Technology

Technology is a tool that is used to reach academic goals and objectives for a course. It encompasses a wide range of digital technologies like learning management systems, Doodly, quizzes, AR and VR technology, etc. They can help with monitoring and achieving goals.

Technology is playing an important role in the modern learning landscape. E-learning exploded onto the scene, particularly during the COVID era. It was already in use, but because of necessity, moved front and center in the educational space. Educational institutions found themselves somewhat behind the curve in their adoption of technology in terms of students having devices to take home for schoolwork.

Innovation had to occur to address the diverse needs of the learning community and educational institutions. Several technological advances help advance instructional design. Learning management systems, (LMS), help institutions organize and track course materials, tests, and student progress. It allows universities to address the needs of students who are learning via the web. It also helps students and faculty collaborate successfully.

Because of access to mobile technology like smartphones and tablets, mobile learning is on the rise. This allows learners to access content anywhere, anytime. The responsive design of content makes it possible to view the same content across a variety of different devices. Adaptations like multimedia integration work well with mobile technology. Cutting-edge multimedia technology like AR and VR are being explored to offer additional ways to deliver instruction.

Another area of e-learning is gamification. It can include rewarding learners by having a dashboard with badges and points. This enhances the student engagement. They have more fun and are more motivated to learn. Social media is also being leveraged in education. It provides a means to collaborate which lends itself to the COI.

This program has provided a survey of a variety of electronic media tools such as Slack, Loom, Google Sites, Google Slides, CoSpace, and many AR and VR technologies. The exposure to these technologies and more was done to provide experience with them both as instructors and as learners. We had to learn to use these technologies and create lessons with them to gain perspective and manage our expectations of what it is like to operate on both sides of the programs.

Planning a lesson can change a lot once the instructor starts to use and understand what a specific piece of technology can and cannot realistically do. The technology challenges the skill level of the instructor as well. When in the role of a student, I had to reflect on whether I would want to set up a course with a variety of technologies that my students might not be familiar with. Would I want them to focus on the technology or the course content? It is interesting and exciting to embark on the journey of AR, and VR technology. I think it would be great to create effective learning tools that would increase student engagement. Loom and other apps like those provide a way to create a type of shorthand to send messages to students and colleagues that can help clarify any communication.

The LMS is an excellent tool for the entire class to have a central hub of communication and to track progress in the course. The other tools mentioned above can be uploaded, or the links can be uploaded to it so everyone can have equal access to the content, thereby moving the class along at a steady pace.

All of this technology is meant to keep the instructor tracking the proper focus to support good pedagogical practice and to meet or exceed learning objectives, not to be distracted by bells and whistles.