Learning in a Digital Age

Learning in a Digital World

The congruent development of physical, intellectual, social, emotional, and spiritual faculties necessary to master life’s circumstances coupled with eclectic learning theories informs my philosophy of learning. I seek to prepare learners to achieve their fundamental skills, which are essential to manage their life with success. As a math instructor, I subscribe to adaptive learning technology that cuts across numerous fields of study such as computer science, education, and psychology (Shih, Kuo, & Liu, 2012), and enables transformative and reflective learning. Adaptive learning is prescriptive, systematic, wholostic, and humane (Driscoll, 2005, p. 139). In an asynchronous learning environment, it is imperative to establish learning objectives, expectations, and policies, ascertain communication and decision-making rules with implicit feedback. Instructional designers should decide on the use of appropriate technology for the course and learning management system with collaborative tools, analyzing its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. The 21st century technology provides means to design dynamic content to reach more students, access electronic (digital) book, and present differentiated instruction to fit all learning styles (Garner, 2003). Adaptive learning supports information (Layde et al., 2012), constructivism and connective (Downes, 2012; Siemens, 2008) learning theory and the way individuals learn
I had numerous educational experiences, both in an online and a face-to-face learning environment. The end of my second degree (MBA) in 1999 marked the end of my participation in a face-to-face learning environment. The traditional learning setting provided limited interactions with classmates, restricted access of information, fixated and hard information with books, library, and instructors as knowledge owners. In an online learning, information is volatile as the currency of information spurs new knowledge. The discussion forum with peers offers multifaceted information for knowledge creation, where instructors serve as facilitators. The advanced technology and Internet support current learning theories and deliver an auspicious milieu for blogs, wiki, and collaborative tools for an active and a dynamic learning experience in the digital world.
References
Driscoll, M. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. New York, NY: Allen & Bacon.
Layde, P. M., Christiansen, A. L., Peterson, D. J., Guse, C. E., Maurana, C. A., & Brandenburg, T. (2012). A model to translate evidence-based interventions into community practice. American Journal of Public Health, 102(4), 617-624. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300468.Shih, S.-C., Kuo, B.-C., & Liu, Y.-L. (2012).
Adaptively ubiquitous learning in campus math path. Educational Technology & Society, 15 (2), 298–308. Retrieved from http://content.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org.

New Technologies in The Classroom

The New York City Department of Education (DOE) required teachers to use technology to enhance students’ learning. In 2008, at my former New York City High school in Brooklyn, where I taught mathematics, the assistant principal (AP) math equipped each math teacher with a laptop permitting instructors to revolutionize their professional preparation and use whiteboards  for instruction delivery. However, only two teachers out of seven were able to utilize the new technology.

Tired of using head projector and transparencies in the classroom, I subscribed to the use of interactive whiteboards, which seemed to be a new motivational tools for students. The effectiveness of the new technology in supporting teaching and learning (Maher, Phelps, Urane, & Lee, 2012) resided in students’ increased participation and performance in mathematics. Evidently, the resources such as the inclusion of interactive and simulation activities contributed to the increased student learning outcomes. Students were able to post module journals via their emails for discussion. I engaged my classes in jeopardy games every Friday, enabling students to review and remember math vocabulary and taught concepts. The first term scholarly report revealed an average of 90% of my students passing their math. Other five math teachers averaged less than 60%.

At the departmental review session with the school Principal and AP math, the five math teachers who have expressed low self-efficacy in experimenting with new technologies asked for professional development on using whiteboards in their classrooms. At the first departmental and professional development I related to how the application of Keller’s ARCS theory of attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction were important for students’ successful learning. I told them how the use of whiteboards enabled interactive and motivational activities that depicted real life problems for learners’ interest. Developing and boosting students’ self-efficacy was important for learner intrinsic motivation, while using whiteboard contributed to the external motivation for learning. The use of whiteboard supported YouTube videos
to end math class on taught concept and math games to emphasize presented skills.

Most of my students had problems with the abstract nature of mathematics. The use of whiteboard helped them comprehend the presented materials via a visualization, the core element for the modern educational model (Lakhvich, 2012). With whiteboards, I had access to animation software that assisted and facilitated my students’ comprehension of theoretical different topics
through visual-based acceptance (Lakhvich, 2012. An effective use an interactive assisted me getting and maintaining my students’ attention, improving relevancy, developing learners’ self-confidence and self-efficacy, and spawning pupils’ success and satisfaction (Driscoll, 2005). The digital resources assisted me compensate for gaps in my own skills (Bandura, 2002).
References
Bandura, A. (2002). Growing primacy of human agency in adaptation and change in the electronic era. European Psychologist, 7(1), 2-16. doi: 10.1027//1016-9040.7.1.2.
Driscoll, Marcy P.. Psychology of Learning for Instruction XML Vitalsource ebook for Laureate Education, 3rd Edition. Pearson Learning Solutions.
Lakhvich, T. (2012). Visualisation-assisted teaching: Can virtual give rise to real knowledge. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 42, 5-7.
Maher, D., Phelps, R., Urane, N., & Lee, Mal. (2012). Primary school teachers' use of digital resources with interactive whiteboards: The Australian context. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 28(1), 138-158.