It helps students develop better communication and research skills. They are learning to use tools to create their own spaces such as blog tools, Wiki tools, and various networking tools both on their computers and smart phones.
Sunshine,
Well said...yes, using new technology helps with the learning process and with professional preparation of the students. Good points!
Dr. Ruth Reynard
New technology can be very beneficial to professionals in their careers. So, learning this technology as a student gives them an advantage in the workplace.
Additionally, developing the skills needed to learn new technology more readily can be highly beneficial to professionals.
Dariusz,
Very well said...yes the "soft" skills and the ongoing learning skills needed for success can be directly developed usuing new technology.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I find that a more interactive, flexible, nonlinear learning environment often leads to students developing the ability to be better at independent learning. Students that need to use a variety of resources, such as e-textbooks, electronic classroom resources, virtual library searches, and valid World Wide Web sites develop, over time, the ability to draw upon multiple resources in order to achieve their educational goals. I believe that this type of learning is more reflective of the type of problem-solving techniques that are used in the real world. Such learning techniques accustom student to draw upon multiple resources just as they will have to once they enter the in real world of the workplace.
Edwin,
Verty true...ths skills of problem solving and collaboration are always looked for by employers and both can be developed using new technology. Good points!
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Given that many of my students are adult learners, going back to school after a long stretch in the workplace, online classes can be as much about learning to negotiate technology as about the content of the course. I try to make the acquisition of skills like posting to forums, uploading and downloading files, and conducting online research integrative. Meaning, these tasks are part of the weekly objectives of the course. For many students, learning how to access an online library and conduct scholarly research is a bid deal, and the result is often a feeling of significant accomplishment and a sense of empowerment.
New technology gives students different ways to understand subject matter rather than a structure that only shows one way of doing things.
Two skills come to mind Innovation and problem solving. Some outcomes are best handled with a step by step guide or instruction that leads to completion with reasonable accuracy. However if none of those exist then the students should be able to create one based on how well they have learned the subject matter or understand the process. Problem solvers will use their knowledge to overcome obstacles that others may deem useless or impossible. Assessments can be designed to bring out those skills the students didn't realize they had. Once they discover what they can do they will never again say "I can't".
Rebecca,
I agree and are changing student expectations, thought processes and time on task. Huge impact on teaching and learning.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I agree completely. Even this current course we are taking. I know it is built in a shell similar to the other courses, but the cours is how to use technology to teach dynamically and assess holistically. I would love to see samples of this embedded in this course instead of the multiple choice questions which only test knew information learned, not application of knowledge.
These days, students need to be able to function in a digital world, so any technology use is a valuable skill. I'm designing a course on transliteracy (the ability to not only read and write, but to also collaborate and contribute to online content in a variety of formats (social media and web 2.0). These types of digital literacy skills are necessary and much needed for students entering the work environment - and for life-long learning purposes.
Claire,
I agree - the collaborative nature of new technolgy can help develop these skills in students. Do you have some actual examples of how this has taken place with your students?
Dr. Ruth Reynard
Thomas,
Very true...so critical thinking skills and problem solving skills can be enhanced with the use of new technology.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
I teach a lot of technology based courses and demonstrate software quite a bit. I think the key skill that a student can take away is problem solving. There is rarely one approach to a problem so understanding how to approach the problem and solve that problem is one of the most exciting things that I like to see.
The new technology requires students to move from simple remembering of facts and knowledge to learning how base to locate knowledge, evaluate it quality and then apply it. It enables students to be prepared for the modern world of instant access to an ever expanding knowledge base.
While technology can certainly lead to the development of new skills, one can become so dependent upon the technology that some skills atrophy. For example, with the wide adoption of tablets into some K-12 schools, they are debating whether or not to require cursive writing skills. Also, with the widespread adoption of Google, we have inadvertently created a generation of learners who are so dependent on Google to provide answers that some critical thinking skills may have been "thrown to the wind", so to speak.
The phrase “Knowledge is Power†was first coined by British philosopher Francis Bacon in 1597. However, that phrase has taken on an entirely new meaning in the “Digital Eraâ€. With so much new information being created, “relevant knowledge†is essential…so the challenge becomes, “how do I find what is relevantâ€? Finding information on the web is easy…but, you must ask the right question to find the “right†information. “it isn’t so much as what you know anymore, it’s what you can look up…it’s about accessing information†(Dr. Steve Kerr, former Chief Learning Officer, General Electric. Chief Learning Officer Magazine, Sept. 2012).
The use of new technology helps students learn to adapt to new situations and future technology. Adults in particular are often resistant to change. I see people at my workplace become frustrated when they are required to learn a new system or switch from one method of doing things to another. When students have to practice with a variety of new technologies, it helps them learn how to learn in a way that is going to benefit them in a future workplace.
Students also learn to make technology work for them. I have only recently learned how to use Outlook to help me prioritize tasks, stay focused on important projects, and manage my supervisees. That was a huge step for me, and making that technology work for me made many aspects of my job easier and more manageable. Students who learn to use new technologies appropriately can benefit by knowing how to make the technology their tool.
BRIGITTE ,
Very well said! Yes, these additional and transferrable skills are so valuable and we should foster their continued use and development as well as recognize and reward them when we see them.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
The skill sets, which students may develop from the use of technology, are not only what we call the basic skill sets using these tools but also it will advance them in areas of critical thinking, analytical thinking, collaborative learning and interaction with other students and facilitators. It will also teach them how to interact in real time which I love because this will develop and prepare them for the professional world after graduation. The world of new technology is developing so rapidly it is getting quite difficult to stay up on. The new technology it certainly is a blessing to learn to use, and be able to integrate into the virtual learning environment. Consequently, students may later take this learning with them into their careers and I feel like I have accomplished just what needed to take place - students mastering state of the art technology and become leaders in their professional fields.
Camille,
...and instructors are needed to guide and direct. Instructors are then facilitators of the process.
Dr. Ruth Reynard
