How Technology Has Changed The Way We Learn - What did we do before computers?

No one can question that since the growing world of technology has emerged, the ways in which we learn has changed. However, what can be questioned is whether this change is for better or for worse. Anderson (2004) suggests that using technology can be timely way of imparting information, if used well. However, Clark (1983) disagrees, stating the the use of  technology is nothing but a way in which to present the information, that it doesn't give anything to the learning process.

The way that we access information has changed dramatically. When I first started Secondary School, it was very much textbook based, with lessons consisting of a brief period of teaching followed by copying a few paragraphs out of a book. This sufficed at the time, as it was one of the only way of getting students to have the knowledge that they needed. Now, things are very different. Textbooks and journals are stored online, available to find at any time of the day. Students can access information almost immediately, rendering note taking not as important as it used to be.

So what's the point of attending an institution to learn? All of my lectures end up on Moodle, in PowerPoint form. When I was in University my lecturers often recorded the lectures, allow for remote viewing of any important lectures that were missed. Ally (2009) comments that although remote learning was initially designed to allow students who lived far away to learn aswell, it has now been adopted by those who simply don't value attending lectures.

Universities charge extortionate prices for courses, the content of which could be put onto a Moodle/Blackboard page for students who don't make it to lessons. However, learning is more than just reading words on a screen. Learning is making sense of something you're not sure of, which is far easier to do with some help from a teacher.

To conclude, technology has definitely changed the way in which we learn, and for the better in the most part. It's made information a lot more accessible for individuals who maybe wouldn't have had the opportunity 20 years ago. However, technology will never have that personal aspect, one which people all crave on a certain level.

References

Ally, M (2009). Mobile Learning: Transforming the Delivery of Education and Training. Canada: AU Press.

Anderson, T (2004). The Theory and Practice of Online Learning. 2nd ed. London: London.

Clark, R. (1983). Reconsidering Research on Learning from Media.Review of Educational Research,. 53 (4), p. 445-459.