How technology has changed the way we learn

The way technology has changed the way we learn is without doubt the biggest development in education in the 21^st century. 

In this blog post I am going to concentrate on the benefits of Information Learning Technology (ILT).

ILT’s ability to provide access to information, to anyone, anywhere and for him or her to be able to study, whether or not they have a library is a ground shift in education.  It is important, in particular, when considering learners with disabilities (Reece and Walker, 2007: 138) and the difficulties they may face in a conventional library, or people within the developing world with little access to educational resources.

Within a college course, learners can remotely search the college database to find the books they need and access e-books and e-journals held by the Learning Resource Centre (LRC).  Using a VLE the teacher can post course information, which allows the learners access to this information at any time.  Within live chat rooms, or forums, remote conversations can enable learners and teachers to discuss information and explore different interpretations/nuances of subjects collectively. (Reece and Walker, 2007: 190).  All these factors make the VLE perfect for enabling andragogical teaching methods, more suitable in post 16 education than more traditional pedagogical methods.

Outside of the VLE, the learner can research on-line; though this experience can be baffling and time consuming, the final results can be relevant, diverse and inspiring.  Importantly, the information to be found on-line is much more up to date than that held in most libraries (Petty, 2004: 375).

Furthermore, ILT has enabled learning and teaching to become globally connected, it enables cross fertilisation of learning and teaching experiences and information, which again demonstrates and also enriches the way we are now able to read, share and comment on information globally. 

References

Petty, G. (2004) Teaching today (3^rd ed.). Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes.

Reece, I. and Walker, S. (2007) Teaching, training and learning: a practical guide (6^th revised ed.). Tyne and Wear: Business Education.

Bibliography

www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/annualreport0405/