Technology for learning is here to stay

Source: Microsoft

I was talking with my older sister the other day and she asked me how my classes were coming along.  As the discussion continued, she commented that her favorite college activity was looking up dusty reference books at her favorite uptown library.  Right there and then I realized how different our experiences were.  Through the use of technology, I have never set foot outside my little rural town to find a current literary resource.
For me the impact technology has on adult learning is a close as my fingertips.  Not only can I rely on the internet to offer up resources from around the globe, I also have the opportunity to participate in creating content for future students to reflect upon quite easily. 

In his video, Whatis Web 2.0? What is Social Media? What comes next? Patrick Schwerdtfeger offers a clear explanation of the difference between terms bandied about for web technologies.  It is good to understand the evolutionary web processes because just as users begin to feel comfortable in one medium, a new one emerges.  On average the technology transition timeline is less than 5-10 years. If a mature learner doesn’t get on board early then there is a significant gap in technology learning channels to overcome.

At this point in time,” …what Web 2.0 has allowed us to do is to make use of …user generated content… [which offers] more involvement on the part of the user…” (Laureate Education, Inc., 2012, pg. 2). With the gap in digital literacy between young students and mature students, online educators should think carefully before incorporating technologies into the learning platform. 

The first consideration should always be usability.  If learners have access to the greatest, slickest and newest technology tools available but do not have the skills to utilize them, then the tool is ineffective.  Usability in the online course platform is identified as being a connection between to the learner’s current reachable technology capabilities and satisfaction in achieving learning goals while using the tool (Cooper, Colwell, & Jelfs, 2007). 

The consideration in a close second is accessibility.  Not every learner comes to the table with the same learning strategies and techniques.  For many, physical, learning or language differences play a role in the overall inclusivity of a course platform.  The benefit of standards and guidelines instituted by many nations is that many public offerings are required to achieve an accessibility standard for all learners.   

 
Additionally, differently abled persons may also have tools at their disposal (such as a text to speech reader) that can be utilized to aid access (Cooper, Colwell, & Jelfs, 2007).  Before integrating a new technology component, online instructors should reach out to support faculty to ensure that the component meets the required accessibility guidelines. 

For me, the current focus on accessibility is to support seniors in learning to use tablet computers.  The implications of usability and accessibility of technology on this particular adult learning population are primarily in the areas of vision, hearing and touch.  As I move forward on this project, I will have to continually check in with resources that remind me about ways of easing the transition to technology for my students.  Some good resources I have located are below:

Senior Friendly Tips

http://www.nia.nih.gov/health/publication/making-your-website-senior-friendly

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/checklist.pdf

Disability Access Tips
https://www.amherst.edu/help/make_accessible

http://webaim.org/intro/

One of the most difficult online course tools for differently abled adults to use is real-time chats.  In the case of an elderly senior learner, arthritis would slow the ability to keep up in a synchronous conversation.  Many seniors may have unidentified learning challenges and flowing conversation with physical typing could overwhelm their senses.  For learners with visual imparities, the constant change of the chat screens could reduce the effectiveness of a screen to speech reading tool (Burgstahler, 2006).

As I prepare to create my capstone online learning experience I am glad that I have a supportive university backing my efforts.  The online teaching technologies that appeal to me foremost all deal with social change, communication and reflection.  “Reflection can provide insight for instructors on their teaching and for students on their learning” (Conrad, & Donaldson, 2011, pg. 81).   Forms of digital storytelling combine personal reflection efforts into a visual message to communicate ideas and emotions.  The wisdom of the elderly population should not be missing from the internet archeology and it certainly should not be told by a second voice. 

My sister loved to find those dusty old reference books because knowledge was encased within the bindings.  A short half a generation ago, history was for the storytellers and researchers who were lucky enough to be published.  In today’s user controlled Web 2.0 environment, history and legacy are open for all to participate in.  Dusty old relics of the past are not thrown out but instead they are being digitized for access by all. 

The learning formats may have become technical in today’s world, but the knowledge footprints remain the same.  Sans a little sneezing, Socrates and Plato stand beside me to inform, entertain and educate learners of the future.  Not too shabby for a tool created from circuitry, plastic and wires.

 References

Burgstahler, S. (2006). The development of accessibility indicators for distance learning programs. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 14(1), 79–102. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Conrad, R., & Donaldson, J. A. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction (Updated ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Cooper, M., Colwell, C., & Jelfs, A. (2007). Embedding accessibility and usability: Considerations for e-learning research and development projects. ALT-J: Research in Learning Technology, 15(3), 231–245.

Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012). EDUC 6179: Online Instructional Strategies for Adult Learners [Video Program Transcript].  In Enhancing the online experience. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/Walden/EDUC/6179/05/downloads/WAL_EDUC6179_05_A_EN.pdf