Final Reflection for EDU 654

Lately, I continue to find myself involved in many discussions concerning the balance of educators/education and technology. As educators, we respond to the needs of time and society. Typically, classrooms meet these challenges head on and provide students with meaningful lessons and content to provide them the necessary tools for success in future endeavors - until now. The rapid growth of technology creates an ever changing landscape for educators and students to navigate.  Nguyen researched online learning effectiveness in response to the “precipitous” growth of online education. The research revealed a mostly positive outlook on the effectiveness of online education as opposed to the traditional face-to-face, advising the story is still being written. (Nguyen, 2015)

However, students are adapting faster that classrooms. So how do we address this need?

I think it was Burger King which coined the phrase "Have it your way." This motto must also resonate through our classrooms offering students ownership of their learning with an ever present voice in defining their path. The initial concern with technology was battling hardware and trying to maintain connectivity. Now the focus has moved to new platforms and pedagogy. (Bezovski, 2016) This research continues by suggesting the online landscape will continue with options including blended learning, gamification, MOOCs, and personalized learning.

Flipped classrooms, blended learning, and personalized learning all use some extent of technology to modify the traditional classroom and meet student needs. However, the role of the educator is still critical to student success. In a study on blended learning the researcher found “in order to create a positive learning environment, teachers using blended learning environments should encourage students for more participation in the environment and should find ways of creating social interaction through more collaboration. Furthermore, blending of face to face and online learning environments should be planned precisely in order to benefit more from this approach.”

(Güzer, 2014). As a digital learning facilitator, one of the most common statements I hear from teachers is the feeling that technology must always be present. Technology is a tool to facilitate learning and collaboration, it is not the replacement for good teaching. True learning comes from personalizing opportunities for students. That takes relationship building. Halim found an efficient learning environment rose from understanding the individual differences of students, where the educator had taken time to know the learning preferences of the students. (Halim, 2011)

One last implication for the rapid changes brought on by technology is with the vast amounts of digital tools now available. As I coach teachers in the effective implementation of digital tools into learning opportunities, teachers normally express hesitation to use a new tool due to their lack of knowledge. So, do we just abandon the mission? Prensky suggested “divide the labour” and let each do what they do best. (Prensky, 2007) Students are way ahead of educators in their knowledge of digital tools and their ability to readily master a new tool. So let them do it.

Sources:

Bezovski, Z., & Poorani, S. (2016, March). The Evolution of E-Learning and New Trends. In Information and Knowledge Management (Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 50-57). IISTE.

Güzer, B., & Caner, H. (2014). The past, present and future of blended learning: an in depth analysis of literature. Procedia-social and behavioral sciences, 116, 4596-4603.

Halim, N. D. A., Ali, M. B., & Yahaya, N. (2011, February). Personalized learning environment: Accommodating individual differences in online learning. In 2011 International Conference on Social Science and Humanity IPEDR (Vol. 5, pp. 398-400).

Nguyen, T. (2015). The effectiveness of online learning: Beyond no significant difference and future horizons. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 11(2), 309-319.

Prensky, M. (2007). How to teach with technology: Keeping both teachers and students comfortable in an era of exponential change. Emerging technologies for learning, 2(4), 40-46.