You don't have to look far to see technology is (has) taken over our society. Being in the classroom, or any educational environment in general is no escape. We have technology all around us, and in many cases it is an incredibly valuable learning tool. However, it is the responsibility of the educator to make sure that when technology is being deployed as an educational resource that it is done-so with the correct reasoning. To often, you will find instances where technology is being used because it's the "cool" thing to do. It do not always aid the learning process. If it's not helping, why do it?
With all of the technology that is out there, I am going to whittle it down to a handful that I find most fascinating and hopefully we can decide when these tools are appropriate and when you might just be showing off.
I have had several spirited debates over the past few years on the application of social media in the classroom. I will stand by my opinion that it doesn't bring anything to the table, that can't be accomplished through more controllable avenues. So, what I just said there, is that I think social media is far to lawless for use in a learning context. There are several exceptions to this, but they are a diviation from what I consider to be the true social media. When I say social media, I mean FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, Dig and MySpace (is that still around?). In most teaching circles, anything on the web is lumped into social media like blogs, and wikis (Noe, 2011). Blogs and wikis are another problem I see as well, hence the reason you don't quote them in APA scholarly papers. Back to social media. Facebook is the primary culprit here. I have heard of classrooms using facebook as means of bringing the class together, and I personally don't see the point. It is an open opportunity for off topic exchanges, and it's extra work than simple emailing. Don't get me wrong, I love facebook. I'm on it about every 20 minutes all day...with my friends and family, not for school work. It's a social site, not a scholarly site, not a classroom aid, not a learning tool.
The area that I am most excited about, but have seen the good and bad, is elearning. I have personally helped deploy two LMS programs, and I am a big fan. The potential is HUGE, but it needs to be kept within reason and is no excuse for not going through the proper steps of developing meaningful curriculum. I have recently seen a company head down a slippery slope. They took what was once a classroom class, and simply turned it into an LMS course. This has created an animosity for the LMS before they have even had a chance to try and teach something new. This is a good example of why it is so important to make sure that learning going through an LMS is done with intent, and the reasons are logical. The most logical reason I have experienced for an LMS, is ease of access, geographical distance, record keeping, and something more entertaining than listening to a lecture. Outside of those reasons, I believe we should really be evaluating why we are going the route of an LMS versus some other medium for content delivery.
Noe brings up an interesting topic in the use of podcasts for learning. This is a good alternative to those situations where an LMS might be overkill. Podcasts still allow for quick, easy delivery of content. It also allows for the learning to listen to the content, when and where they want. The only down side is not being able to discuss the topic, it's just a sit and listen environment. However, with that hangup I believe the benefits far outweigh the downside. www.LearningTimes.com (2014) has a great article about the benefits of podcasts. I listed a couple, but they add portability, and affordability...both value adds to this concept.
One step up in interaction, and in cost is going to a webcast or live webinar. I have much experience with webinars and they are a great tool. Perfect for sharing a power point and allowing discussion or if the group is to large for discussion, you can simply unlock the chat feature of a webinar site, and take questions via the chat feature. I conducted weekly sales training webinars for years, and always enjoyed the convenience. With websites like webex and gotomeeting.com, the cost is free of close to it depending on the features you want.
There are many options out there for using technology. Always make sure you are doing it for the benefit of the learner. If the technology is going to hinder learning, than head back to the drawing board.
Resources
Noe, R. A. (2013). Employee training and development (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
www.LearningTimes.com. Unknown author. Article retrieved from: http://www.learningtimes.com/what-we-do/podcast-production/benefits/
Tyler.
ReplyDeleteYou chose the podcasts as a tech learning method. I consider them a hassle to build and use. You only mentioned one disadvantage for their use. However, in order for podcasts to succeed, they need to have clear voice recording. Otherwise, it would not be interesting to listen to.
Another disadvantage is that you cannot adjust any recordings that you made. If you need to fix one idea or topic, then you still would need to redo the whole thing again.
Rosaleen