As early as 1983, in the Review of Educational Research, Richard Clark based an observation on the best available evidence at the time. He observed that using media to deliver instructional content was like using trucks to deliver groceries. The fact that a truck contained groceries did not influence changes in nutrition in any way. Similarly, using media as a means of instruction could not guarantee improved learning outcomes for students or advances in academic achievement. That fact still holds true today. Kathleen Stokes is the policy advisor for digital education in NESTA. In her article, “Decoding Learning: The Proof, Promise and Potential of Digital Education” (2012), a review of the NESTA publication of the same name, she reminds us that it’s the learning activity that technology enables rather than the technology itself that is key. She reports that research has been conducted on over 200 innovations to determine if the innovations are useful for learning. She expands on eight learning themes or approaches to learning that have proven to be effectively delivered through the use of various technologies:
1. Learning from Experts: Technologies are available to help learners convert information into knowledge without taking the role of experts out of the equation.
Examples: Animations, video lectures, podcasts, video conferencing software, and collaborative projects, such as Solar Stormwatch, which allows an exchange of information between volunteers and scientists and has been headlined as a “new citizen science opportunity” (Atkinson, 2010, para 1).
- Learning from Others: Experiential learning stresses social interaction with others. Peers play an important role in the learning process.
Examples: Representational tools that allow activities and learner achievements to be represented, scaffolding tools, and communication tools that permit collaboration at a distance. The NiCE Discussion Room in Austria has been called a way to integrate paper and digital media “to support co-located group meetings” (Haller et al., 2010, para 1).
- Learning through Making: The range of things that can be constructed has been expanded through digital technologies.
Examples: Scratch programming language for education,NetLogo, a language for making simulations and games, 3D printing, which permits users to make 3D objects through the process called additive manufacturing (AD)
- Learning through Exploring: Freedom to act is essential for learners, but self-regulation of actions is also required, which can be difficult to regulate in educational settings. Technology-supported exploring has not been utilized or valued within educational settings, according to Stokes.
Examples: Sugata Mitra’s experiments in self-learning (Hole-in-the-Wall), 3D simulations, which allow individuals to understand information more effectively, used in University of Illinois at Chicago’s Cyber-Commons, where users can call up stored images for 2-D and 3-D displays on the same screen.
- Learning through Inquiry: New understanding and insights can be gained from formulating questions (hypotheses), and then going through a discovery process to test them – the essential elements of research. Framework for conducting experiments and investigations can be supported through mobile devices, simulations, and augmented reality
Examples: RoomQuake, an earthquake simulation system that can be used to detect the fault line in a classroom, iCivics, MP for a Week
- Learning through Practicing: One of the oldest uses of technology, especially through the use of gaming. Discernment is needed to determine if games include “knowledge, skills, and learning outcomes into their design” (p. 61), which may enhance motivation but may not improve learning.
Examples: Artificial intelligence in chatbots to help practice foreign languages,Zombie Division, which can assist learners in practicing multiplication and division.
- Learning from Assessment: Assessment has not been viewed as a candidate for innovation using technology. Yet assessment holds great promise since effective feedback helps learners to progress in areas such as formative assessment, self-assessment, and peer-assessment. More products need to be designed for learners and teachers.
Examples: Khan’s Academy’s integrated video, practice and analytics model, AssignSim, which compares a learner’s work with those of his peers and provides automatic feedback.
- Learning in and across Settings: Stokes states that “Knowledge and understanding are deepened when applied across different locations, contexts, and activities” (p. 62). She recommends the use of recording tools, such as PDAs, cameras, GPS-enabled phones, mobile technologies.
Examples: Lifelogs, Locomatrix, and the EcoMOBILE project, which uses mobile devices to collect data integrated with augmented reality and environmental probes.
Recommendations:
- Use technologies to link and support learning themes.
- Consider the context where learning takes place.
- Use evidence-based guidance on uses of technology for learning.
References
Atkinson, N. (2010). New citizen science opportunity: Solar storm watch. Universe Today. Retrieved from http://www.universetoday.com/57570/new-citizen-science-opportunity-solar-storm-watch/
Clark, R. E. (1983). Reconsidering research on learning from media. Review of Educational Research, 53(4), 445 – 459.
Haller, M., Leitner, J., Seifried, T., Wallace, J. R., Scott, S. D., Richter, C., . . . Hunter, S. (2010). The NiCE discussion room: Integrating paper and digital media to support co-located group meetings. Retrieved from http://fluid.media.mit.edu/sites/default/files/pap244-haller-CHI.pdf
Stokes, K. (2012). Decoding learning: the proof, promise, and potential of digital education. Education Journal, (149), 216 – 218.