an astronomy event and with the tool of collectives on line, they were able to tap into this collective and instantly be a part of a group collaboration and figure out what they witnessed and prove a theory.  This was only possible because it was a collaboration of a large group of scientists that were observing the same time, same day from around the world.  If this had been only one person it might have been dismissed as an oversight or miscalculation. This new learning is beyond just a group project with four or five students, it’s become a learning environment of infinite amount of people who can connect and share their passions together and learn from one another.

Technology has changed the way most students conduct their daily lives in learning.  It is essential that our schools get on board in guiding students on how to use these tools properly. Through mistakes we learn and sometimes in our schools today that is seen as unacceptable and as Aran Lavassseur states in his blog, “This is a process of discovery—and like all discovery, it’s filled with trial and error.”  Students learn through mistakes and learn from others especially their peers. The process on how students learn today has changed with the ever changing new technologies.  With so many apps available for so many topics, it is easy to find the right tool to enhance some ones learning. For example take the apps that are available for reading. Students who once struggled in their reading and comprehension, can now use different apps to help them organize their thoughts as well as their output. (Holland,2013) They not only have accesses to these reading apps, but they have dictionaries, encyclopedias, calculators, graphing tools and atlases that are available on any mobile device such as ipads. (Holland, 2013) With having so many resources available to them, this helps guide them through what their interests are and sparks a continuous pool of learning.

Some teachers have expressed how students that were afraid to speak up in class are now using their successes of on line tools they are good at to help others in class. Technology is helping some students become more interactive with others as well as more engaged in group collaborative projects. This new way of learning sometimes helps students that weren't so great at a topic to find other ways in exploring their passions and begin to excel.  With technology redefining our environment these learners find new ways to shine.  For example through new reading and writing programs the Department of Education evaluated these programs and showed that those who had fallen behind were good at combating adult illiteracy.(Catching on at last) When computers are present and we provide students with the correct tools and how to use them towards improving their education, they rise to the occasion.  In some schools that have introduced personalized learning on laptops for all pupils, their scores in math, science and reading rose from 73% to 88%.(Catching on at last) Teachers find that  these students not only excel as excel boosts their confidence.

 Students now a days can go online and practically find various programs that can enhance their learning ability.  Most schools have updates of students homework and study guides posted on the school website.  For example when students are absent they don’t have to worry about falling behind because the information is posted for them to retrieve and keep up on what happened on that particular day.  There is also free tutoring online for extra help available and most of the time it’s free.  As one of my students said to me this past year, “Mrs. Moore who needs books when you have Google.”  I found myself laughing, but he was right in a sense of having the access at his fingertips.  They can solve problems from just anything by “Googling” it but I feel because the technology is becoming a part of our daily lives and how we interact with one another it is cultivated deep in our being. Technology has redefined our learning and the way we interact with each other on a day to day basis and not just in the classroom but in our homes, work place, leisure time and much more.

Technology is just not in a corner of room anymore, it’s surrounds us everywhere we go.  It helps us when we need extra help on topics or to make our everyday lives more efficient. Students learn new things constantly and want to share their findings and with technology available at their fingertips, they are able to create new cultures of learning among themselves and others around the world.


Click of a Button Video: http://youtu.be/6A-q43roCbg

References

Holland, B. (2013, July 11). iPads: From Pedagogical Crutch to Education Innovation.

Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/ipads-pedagogical-crutch-education-innovaiton-beth-holland

Sterkin, S. (Teacher) (n.d.). Ipads for writing. Retrieved from http://www.readingrockects.org/atoz/technology/

Catching on at last. (2013, June 19). The Economist, Retrieved fromhttp://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21580136-new-technology-poised-disrupt-americas-schools-and-then-worlds-catching-last

Levasseur, A. (2011, November 10). Teaching Without Technology. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2011/11/teaching-without-technology-314

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. (2011). A new culture of learning:cultivating the imagination for a world of constant change. Douglas Thomas and John Seely Brown.