Module 6

Learning in the Digital World

What impact do you believe technology has on the way you learn? In what ways do you learn differently in an online environment from the way you learned in a face-to-face learning environment? What do you believe is critical and non-negotiable in teaching and learning?

Technology has greatly influenced the way I learn today. The internet and technology devices gives me an abundance of information and ideas to use. It is sometimes too much to absorb but I have been able to navigate and decipher the information needed to gain knowledge. The technology tools available to me have allowed me the comfort and ease of obtaining information wherever, whenever I need it. Today’s technology made the process more efficient. It offers students today opportunities for social engagement with other students and promotes active learning. The online setting of learning is interacting where the teacher is the facilitator of learning. In the face to face setting the teacher seems to dominate the lesson and students are the listeners, taking in information. Driscoll (2005) believes constructivist learning is active learning, learners are engaged in learning by means of problem solving and critical-thinking skills. It also lets learners the opportunity to relate their learning to real life experiences.

It has become imperative and non-negotiable for learning and teaching to be the development of critical thinking and interaction. Technology development of the 21st century has created an atmosphere that learners understanding of how to apply technology used to real world experiences. Learners have an abundance of knowledge gained from understanding and interpretation of what they have learned. The teacher has become the facilitator that guides and allows for learner engagement and construction of their own interpretation and understanding.

Reference: Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.