Abstract
educational approaches, and how students are in need of more dynamic, technology based,
hands-on learning opportunities. Key factors in the technology era, are to provide students with
more self-directed learning experiences, create convenient learning strategies, and ensure the
content and equipment quality. This paper also addresses the changing role of the traditional
teacher, ways to create a more student-centered learning environments, while also sharing
programs.
socialization and creativity. Technology is changing how we get and apply knowledge because it
is hyperlinked, multidimensional, constructed and held in graphic, audio, and video formats.
Technology is changing the value of education which requires us to take a closer look at
traditional education, online education and hybrid educational approaches, which turns our
The way students are learning today has drastically changed from the 20th century. While
students can still meet in a formal classroom, many can now meet using virtual platforms, such
as Black Board or D2L (Desire to Learn), Litmos and Canvas. In the classroom, the combined
use of the interactive whiteboard and digital content-presentations has led to what is called
disruptive innovation. These technologies change how ideas are represented and how concepts
can be presented and shared, especially among those having difficulties in learning them
(Hedberg, 2010, p. 2). Disruptive innovations embrace the broader notion of technology and its
traditional way of doing things (Hedberg, 2010). Technology is changing the way students learn,
and putting increasing pressure on traditional pedagogy and formal instruction. This generation
of students can access high quality alternative digital lessons, and share content, or network with
audiences all around the world (Hedberg, 2010). Distance education, in particular, is providing
academic opportunities beyond the confines of an organized industrial classroom and a singular
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 4
teacher. The United States government has been working to address the growing distant learning
launched in January 2000, convened government, academia, and the private sector to
develop an open architecture for online learning. The result of this collaboration is the
p. 25).
The government recognized in the year 2000 the benefits of distant learning opportunities and for
students from more diverse demographic backgrounds to attain new and resourceful skills
necessary for good jobs in todays economy. Thus, the government has encouraged both the
public and private sectors to invest in cost-effective and quantifiable distant learning programs
(Pantazis, 2002). With web-based curriculum that is easily accessible and easy to modify for
multiple use, some teachers fear their skills will no longer be valuable.
Some professionals fear their teaching role will become inferior as curriculum designers
develop and reuse lessons in online educations programs, which could marginalize the need for
traditional teachers and the educational environment of the classroom based on the following
The U.S. Department of Defense's Advanced Distribute Learning Initiative, first launched
in January 2000, convened government, academia, and the private sector to develop an
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 5
open architecture for online learning. The result of this collaboration is the Sharable
Teacher-centric control over the pedagogy and concept knowledge is now achievable using
digital technology from virtually anywhere (Hedberg, 2010). The ability to reuse this content,
and with seamless distribution capabilities, it raises the questions of the vulnerability to teachers.
However, in reality, teachers have nothing to worry about. Professionals all agreed active
learning is important in the learning process and instructional delivery strategies still required the
skills of a trained educational specialist, who can deliver the major components of the curriculum
using best practices (Lane-kelso, 2015). Even in the distant learning, student-centered modules,
teachers guide the learning as active facilitators and provide valuable feedback to students.
Therefore, as long as teacher embrace change and increase in personal efficiency to build a
stronger understanding of how to implement technology to teach ideas and concepts to this
generation of technology rich learners, we can happily continue to devote our energy toward
student academic-success.
Technology is saturating the daily lives of our students, and affects how we do business,
learn, communicate and travel. For instance, Smart Phones and Tablets are replacing books,
calculators, wrist watches, maps, and newspapers. Students are actively using technology to
communicate with their friends and family, and share information using a variety of platforms, or
watch videos, most commonly on mobile devices (Lane-Kelso, 2015). As society continues to
use these technologies, first, with support, and then to extend and improve their own experiences,
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 6
they learn that technology can bring a sense of comfort and control and gradually unlock the
process of transformation (Hedberg, 2010). The pedagogical practices in distant education are
also looking for the same support needed for the changing academic trajectories. This is defined
as learning conducted on electronic media, usually the internet (Pantazis, 2002). Distance
education has come a long way, but strategies are still being established in order to find
functional ways of tracking student progress through different measurements and assessments. A
current trend is the use of academic online analytical management systems to track assessment
scores and customize the learning environment based on the particular needs of the student, and a
recent report on online education, conducted by SRI International for the Department of
better than those receiving face-to face instruction (Bordon, 2011, p. 2). This conclusion tells us
that students are not only able to use technology as a learning tool, but they actually enjoy it, too.
