4 Ways Tech Today Impacts Learning

By: Justin Ferriman • May 6, 2014
Filed Under:

four-fingersIt isn’t a secret that technology is changing the way people live their lives, it only makes sense that it also impacts the way that we learn. Mobile devices alone are opening up new doors within education and corporate training.

The changes aren’t only in accessibility. Sure we can now learn from literally anywhere with elearning delivered across tablets and smartphones. However, there are other ways that today’s technology is impacting online learning.

1. Learning is shifting from individual-based to collaborative. The courses that people take online break-down barriers, and utilizing simple techniques like forums to foster user-engagement helps to create a collaborative learning experience not seen in a standard classroom setting.

2. Learning is moving from passive to active. In the past, course content was typically delivered with an instructor standing in the front. Now, tech tools make it possible to create blended learning environments that allow learners to actively control the pace, path, and frequency of their learning.

3. Differentiated learning is on the rise. Essentially, this means that content is being delivered in multiple ways with various objectives. Live training can have elearning pre-requisites, webinar question-and-answer sessions, and continued video installments. This alone utilizes multiple formats of instruction, which encourages the learner to think about the content differently and in a variety of settings.

4. Attention spans are shorter as technology leads to easier distractions. While the tech toys we have today do offer creative outlets for learning, they are also a distraction. Nothing is to stop an online learner from listening to music, watching a YouTube video, while also reading some elearning content. This places an increased necessity on creating concise and accurate content. Long winded lessons packed with fluff won’t do too well when competing with online distractions.

Reference:
Shift ELearning

Justin Ferriman

Justin started LearnDash, the WordPress LMS trusted by Fortune 500 companies, major universities, training organizations, and entrepreneurs worldwide. He is currently founder & CEO of GapScout. Justin’s Homepage | GapScout | Twitter