Instructional Technology
Instructional strategies and technology, applied thoughtfully, can equip adult learners with the tools needed to expand their learning territory and grow potential. Our challenge, as instructional design and technology professionals, is to ensure the applied strategies and technology directly serves the adult learner, and does not distract the learner from the primary goal: increasing knowledge, understanding, skills, and potential. Our primary focus, then, should be on the learning and not the technology.
Since new technology (and approaches to using it) creates an environment in which adult learners have to adapt, we must ensure this learning space, this territory, is accessible, easy to navigate, and expandable. As adult learners traverse this territory, the strategies and technology should help to promote collaboration, self-direction, and expression within this learning environment.
Learning Components
The greatest outcome of instructional technology integration is how the learner can acquire and demonstrate new knowledge. Technology has eliminated the traditional “one-way street” approach to learning, where the learner passively obtains information from a lecture, demonstration, or presentation. Instructional technologies have replaced the learning territory’s one-way streets with multi-lane, multi-directional, instructional highways. This creates true interactivity among learners, instructors, and resources.
Instructional technologies have created more “points of interest” to visit and interact with throughout the learning territory. Interactivity, collaboration, and networking are the new cornerstones in adult learning, made possible by instructional technologies. Learners have a wider array of tools and locations from which to peruse and use information and learning resources:
These learning resources, like the learning territory, will continue to expand outward, substantially increasing what is available to the learner.
Implementing Instructional Technologies
Prior to implementing any new instructional strategy and technology for learners, we need to give consideration to certain instructional factors:
Keep in mind that ease-of-use is critical. The technology must be intuitive to use. If learners find the curve to adapt too steep, they may look for something else.
In addition, the instructional strategy and technology must provide a real benefit to the learner, and be integrated with sound instructional design principles.
The question we should ask is, will the instructional strategy and technology expand the learner’s territory in a positive way by providing a greater potential for interactivity, collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and personal development?
Instructional strategies and technology, applied thoughtfully, can equip adult learners with the tools needed to expand their learning territory and grow potential. Our challenge, as instructional design and technology professionals, is to ensure the applied strategies and technology directly serves the adult learner, and does not distract the learner from the primary goal: increasing knowledge, understanding, skills, and potential. Our primary focus, then, should be on the learning and not the technology.
Since new technology (and approaches to using it) creates an environment in which adult learners have to adapt, we must ensure this learning space, this territory, is accessible, easy to navigate, and expandable. As adult learners traverse this territory, the strategies and technology should help to promote collaboration, self-direction, and expression within this learning environment.
Learning Components
The greatest outcome of instructional technology integration is how the learner can acquire and demonstrate new knowledge. Technology has eliminated the traditional “one-way street” approach to learning, where the learner passively obtains information from a lecture, demonstration, or presentation. Instructional technologies have replaced the learning territory’s one-way streets with multi-lane, multi-directional, instructional highways. This creates true interactivity among learners, instructors, and resources.
Instructional technologies have created more “points of interest” to visit and interact with throughout the learning territory. Interactivity, collaboration, and networking are the new cornerstones in adult learning, made possible by instructional technologies. Learners have a wider array of tools and locations from which to peruse and use information and learning resources:
- Websites
- Simulations and Gaming
- E-learning and CBT
- Podcasts
- Wikis
- Blogs
- Networking sites
- Forums
- Virtual Classrooms
- Remote Meetings
- Virtual Spaces
These learning resources, like the learning territory, will continue to expand outward, substantially increasing what is available to the learner.
Implementing Instructional Technologies
Prior to implementing any new instructional strategy and technology for learners, we need to give consideration to certain instructional factors:
- Will the technology improve information delivery?
- Does it empower the learner toward achieving a goal?
- Will it expand the “instructional territory” the learner is traversing?
- Is the new technology a complement to the instructional objectives?
- Does the technology support the instructional strategy?
- Will the learner benefit from using this technology?
- Can the new technology be integrated into the existing instructional structure?
Keep in mind that ease-of-use is critical. The technology must be intuitive to use. If learners find the curve to adapt too steep, they may look for something else.
In addition, the instructional strategy and technology must provide a real benefit to the learner, and be integrated with sound instructional design principles.
The question we should ask is, will the instructional strategy and technology expand the learner’s territory in a positive way by providing a greater potential for interactivity, collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and personal development?