Friday 3 August 2018

Moving towards a more Digital Learning Experience

OK, so now we have Ed.Tech. and are proficient in using the projector and the laser pointer. We are able to display data on the screens, but then, so what? Does the mere use of Ed.Tech. make us really better than those who used chalk and board, charts, pen and paper? I guess not! This is where Digital Learning matters. It takes us beyond the mere use of technology. Technology enabled learning provides for stilted learning unless it incorporates Digital Learning too!
What we really need to do is to cater to L&D. To be more specific, L&D stands for learning and development and is specifically focused on helping people learn new skills so they're motivated and productive at work. L&D professionals are concerned with getting the best out of their workforce and developing their skills and capabilities to drive performance. Educational Technology is a means to achieve a greater understanding of principles, concepts and ……… rather than stop at being adept in using an overhead projector, or for that effect merely run a power-point-presentation!
Digital learning has become a reality today, what with “Digital experiences”-1 taking over our lives! Analog has given way to digital so much so that the letters we wrote to our families, friends, relatives and acquaintances have been replaced by E-Mails. Today we shop online, preferring to stay at home and simply relax. We have discarded our Vinyl Records, Spool Tapes, Cassettes even Compact Disks and have moved on to an online musical experience. Most of us will have used WYNK rather than compact disks. Our cars provide us with digital experiences that would have appeared rather far-fetched a few years back. It is high time we accepted the fact that technology has its uses and move on in life!
How we use technology in class and what we do after using technology is what matters. Are we using Ed.Tech. to develop learning modules, or are we using it to create a new understanding of old concepts? To use Digital Technology effectively we need to be Digitally enabled. To be Digitally enabled one we need to rewrite/unlearn older rules, change the way we did things, and be in sync with the dynamic nature of education. The mere use of e-learning modules, LMS, in its traditional sense is not Digital learning! Digital learning is not about simply applying technology. Rather, Digital Learning goes beyond the mere application of technology in class. It is about creating models, predictions, future projections it caters to the emotive aspect of learning and promotes creativity, it celebrates learning and induces a sense of pride and ownership in students for learning that is self-driven. Digital Learning caters to the “Big Idea” behind learning a lesson or subject.
The elements of Digital learning might seem to be unattainable and perhaps too fantastic, yet they can be seen in expeditionary and experiential learning. Experiential and Expeditionary learning, collaborative and emotive in nature are the very basis for Digital Learning.


This article has been inspired by:
The Important Distinction Between ‘Digital’ and ‘Technology-Enabled’ Learning

by David James-https://www.looop.co/articles/digital-technology-enabled-learning/

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