As a result of the rise and rapid dissemination of digital technology there appears to be a trend amongst academic writing to espouse the benefits of these technologies in a school environment. Indeed, with the advent of new technologies and Web 2.0 tools, several opportunities have opened up within the education sphere to provide students with these tools to help enrich their learning experiences. Articles that talk about the using mobile phones and mobile devices such as iPods as cultural resources (Cook, et al., 2011 and Derby, 2011), and applying popular culture technology mediums (Crook, 2012 and Jenkins et al., 2006) all seem to be as a direct result to the popular culture trend of using different technology mediums to frequently connect with one another.
Students live such an information rich society these days, where every day they are bombarded with different ways to gain knowledge, through all the different technology mediums. Advertising both print and digital, social media platforms, traditional based texts and Web 2.0 tools all form part of the information overload that most youth experience these days. Furthermore nearly anything a student wishes to know about is easily accessible via the Internet. Educational specialists are predicting that this sort of information and technology will play a major role in the trends shaping educational planning and design.
With all this fantastic technology and information at our fingertips, I did start to wonder though; will we ever reach the stage where traditional schools will become obsolete? Already university courses are offered online, and several social media platforms facilitate this learning, by allowing students to connect with one another and share meaningful information. If technology becomes the main method for instructional delivery, are we as teachers changing the nature of traditional schooling and is this a positive or negative consequence?
Students live such an information rich society these days, where every day they are bombarded with different ways to gain knowledge, through all the different technology mediums. Advertising both print and digital, social media platforms, traditional based texts and Web 2.0 tools all form part of the information overload that most youth experience these days. Furthermore nearly anything a student wishes to know about is easily accessible via the Internet. Educational specialists are predicting that this sort of information and technology will play a major role in the trends shaping educational planning and design.
With all this fantastic technology and information at our fingertips, I did start to wonder though; will we ever reach the stage where traditional schools will become obsolete? Already university courses are offered online, and several social media platforms facilitate this learning, by allowing students to connect with one another and share meaningful information. If technology becomes the main method for instructional delivery, are we as teachers changing the nature of traditional schooling and is this a positive or negative consequence?
References
Cook, J., Pachler, N. & Bachmair, B. (2011). Ubiquitous mobility with mobile phones: A cultural ecology for mobile learning. E-Learning and Digital Media 8(3), 181-195.
Crook, C. (2012). The ‘digital native’ in context: Tensions associated with importing Web 2.0 practices into the school setting. Oxford Review of Education. 38(1), 63-80.
Derby, B. (2011). Creativity in my pocket: No 'I' puns here. English in Australia 46(3)
Jenkins, H. (with Purushota, R., Clinton, K., Weigel, M., & Robinson, A.) (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century Chicago: MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved from http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C- E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF.
Cook, J., Pachler, N. & Bachmair, B. (2011). Ubiquitous mobility with mobile phones: A cultural ecology for mobile learning. E-Learning and Digital Media 8(3), 181-195.
Crook, C. (2012). The ‘digital native’ in context: Tensions associated with importing Web 2.0 practices into the school setting. Oxford Review of Education. 38(1), 63-80.
Derby, B. (2011). Creativity in my pocket: No 'I' puns here. English in Australia 46(3)
Jenkins, H. (with Purushota, R., Clinton, K., Weigel, M., & Robinson, A.) (2006). Confronting the challenges of participatory culture: Media education for the 21st century Chicago: MacArthur Foundation. Retrieved from http://digitallearning.macfound.org/atf/cf/%7B7E45C7E0-A3E0-4B89-AC9C- E807E1B0AE4E%7D/JENKINS_WHITE_PAPER.PDF.