Because students are not supervised during the learning process, a different model is needed to
track student progress, and to ensure the quality of the content. One progress tracking tool is the
CMS (course management system) which enables distant learning facilitators to see graphically
rendered, multidimensional charts of the students progress in real time. The product is called
CourseVis and it provides insight to the social, behavioral and cognitive aspects directly
The online learning environment demands a new method of sourced content. Instead of
memorization and feedback, instructors can apply real-life problems and engage students in
suited to an e-learning world in which the focus turns from a record of classes taken and degrees
2002, p. 23).
Curriculum designers can now promote out-come based assessments, and use electronic progress
tracking systems to determine the content knowledge of the student. We see these same systems
used in a variety of video games (Pantazis, 2002). There are still some challenges that disrupt the
flow and development of distant education systems. This includes the access to high-speed
telecommunications and connectivity in individual homes, and schools, which are more
geographically remote. The lack of high-speed internet can affect the quality of academic videos
and presentations, which can interrupt learning, cause discouragement or lead to a lack of
academic motivation (Pantazis, 2002). In addition, students need to have reliable access to
Convenient Learning
knowledge, however, being successful goes beyond the convenience of technology (Bourdeaux,
Schoenack, 2016). It is important to consider content delivery methods, and the content medium.
It does not matter if the student is in a blended course, or an online course offered in many
education settings; the students want interactive, visually interesting, immediate access,
flexibility and academic convenience (Hedberg, 2010). Yet, each students personal ability to use
technology will impact their learning and motivation in a distance learning course, regardless of
variety (Bourdeaux, Schoenack, 2016). The way this is currently being addressed is through the
collaboration increases the quality experience of the students (Hedberg, 2010). In addition,
providing multiple instructional mediums for students to access allows the student to access the
most effective medium for their learning style and ability (Lane-Kelso, 2015). Using Web 2.0,
for example, for collaboration, conferencing, wikis and blogs, is changing how institutions are
educating students.
A consistent trend in technology is the urgency of the tech companies to get their product
into the hands and households of nations worldwide. In the last decade, the number of Americans
with a cell phone has quadrupled (Hennig, 2015). As technology becomes easier to use, and
cheaper to buy, the demographic student body changed as well. Older students are now pursing
studying at a distance. Statistics show that higher education institutions are striving to meet this
demand. The 2010 Sloan Survey of Online Learning revealed that enrollment rose by almost
one million students from a year earlier, and that nearly 30 percent of all colleges and university
students now take at least one course online (Bordon, 2011, p. 1). Hennig (2015), concludes that
technology has helped narrow the economic growth gap between high and low income countries,
some of which had no fixed-line technology and went directly to mobile phone/wifi technology,
in a very short period of time. These big leaps and bounds in an economy creates skills gaps in
the workforce.
Technology Skills-Gap
needed technology integration into the student learning processes, are the increasing gap between
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 9
education and the needed skills in the workforce. 21st century employers are keeping pace with
many of the digital technology changes, but traditional classrooms are often slow to change, slow
to integrate technology, and sometimes misinformed to which technologies are most relevant for
job opportunities after graduation (Hedberg, 2010). Research and administration experience
indicates that,
pedagogies require more than just providing access to the technologies; rather it requires
In many education contexts, some of these elements are missing. Many teachers have never used
ICT-based learning strategies as learners themselves, nor had training in, or previous experience
of, teaching with such technologies (Hedberg, 2010). Teachers already have so much work and
responsibility, they could quickly become over-burdened trying to learn and use these resources
effectively. Technology advancements challenge all users who wish to stay current, and valuable
time is spent to discover and integrate new teaching strategies that are both effective and
resourceful to the student and their economic future (Hedberg, 2010). This issue has not been left
interacting with touch interfaces, and curriculum content licensing has quickly enabled
administrations to implement technology without requiring much time or effort, thus, instructors
are able to access multiple resources and display the ones which will benefit the class, without
Students are using technology in diverse, simultaneous, and multidimensional ways and
now have free access to Open Educational Resources to supplement their learning experiences.
