Learning Theories

From my own observations and experiences I can state that technology and communication is evident throughout the world. I spent 2 months travelling through Africa and after seeing the gorillas deep in the Rwandan rainforest I was able to return to the hotel and email my adventure from a 3^rd world country. This statement is backed from my experience of living overseas for six years and travelling to over 30 countries on four continents. Our next generation are digital natives; that is, they represent the first generation to grow up with this new technology. They have spent their entire lives surrounded by and using computers, videogames, digital music players, video cams, cell phones and all the other toys and tools of the digital age (Prensky, 2001, p. 1). 

Using a wiki as an online e-Learning strategy supports learning in a positive manner. The students today are all native speakers of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet (Prensky, 2001, p. 1). Students are interested in technology (my observation is backed by the fact there is 1 billion or so members on Facebook worldwide. Baffling is the debate of digital technology in schools and the resistance is head shaking. My parent’s generation resisted the introduction to seat belts in cars while my generation resisted the introduction to wearing helmets on pushbikes when all the while there was evidence that it would be beneficial. Our communities had to be educated and the reasoning justified. Digital pedagogy will be discussed; disagreed upon; justified; but whatever you and I agree on, the one fact is that it will be implemented in schools. Education Queensland (2008, p. 3) identifies digital pedagogy as being “a new way of working and learning with ICT to facilitate quality learning experiences for 21^st Century learns. Digital Pedagogy moves the focus from ICT tools and skills, to a way of working in the digital world”. While I agree with that statement I also see it as an evolutional process and the factor here is that technology has moved at such a fast rate that if then we as educators fail to implement appropriate teachings then we could fall behind. 

Engagement theory ensures students are included and can progress and achieve targets together. I love working in groups, although I’m likely to take the lead since I enjoy contributing my knowledge and learning from others to achieve the goal. Engagement theory is intended to be a conceptual framework for technology-based learning and teaching (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999, p. 1). Engagement theory has three components that are summarised as Relate-Create-Donate and implies that learning activities should occur in groups (collaborative); are project based and have an outside (authentic) focus (Kearsley & Shneiderman, 1999 p.1). I agree with this framework especially for the senior students because these components appear in the workforce and ideally students should be taught in alignment with what to expect in jobs. Just like engagement theory. Bloom’s theory is also based on the three domains of cognitive (knowledge), affective (attitude) and psychomotor (skills) (Clark, 1999, p. 1). Clark (1999) states “this compilation divides the three domains into subdivision, starting from the simplest behaviour to the most complex.” I cannot separate these frameworks and I support both of them respectively. They have my support because I am predominately a visual / kinaesthetic learner and both of these frameworks touch on physical skills.