The impact of technology on learning

I'm writing this as a brief assignment in a teached ed programme, to demonstrate writing online - the subject is the impact of technology on learning.

Technology has exploded on our educational lives in the last decade, At the front end of the explosion were things for the teacher to do: use a computer to make handouts and assignment briefs, learn software to enhance their presentation skills, get savvy with gadgets like IWBs and digital cameras. And as those skills became immersed in the teacher's profile the 2nd 'aftershock' of the explosion came - Web 2.0, which extended the benefits of technology beyond teaching, into learning.

Web 2.0 is a melting pot of online tools that take the emphasis away from teachers doing things for learners, towards enabling learners to do things for themselves. A common subtitle for Web 2.0 is 'the read/write web'; an environment where anyone can publish and collaborate online in a global community of learning.

Many educators feel that this is a paradigm shift that requires us to re-think teaching and learning strategies (though not pedagogy). Will Richardson writes at http://weblogg-ed.com/ that "my kids just are not being served by the constant passing of paper back and forth".

And the JISC report on the impact of Web 2.0 on learning states "the crowd, and its power, will become more important as the Web facilitates new communities and groups."

Take a typical assignment (like this). By writing online, I can involve anyone who has a similar interest in the discussion. I can integrate media easily to enhance presentation and suit my individual learning style. I can access my assignment from any internet connected computer, updating and storing it easily. My teacher can review my work at any time.

My learners have used Moodle predominantly; here's some feedback from my learners.

The tools supports differentiation. Publishing online empowers an individual and puts ownership in the learner's hands. It gives every learner a voice and extends learning learning beyond the classroom.

Here are links to a couple of videos by teachers, demonstrating the value of Web 2.0 for learning.
Why let students blog?

Teaching in NZ with Web 2.0

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Comment by Shawn Moore on June 1, 2007 at 5:23am: I think that you have clearly and concisely stated why the Web 2.0 revolution MUST be a part of any modern education program. Our students are already doing multimedia work on the web in their normal social interactions, but we must incorporate this in order to take advantage of all that the internet has to offer and to help provide guidance to our students in proper use and etiquette.

Comment by pete whitfield on June 8, 2007 at 1:20am: This blog post was a trial to see if I could build an electronic portfolio for my teacher ed programme, including multimedia and community feedback.
Here's my tutor's response:
"Thanks, Peter! Not sure I got the full benefit of this though as the compluters in the staff room cannot deal with this. Please let me have a copy on Monday as this will be needed for your portfolio anyway."
This saddened me rather as I feel it implies a number of points, though this is not to detract from the high quality of teaching that goes on in my teacher ed programme.
"The computers in the staff room cannot deal with this" - I don't know exactly what the issue was but how many members of this community have had a similar problem? A base level function of a computer in an educational institution must be to access current online media.
"Please let me have a copy on Monday as this will be needed for your portfolio anyway" - aaaah! More paper (which won't include the video) and no possiblity of an eportfolio that I can continue to use.

Comment by Andrew Robitaille on September 1, 2007 at 3:34am: Hi Pete,

This is a well-written argument, and the embedded multimedia adds impact and supports your claim. I am in the process of writing a research paper on this topic. I'll send it your way when it is completed. (If I ever get back to editing it!) Great to meet you.