The Emering Technologies and the New Problems

In the reading of “Emerging Technologies in E-Learning,” the author explained how emerging technologies can turn the learner from a receiver of information (learning through Web 1.0) to a creator of information (learning through Web 2.0). He provided a few of the emerging technologies in education such as digital storytelling, online meetings, personal podcasting, extended learning, and social computing. Afterward, he explained how those technologies can facilitate learning communities, and the challenges that instructors face as their roles change in this new learning environment. Lastly, he presented a perspective on the possibilities that technology can do for learners (with a mention of those with different learning needs) and the myriad of challenges (including ethical concerns) that those technologies can bring to the new classroom environment.

As I was reading his article, I have had this idea that technology changes the learning environment in which the learner no longer simply absorbs in the information presented to them, but they are now the creator of information. The author seemed to say that this new philosophy is driven by the need to fill in the gap due to learning differenses and social inequality. For instance, not all schools can afford expensive laboratories so that their students can perform scientific experiments. However, the reliance on this new emerging technology can help those schools fill up the gap. Students, for instance, can learn how to “conduct” a laboratory activity through virtual learning.

On the other hand, I think that the new learning philosophy is driven by the fact that society needs the people to know how to survive in this technological age. That is, they need to know how to use the computer, how to communicate with other people through either podcasting or webphones. Most educators recognize that learners need to be able to incorporate new technologies in their learning of the subject matter, since the ability to operate gadgets is valuable in this technological age.

“In Plain English”
The “In Plain English” instructional videos (and to some extent, the reading “Emerging Technologies in E-learning”) made me see the relevancy of adopting new technologies to our learning. Technologies are changing the things that we are doing in our daily life, and that learning how to use them to make our lives more efficient makes a lot of sense.