This week’s reading reminds me of an advertisement I saw for Kaplan University (see at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e50YBu14j3U), which, besides promoting the university’s online courses, shows how learning has changed due to technology. I find this ad extremely relevant to this week’s reading which discusses how mobile devices have made education available and accessible to everyone. However, learning materials have to be designed according to these emerging influences.
Instructional designers have to develop learning material based on concepts such as ‘chunking’ information to facilitate processing in working memory; developing information in the form of learning objects that allow learners to access learning material according to their needs; implementing pre-instructional strategies like advance organizers and overviews to help learners make sense of the information; and embedding intelligent agents in technology that gather information about what students learnt and what they need help with.
Along with all of the above, instructors must be able to facilitate the communication process between the learners by encouraging open dialogue, recognizing the different learning styles in order to respond to different learners’ needs, acting as a counselor, and making good use of all the tools available to them to promote learning.
Does this impact of technology on learning put too much pressure on the instructors/instructional designers to meet all these expectations?
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