These resources are defined as teaching, learning and research materials in any medium, digital
or otherwise, that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that
permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions
(Nti, 2015, p. 1). With these resources openly available, students are able to supplement and
direct their own learning experiences. Open educational resources are available to any
interested person, and are made generally available and equally accessible with no barriers or
limitations (Nti, 2015, p. 1). Technology allows students to manage their own intrinsic learning
needs and what-was out-of-reach to students only 10 years ago, is now available to students
today. This is made possible because we have the know-how to actually use technical features
and technology to support our learning modalities and styles. Without delivery access challenges,
students from all over the world will be well equipped to make career and communication
and colleges, and it is well known that online education allows students to have flexible options
while balancing a life of responsibilities (Kentnor, 2015). Students are realizing they can support
and supplement their own knowledge without spending tens of thousands of dollars to achieve a
degree which might not be necessary in some industries. The future student will now be able to
enter the workforce without huge student loan debt (Nti, 2015). Some popular platforms for
Open Educational Resources include Khan Academy, Coursera, Alison, OER Africa, Open
Education Europa, Future Learn and YouTube EDU (Nti, 2015). Open online courses are full of
content materials that may comprise of instructional videos, lecture notes, quizzes, course
projects and discussion forums (Nti, 2015). A variety of delivery methods, and different
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 11
languages, allow the student multiple opportunities to learn internationally. There are fewer
boundaries and shared information makes acquiring knowledge faster than ever before. However,
on the contrary, the student becomes increasingly more responsible for their own learning and
content knowledge. Teachers can also use the same variety of Open Educational Resources to
supplement their own curriculum plans and content execution. The concept of open education
promotes causation to meet the particular demands of the learner (Nti, 2015). Full courses on
varied research material and content include lecture notes, textbooks, course plan and
instructional videos, all of which an in-service teacher can use to support the multiple learning
modalities of the students within the classroom (Nti, 2015). These resources also connect the
A great opportunity to get media devices into the hands of students inside the classroom,
is flipped instruction, an evolving traditional content delivery method. Flipped instruction is the
process of providing the in-class lecture portion of content outside of class, using an alternative
teaching medium on mobile devices (Lane-Kelso, 2015). Flipped instruction is not a new
concept, yet one of the current issues teachers report is consistent implementation. When
traditional teachers are asked to provide the lecture content to students outside the classroom,
they struggle to provide in-class hands-on work for the entire duration of class. In other-words,
they do not know how to use the extra time effectively (Lane-Kelso, 2015). It appears
traditionally trained teachers are not ready to apply this concept of technology integration and
struggle to incorporate technology in the transfer of power from the teacher-centered approach to
the student-centered approach. Despite the access and general use of technology among the
student body, putting technology to proper use, and finding ways to make it as effective as
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 12
include technology support from colleagues, administrators and parents, and the questionable
educational value flipped instruction adds (Lane-Kelso, 2015). Flipping instruction can also
create anxiety and emotional reactions for teachers leading to the pedagogy of discomfort where
teachers are challenged to address their concerns and embrace a more flexible sense of the self
(Hedberg, 2010). In spite of the students rich-technology resources and skills, the cultural
paradigm shift for teaching and learning with technology, many classrooms remain mostly
unchanged. Traditional educational systems rely almost entirely on the teacher to deliver the
course content.
learning outcomes of students in this rapidly evolving technology era, it is important to provide
the educator and students with the equipment to do so. Two types of technology can easily be
used to accomplish this task, namely Podcasts and Wikis (Mears, 2009). These two technologies
bring audio and video recordings to the students, while also allowing the student a direct
kinesthetic connection with the portable media devices the Podcast or Wiki are delivered on.
Earlier, we discussed the use of flipped instruction in the classroom, and how these content
delivery options allow educators new ways to free up classroom instructional time, which allows
for more student-centered learning. One way teachers can focus their attention on the student-
centered approach, is the use of Wikis. Wikis are software packages that allow users to create
web pages using browsers like Internet explorer, Google Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft edge and
Safari; all of which make hyperlinking to other pages quick and easy (Mears, 2009). Developing
a Wiki site is a quick and easy process, and creating a Wiki can be done using PBWorks at
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 13
because the level of access available to the viewer is controlled by the publisher; such as making
some content only available to administrators. This could be useful if a teacher wants to present
content, and practice guides for students and make grading keys only accessible to
administrators. It also prevents other users from changing or deleting content. This is a free
platform and has limited customizable features and allows for 100 users, but there is 2GB of
memory storage for documents (Mears, 2009). Another great feature offered by Wiki is the
ability to continue customizing the content and display. You can link other webpages for
differentiated instructional capabilities, and you affectively allow students the option to
The other technology that can be used to flip instruction is the use of Podcasts. This is a
low-cost method of providing students with content outside of class in a lecture format. Once the
portable device the podcast will be delivered on has been determined, it can be easily created at
of Podcasts and Wikis are an economical method of providing content information to students
while also providing educators with more free time to develop curriculum. Imagine all the time
spent in the copy and laminating room that teachers can now use to deliver student-centered
learning material.
The true value in using these resources, is how user friendly the technology has become.
