Technology and Education: an Ever-Growing Intersection

Journal Title: EAI Endorsed Transactions on e-Learning - Year 2011, Vol 1, Issue 2

Abstract

Taking with it many facets of everyday interaction, including that of teaching and learning. As the educational forefront is continually advancing through the introduction of new ideas, technologies and media, it is important to report all of these changes in order to stay abreast of its impacts. It is with great pleasure that we introduce our second issue of the ICST Transactions on eEducation and e-Learning. It has always been our belief that it is important for educators to experiment with new instructional tools and pedagogical approaches in order to find innovative ways to enhance teaching and learning. It is through the expertise of many educational pioneers that we are able to gain invaluable insight into new methods of teaching. Education should change and adapt as both society and technology evolve. Even though technology can be a great asset to educators, technology alone does not guarantee learning. Students must be engaged and encouraged to apply their skills and understanding in order to retain and process new information. Many of today’s students are comfortable using technology, especially the digital natives (Prensky, 2001). The idea of technology in the classroom is now a prerequisite rather than an index of innovation. Educators must have an understanding of the technology they are using in order to choose the appropriate tool and to implement it the most practical way for their classroom. As the very nature of the classroom has evolved into a new learning space, new creative approaches are needed to solve today’s educational problems. Some argue that challenges stem from issues like teacher attrition, lack of parental *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected] involvement and student’s reading abilities, which all hinder progress in education (Boyer & Hamil, 2008). Others note challenges related to inequality and cultural differences as creating additional learning barriers and complexities (Banks & Banks, 2009). Whatever the issue, there are many unique solutions and innovations that can help educators alleviate many problems through technologies. Teachers of all disciplines need to stay current and up-to-date with the ever changing arena of learning and educational technologies. Though a difficult and daunting task, it is through publications such as this one that we hope to make the journey a little easier, as we can learn from the experiences and many experiments conducted in the field of the “classroom”. There is a growing need to investigate further the impact of potential e-learning tools and other collaborative social Web 2.0 technologies for online and hybrid teaching (Solomon & Schrum, 2010). Many new tools have become available in the last several years, allowing for many creative teaching moments and learning endeavors. For instance the use of augmented reality coupled with mobile and tablet based learning (Tarng & Ou, 2012). The availability of cell phones and other mobile devices had open many new doors, allowing for many types of learning. Many forms of interactive simulations can be conducted in virtual labs and in 3D environments and even social virtual worlds. We have been experimented in such domains for the past several years, pushing the envelope and encouraging others to experiment in new mediums to further engage students (Vincenti & Braman, 2011). The society of tomorrow will be very different and full of many new challenges. Teaching our students better today will prepare them for the road ahead.

Authors and Affiliations

Giovanni Vincenti, James Braman

Keywords

Technology and Education: an Ever-Growing Intersection