How Technology has Changed the Way We Learn

Technology has changed the way we teach, but has also changed the way our students learn.  We have come a long way from the chalk and black board; the only resource available to a teacher of the past, and the dusty old library books, that were the only resource available for learners of yesteryear.  When we enter a classroom, the resources that teachers have available today can create a much more adaptable situation to benefit learners.  Teachers can now use PowerPoint, laptops, white boards, tablets and the internet to create a more engaging and educational environment.  Cohen, Manion and Morrison state that ICT has helped raise student achievement in all subjects for all students. (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2004, p. 66).  They also claim that ICT has promoted higher order thinking to evaluate knowledge, it promotes fostered collaborative learning, it has the ability to promote learning for capability and problem solving and it has raised students’ motivation and engagement significantly (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2004, p. 66). Besides this, in the subject of history it assists the teacher in showing images to learners from the past, bringing the period of study to life, and assists the tutor in creating a more effective learning environment. The Department for Education and Skills suggests that schools that use ICT effectively outperform those that do not (Cohen, Manion, & Morrison, 2004, pp. 66-67). This exhibits how ICT, when adopted, can advance the learning experience of students.  But Gillespie has gone even further, she states that ICT encourages social inclusion through learning, by highlighting how ICT motivates pupils in their learning environment, how it delivers learning materials that assist multi-sensory learning and learning styles, how it can develop English as an additional language, by letting learners work at home and how it encourages continued learning from home (Gillespie, 2006, p. 103)

But this new technological learning age is not just confined to the classroom; learning is now portable, as technologies have become smaller and more advanced.  Jean D. M. Underwood even goes as far as to claim that mobile technologies are taking over the uses and functionality of computers (Underwood & Dockrell, 2007, p. 3), and with these new portable technologies students carry access to the internet in their pocket. Learning has become inclusive, portable and easy to access.  Students are constantly connected with their lecturers and fellow students. Groups of learners can now discuss activities and learning through online chat forums, or face to face on Skype, making it easy to keep in contact with fellow learners.  

The internet is also an extremely useful educational resource for information, containing websites on academic subjects in every area; this gives students easy access to information that they could never have reached before technology made it possible.  

We now live in a technological age that is constantly adapting, developing and enhancing our learning experience.  We have witnessed many changes in the way we learn through technology, and we are still witnessing changes in the way that we learn with each new technology. 

Works Cited

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2004). A Guide to Teaching: Fifth Edition. Routeledge Falmer.

Gillespie, H. (2006). Unlocking Learning and Teaching with ICT: Identifying and Overcoming Barriers . David Fulton.

Underwood, J. D., & Dockrell, J. (2007). Learning Through Digital Technologies. The British Psycological Society.

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