Teachers are not expected to learn complex computer skills to provide Wikis and podcasts to
students. These innovative methods to assist the educator in reaching the goal of more face-to-
face objective instructional practice and allowing more time for psychomotor development
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 14
during valuable classroom time puts the learning back into the hands of the student (Mears,
2009). Statistics show that students that direct their own learning, in student-centered learning
environments are more satisfied with their work and their content understanding (Nti, 2015).
According to Mears (2009), we recognize the value of this technology support, with multiple
comfortable pace.
While students can access a wide range of information using a computer, it is important
to also look at the growing trend of brain-games, or computer brain training programs and
video games to sharpen a wide range of intellectual, and critical thinking skills. According to Dr.
Michael Merzenich, game-based learning can improve reading and comprehension and improve
memorization (Mercola, 2010). For example, games have served as a unifying influence in three
skills and outreach, and finally to support the learning initiatives (Herro, Clark, 2016). A sense of
pleasure is connected to gaming, as gaming brings a level of interest and engagement to the user,
in that rewards and gifts are used to encourage the games extrinsic value. All-the while, games
have been used to help assist in solving real problems of importance, using puzzle quests,
problem solving virtual reality, memory games, speed development games (stress testers),
quantitative reasoning, math, reading and logistics, to improve the cognitive strengths of the user
(Herro, Clark, 2016). Game-based learning is being used as a 21st century teaching modality that
allows participants to earn extrinsic rewards such as badges, status hierarchy, progress points,
level-ups, ranking on leadership boards, gaming money, free (in-game) gifts, discounts for in-
game purchases, status up-dates on social media, retweets, friend-requests, and team ranking
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 15
scores (Herro, Clark, 2016). Game designers, scientists and educators, alongside policy-makers
are talking about the academic power of gaming, and the majority of stakeholders, according to
Herro and Clark (2016), believe that gaming mechanics influence education, and act
modality which increases literacy skills and fluid knowledge-building, and naturally, games are
enhanced by digital media, and are both visually and dynamically appealing to the user.
According to Herro and Clark (2016), funding of Game-based learning is the only thing slowing
this innovative learning mechanic. Academic gaming is growing in popularity because digital
media education and administrative support is already in practice in many learning institutions in
teachers familiarity, use and comfort using technology as more schools become connected
The past decade has seen a strong focus in the United States on increasing the use of
technology in the nations schools, to spur innovation and foster global economic
knowledge and skills needed to compete in a global economy and in June 2013, President
Technology integration and distant learning platforms are new models to approach the intrinsic
factors imbedded in the learning process. The American Psychological Association (APA, 1997)
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 16
put forth a report saying research based principles of learning are motivated by the students
personal interests, level of subject matter relevance, the task difficulty, and the students overall
motivation to learn. These principles remain the same, regardless of the content delivery
methods. Thus, all administrations can do is use technology resources to spur innovation, critical
thinking and design. For technology to impact academic factors such as leadership support,
frequency of use, and instruction, effective curriculum models must be in place (Mcknight,
2016). Within a number of research focus groups, the most experienced teachers who integrated
technology regularly in their classrooms agreed that technology alone does not increase student
supports, structure, the learning climate, and resources within the community mattered, such as
integration support, and technical support (Mcknight at al., 2016). According to the teachers,
these factors greatly influence student attitude when technology was introduced into the
curriculum design (Mcknight et al., 2016). Technology alone cannot support the learner;
however, teachers are able to utilize technology in five important ways. First, technology
creates a blended learning experience to reach different student learning modalities and abilities
(Mcknight et al., 2016). Third, technology allows students that have been absent from class to
keep pace from home, or, as distance learners, have the ability to study and balance multiple
responsibilities (Mcknight et al., 2016). Fourth, technology enables students from different
cultures and language backgrounds to participate equally through easily translated documents
(Mcknight et al., 2016). Fifth, research shows that technology gives more choice and control to
the learner, allowing them to seek out alternative resources and multiple pathways to enhance
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS AND ISSUES 17
subject mastery (Mcknight et al., 2016). Another advantage that technology provides the
traditional teacher is freed up time from grading papers, assignments, and tests, as well as
tracking, reporting and locating late or missing assignments (Mcknight et al., 2016). Time is
valuable; thus, proper technology integration offers teachers more time to engage in side-by-side
Conclusion
In conclusion, we know that as traditional learning and distant learning education
continues to progress, instructors will also be held to higher standards, with increased demand
for high quality and tech-savvy instructional teaching skills. The next generation of students will
be working in blended learning environments, and new technologies will be available to initially
support, extend and finally transform pedagogy as teachers gradually find out what the
technology can do Familiarity, confidence and time are the keys that unlock this gradual
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